Category Archives: Women In Tech

Women In Tech

National Girls Collaborative Institute Days 2-3 Recap

As mentioned in the first recap (which obviously you, my slavishly devoted readers, read), I’m in Tucson for the National Girls Collaborative Institute. Why? Because as someone with a growing interest in and passion for STEM education, I wanted to learn about the nuts and bolts of a project whose collaborative model has enabled and connected girl-focused STEM organizations across the country. And also, because NGCP asked me to speak about using social media as a community builder. And also because I work for a cool company that lets me go to these sorts of things.

Anyways, when I left off yesterday, I was about to go to a dinner/laser show at the University of Arizona’s Flandrau Science Center, which contains a planetarium, telescope, mineral museum and marine discovery center. If any of you are ever in Tucson, I definitely recommend going–U of A is justifiably famous for its geology and astronomy programs, and the Science Center is staffed with fervently knowledgeable geologists, gemologists, marine biologists and astronomers, plus a staggering amount of Wulfenite. The lazer show was set to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, I ate empanadas and nitroglycerin ice cream, Tucson is famous for its mid-century neon signs, sea cucumbers spew their guts into predators’ faces as a last resort, Jupiter shone bright and poor little Io is melting. (Want to work for SoftArtisans? We’re hiring.) Continue reading National Girls Collaborative Institute Days 2-3 Recap →

Women In Tech

National Girls Collaborative Institute Days 1-2 Recap

[Photo credit: Karen Peterson]

Greetings from the desert of the real, otherwise known as downtown Tucson, AZ. It’s my first visit to the Grand Canyon State, and I’ve been really struck by the size of the sky and the sepianess of its light. And all the cacti and sagebrush. But mostly, I’ve been struck by the efficacy, sensibility and change-affecting potential of the National Girls Collaborative Project‘s collaborative model. In a nutshell, for those of you unfamiliar with the organization, the NGCP is a national, NSF-funded project comprised of regional/state collaboratives comprised of girl-serving STEM organizations. Through their website, conferences and this annual institute, the national NGCP assists and educates the regional collaboratives in finding, funding and raising awareness about their local organizations. It’s a fantastic model, and one, that, as I tweeted yesterday, reminds me of Hadoop’s: tap into the resources of many through a central hub, maximizing output and minimizing waste.

Continue reading National Girls Collaborative Institute Days 1-2 Recap →

Women In Tech

Stories from the WIT Trenches: Stacia Misner

[This is the sixth in a series of posts exploring the personal stories of real women in technology. Every woman in tech overcame at the very last statistical odds to be here; this blog series aims to find out why, and what they found along the way. Those of you who work in the SQL Server BI arena are mostly likely familiar with Stacia Misner— the consultant, instructor and prolific author is one of  the MS BI stack’s greatest champions. Here, she talks tractors, the SQLBI community’s collective consciousness and growing up in the stars. For guidance and in-depth tutorials on all things SQL Server, SSRS, SharePoint and BI, check out Stacia’s blog and books! And if reading her story inspires you to share yours, please feel to email me.]

I’m Stacia Misner, a business intelligence consultant, author, and instructor specializing in the Microsoft business intelligence stack. I have been working in the business intelligence field since 1999 and started my own consulting company in 2006.

1)      Can you take us back to your “eureka!” moment—a particular instance or event that got you interested in technology?

I’ve always been interested in technology in one way or another. My parents were both programmers, although I don’t recall growing up thinking that I would follow in their footsteps. I was always very good at math and science, and was properly encouraged in those areas. I had the privilege of growing up in Houston, in the heart of the space industry, so all my friends’ parents (mostly fathers at the time, I suppose) were engineers or scientists. Technology seemed a normal part of life, and my friends and I grew up expecting that it would become more and more like Star Trek as time went on. Continue reading Stories from the WIT Trenches: Stacia Misner →

Excel, Women In Tech

Stories from the WIT Trenches: Debra Dalgleish

[This is the sixth in a series of posts exploring the personal stories of real women in technology. Every woman in tech overcame at the very last statistical odds to be here; this blog series aims to find out why, and what they found along the way. If you’ve ever sought Excel-related help online or in print, chances are you’re familiar with Debra Dalgleish, one of the foremost authorities on Excel and Access development and the author of three books on pivot tables. Here, she talks staring your own home business, getting young girls aware of and excited about careers in tech and kissing correction fluid goodbye. If reading her story inspires you to share yours, please feel to email me.]

Self-employment is the dream job – most of the time. As a computer consultant, working from home, you can set your own hours, schedule meetings at convenient times, or meet with clients online. You’re the boss, so you can pass on projects that don’t appeal to you, if your workload gets too high.

