DeGeeking IT
The IT industry certainly needs degeeking. There is little hope of ungeeking individuals, its a DNA thing. The best we can do is dilute the gene pool. Women offer that potential. Typically strong on the traits that geeks are so typically poor on, eg. empathy, nurturing and social skills in general. We need to encourage women into the industry.
Women need to be made aware that you can have a career in IT without being a technical person. Sales, marketing, training and recruitment come to mind. I meet a lot of IT graduates and sadly those women who have taken the brave move of entering a career in the technical side of IT are faced with males that to varying degrees promote the notion that to fit in around here you need to ‘geek up’. Thus I witness young female graduates pretending to be excited about the latest version of Vista, Linux, Star Wars etc. It’s very sad but that is how it is.
We need to reward the renaissance techies such that the males mimic the new role models and thus behave in a more socially acceptable way. Then women will feel more inclined to get involved, on their own terms.
Failing that a series of promotional ads starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney to promote careers in IT should do the trick!
