Between the hundreds of Meetup groups and email invitations for the next panel on fundraising, the tech scene in any city can be hard to navigate. In DC alone, there are more than two dozen organizations that are angled as resources for women in tech or aim to teach people how to code. Together, they are all lowering the barriers to entry to the tech industry in a variety of ways.
Shannon Turner created Hear Me Code, a free, beginner Python workshop that takes place every Sunday afternoon. DCFemTech (a DC women in tech collective) hosts bi-monthly Code & Coffee events to encourage all coders – from novice to master – to learn and work on their side projects. And in July, the civic-minded Tech Lady Hackathon will take place; last year, the event attracted over 100 female attendees. The point is: it’s never too late. The major you pursued in college doesn’t matter; it’s not impossible to learn to code. And most importantly, the community is always here to help you.
And if you don’t believe me, here are 29 DC metro area women in tech ranging from startup CEOs to Cartographers and Software Engineers sharing their helpful words of wisdom for those seeking to find their way in the tech industry. Here’s what they had to say:
[slideshare id=35013676&doc=womenintechadvice-140522135856-phpapp01]
For more ways to get involved, check out these upcoming events: