I had to blog on this totally separately because it was by far the session that hit me emotionally between the eyes. While this wasn't getting technical content, it was a huge therapeutic session for me. This session was a panel of professional women in the Lotus community who shared their experiences as women in the IT industry. They shared how they got started and how they evolved to where they are today. It was amazing to me to see how many of them had a story just like mine except I am still working to where they are, after a 4 year hiatus to have children. Their day to day experiences in working amongst the men, their own personal and emotional struggles in their jobs, and the other pros and cons of being a professional woman couldn't have been more perfectly scripted by my self. It was like their voices were coming from my head! I wanted to stand up and shout "Amen! I am totally with you!", "Oh my gosh, that is totally me!" I was shocked to hear these confident professional women telling stories I couldn't have scripted more perfectly. Gabriella Davis cracked me up when she said she is so surprised when she gets positive feedback from her sessions and how obsessive she is to be ultra-prepared and knowledgeable. I thought I was the only one like that!
I appreciated what Maureen Leland had to offer about how a woman's career will surge forward and then get put on the back burner, then surge again because of family life and motherhood. I always saw myself as a weak woman for bailing on my career to have 4 children, but that was important to me. Now I am surging forward on my career along with being Mom.
I never saw my struggles in the workplace as a struggle against men. I always thought it was a struggle to compensate for what I thought were my weaknesses, which still may be. But I do struggle against the basic personalities of many of the men I interact with. But like these ladies, there are a lot of advantages to our ways of thinking and our wiring that really benefit the community and workplace. Those are the things I try to concentrate on as I press forward. I have been fortunate to work with male managers who have seen my potential and helped me out a great deal.
Maureen Leland and Irene Greif suggested the book, "Unlocking the Clubhouse: Women in Computing" by Jane Margolis and Allan Fisher. I will have to check out this book. It sounds like a good read.
These were the ladies on the panel:
Gabriella Davis
Jessica "Jess" Stratton
Irene Greif
Maureen Leland
Mary Beth Raven
Kathleen McGivney
Libby Ingrassia
Thanks ladies! You rock!
2 comments:
Thanks for posting that, Kendra. We really weren't sure what the panel should accomplish at first, and we definitely weren't sure what the reactions would be. Most people seem to feel the way you do, which is great!
At first I knew I was taking a big chance by admitting all that I did - but I looked around the room and saw 95% nodding their heads in agreement with what I was saying, and then I knew I had made the right choice.
I had so much fun up there, thanks for coming and hearing us talk, and for posting this follow up. The general concensus seems to be, "I thought I was the only one who felt that way!" :-)
Cheers,
Jess
GLAD YOU ENJOYED THE SESSION. I always wonder if sessions like this are helpful. Hope to see you in the future, and if not, we'll at least stay connected thru blogging. keep up the blog! I really enjoy following it.
Mary Beth Raven
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