If you have a young family, running your own computer-based business can give you more time with the children, while still earning an income. That’s why I got started, and now, even though the children have moved out, I wouldn’t want any other job.

My work, as an Excel and Access developer, is challenging and rewarding. My clients bring interesting projects, and push me to continue to improve my skills. In this business, there’s always something new to learn. Continue reading Stories from the WIT Trenches: Debra Dalgleish →

SharePoint, Women In Tech

Angels at the Gate: Tech Conferences and the Booth Babe Strategy

[Disclaimer: This is not my SPC11 recap. That is forthcoming, but in the meantime, please check out our video recaps]

There are three types of people you’ll meet at a software conference: attendees, vendors and booth babes.  The attendees are there to pick up new skills, network and score swag. The vendors are there to convince decision-makers to make the right decision. The booth babes are there to reel in the decision makers. You could make the argument that the booth babes are also vendors, but as temporary hires with little-to-no knowledge of the product, the only things they are vending are themselves.

I have two main cases against the booth babe strategy. The first, understandably, is from a feminist standpoint. The use of women as bait is objectifying and creates, to many attendees, a gender-based binary: you are a man or you are a booth babe. (It also, by the way, paints the attendees as slobbering cretins who can be manipulated through their basest instincts.) However, the feminist case against booth babes is, unfortunately, too general to be compelling. Sorry lady, you say, sex sells. Which brings me to my second, fiduciary case:  does it? And, more to the point: does it sell software? Continue reading Angels at the Gate: Tech Conferences and the Booth Babe Strategy →

SharePoint, Women In Tech

Stories from the WIT Trenches: Marcy Kellar

[This is the fifth in a series of posts exploring the personal stories of real women in technology. Every woman in tech overcame at the very least statistical odds to be here; this blog series aims to find out why, and what they found along the way. If you’ve gone to any SharePoint conferences in the past few years, you may have met-and had your jumpshot taken by-Marcy Kellar. A bubbly usability-focused consultant, Marcy is a passionate and supportive member of the SharePoint community at large. Check out her SharePoint blog here, and her event photography portfolio here. And if reading her story inspires you to share yours, please feel free to email me.]

Hello.  I’m Marcy Kellar. I own my own boutique consultancy that focuses on solution strategy and user experience design.  I am a consultant who goes by whichever title is appropriate at the time.  I’m a solution strategist, solution architect, user experience architect, user interface designer, creative director, branding specialist, business analyst.  Basically, I solve problems using user-centered design methods.  My primary focus is on SharePoint but I also engage in early strategy envisioning and user experience design while its platform agnostic.

1)       Can you take us back to your “eureka!” moment–a particular instance or event that got you interested in technology? Continue reading Stories from the WIT Trenches: Marcy Kellar →

Women In Tech

Stories from the WIT Trenches: Erin Stellato

[This is the fourth in a series of posts exploring the personal stories of real women in technology. Every woman in tech overcame at the very least statistical odds to be here; this blog series aims to find out why, and what they found along the way. Those of you engaged in the virtual and IRL SQL communities may already know Erin Stellato from her active and informative presences at conferences and user groups, on Twitter and on her blog. Here, she talks Commodore 64s, nature vs. nuture and her evolution from Kinesiology major to Senior DBA. If reading her story inspires you to share yours, please feel free to email me.]

My name is Erin Stellato and I’m a Senior Database Engineer for a software company outside Cleveland, Ohio.  I have been working in technology for almost 11 years, and with SQL Server for over 8.  I’ve been involved in the SQL Community since 2010, and spend my time on Twitter, blogging and presenting at SQLSaturdays.  I am active in our local user group and will be presenting at my first PASS Summit this fall.

1)      Can you take us back to your “eureka!” moment—a particular instance or event that got you interested in technology?

I think it starts with my dad…he always had the latest electronics.  My dad loves watching TV, especially movies.  In our house this meant that we had a big TV, a satellite and a VCR.  We also had an Intellivision, which was a bummer for me because all my friends had Ataris, but I still played it.  A lot.  We also had a Commodore 64.  I remember my mom sitting down and typing out a “Hello World!” program.  I tried it as well, and figured out how to make it type different words.  I thought that was cool.  My mom worked in the radiology department of a hospital, and when I would tag along when she got called in.  I was able to see her use the Ultrasound or CT machines, which were pretty new at that time.  It was a lot of lights and buttons, but you could see inside a person on the fly.  It didn’t require the waiting of a normal x-ray…point, shoot, develop, wait, and then see.  Technology was pervasive in my life growing up, but it wasn’t something we discussed.  It was just there. Continue reading Stories from the WIT Trenches: Erin Stellato →

Women In Tech

Stories from the WIT Trenches: Kendra Little

 

[This is the third in a series of posts exploring the personal stories of real women in technology. Back in April I wrote a bit about my own history and about the problems, systemic and idiosyncratic, plaguing women who chose a career in most sectors of the tech world. Writing it was surprisingly cathartic, and the response to it was powerful enough to make me want to push it further. Every woman in tech overcame at the very least statistical odds to be here; this blog series aims to find out why, and what they found along the way. To many of you reading, the name Kendra Little may ring a bell. She’s one of the most active voices in the SQL community, and her blog is crammed with tech and workplace wisdom (and amazing illustrations). Her journey to becoming the sole female member of the Fantastic Four is described below. If reading her story inspires you to share yours, please feel free to email me.]

I love data.

I’m a founding partner of Brent Ozar PLF, LLC. We’re a team of consultants who dive in to help clients identify their biggest pain points and prescribe remedies that will work for their environment. Think of us as sports medicine trainers for the database layer—we’re experts at conditioning, recovering from and preventing failures, and helping database systems do more.

I’ve loved to draw since I was a kid. I create art for presentations and posters on topics like Isolation Levels and Table Partitioning. Everyone can download my posters for free from http://BrentOzar.com/go/posters.

1)      Can you take us back to your “eureka!” moment—a particular instance or event that got you interested in technology?

One conversation changed my life. Continue reading Stories from the WIT Trenches: Kendra Little →

Women In Tech

Stories from the WIT Trenches: Jes Shultz Borland

Photo Credit: Jes Schultz Borland

[This is the second in a series of posts exploring the personal stories of real women in technology. Back in April I wrote a bit about my own history and about the problems, systemic and idiosyncratic, plaguing women who chose  a career in most sectors of the tech world. Writing it was surprisingly cathartic, and the response to it was powerful enough to make me want to push it further. Every woman in tech overcame at the very least statistical odds to be here; this blog series aims to find out why, and what they found along the way. This week we have the dynamic and inspiring Jes Schultz Borland, whom many of you know from her incredibly active social presence in the SQL and WIT communities. In March, Jes described her professional journey,with all its dips and twists and catalysts, for SQL University WIT Week, and reading her story was part of what encouraged me to tell my own. If reading this does the same for you, please feel free to email me.]

Hi! My name is Jes Schultz Borland. I live in central WI. I’m a runner, an avid cook, a Jaycee, and a database administrator for a Fortune 500 company. I love what I do. I love keeping SQL servers running with minimal downtime, I love writing scripts to automate or fix processes, I love writing reports, and I love helping developers tune queries. I’m also very involved in the (amazing) SQL community. I love answering people’s questions, I love speaking at user groups and SQL Saturdays, I love being on the board for my user group, and I love learning. I tweet, I blog, and I speak regularly.

1)      Can you take us back to your “eureka!” moment—a particular instance or event that got you interested in technology? Continue reading Stories from the WIT Trenches: Jes Shultz Borland →

SharePoint, Women In Tech

Stories from the WIT Trenches: Sadie Van Buren

[This is the first in a series of posts exploring the personal stories of real women in technology. Back in April I wrote a bit about my own history, and about the problems, systemic and idiosyncratic, plaguing women who chose  a career in most sectors of the tech world. Writing it was surprisingly cathartic, and the response to it was powerful enough to make me want to push it further. Every woman in tech overcame at the very least statistical odds to be here; this blog series aims to find out why, and what they found along the way. I’m so thrilled that we get to kick off with Sadie Van Buren, whom many of you already know as a dynamic voice in the SharePoint community, and as the author of the ingenious SharePoint Maturity Model. If reading Sadie’s story inspires any of you to tell yours, please feel free to email me.]

My name is Sadie Van Buren and I’m a Senior Software Engineer at Blue Metal Architects in Watertown, MA.  I’m a Microsoft SharePoint consultant and have been working with that product since late 2002.  Over the past nine years I’ve participated in about 50 implementations of the product and have acted as project manager, business analyst, developer, and solution architect.

1)      Can you take us back to your “eureka!” moment—a particular instance or event that got you interested in technology?

I’m not sure there was a specific moment.  One of my brothers gave me a new Commodore Vic-20 when I was a kid, and it may have been a disappointment to him that I mainly used it to play Q-bert.  Continue reading Stories from the WIT Trenches: Sadie Van Buren →