Girls learn about IT careers

More than 100 area high school girls learned about careers in information technology Friday and got two messages loud and clear: They're not just for boys and they're not so boring after all.

Washington State Community College's first We Are IT Day drew 110 sophomore girls from Fort Frye, Warren, Waterford, Morgan and Meigs high schools and exposed them to different aspects of IT, from Web design to programming. More than 20 sites across Ohio also played host to the program.

"I didn't think it would be anything like what it is," said Waterford sophomore Kristen Trent, 15. "It's really interesting, and there's much more to it than I thought."

The goal of the day was to get more female students thinking that way, said Esther Salem, assistant professor of computer systems technology at Washington State.

"The field is so heavily slanted in population to men, and it's one of the fastest growing occupation fields - in the top 10," she said. "There are plenty of career opportunities, but for some reason girls don't think it's for them."

A Washington State student helper in the "You Program Like A Girl" session Friday is one of only two women taking her college course, said instructor Karen Poorman.

"When she goes to class, it's her and all of the guys," she said. "We see it in our classes and then in the workforce. We wants to see some more girls get involved."

In six different sessions Friday, students had the chance to edit photos, create and play a computer game, learn about network security and design unique vases on the computer.

"A lot of them didn't know what IT really was," said Salem. "They have this stereotype in their head of some geeky person with a pocket protector. We wanted to show them that it can be fun."

Local women in the field also joined the 10th-graders for lunch and shared stories and advice getting into information technology.

"The thing I love the most about my job is that it changes all the time," said Susan Huck, IT director at Woodcraft Supply. "You'll never, ever get bored. You've always got to keep up and you're always learning."

Morgan High School sophomore Cassie Copeland said that while she liked computers she had always fallen into the trap of thinking IT and engineering fields weren't for girls.

Friday's experiences changed her mind, she said.

"More girls should be interested in this," said Copeland, 15. "I thought it was cool that there was even a girl teaching it. It shouldn't be just guys."

Member Comments

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Johanna
11-15-08 11:27 PM »Report Abuse	Sorry for your luck...then maybe you should widen your horizons and move... You can then thank the Mid-Ohio Valley for your Education! I am sorry that you didn't make your millions here. Some of us just love the small town charm! Maybe they saw your pessimism of the Mid-Ohio Valley showing through! Try Parkersburg....
TheGuyNextDoor
11-15-08 11:57 AM »Report Abuse	A career in IT can be very rewarding, but not in this area. I am a 2007 graduate of WSCC, with an Associate of Applied Science in Computer Support Technology, and a 2008 graduate of a 4 year college with a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology. I have submitted in excess of 60 resumes, and even had a few interviews, with no luck. This does not mean that are no jobs, because there are. What this does mean though is that the few jobs available are taken by more experienced candidates, both male and female. Throughout my effort to find an IT job, I have noticed that there are more positions opened for programmers, versus network/systems specialists or web design. If you are a young person and are interested in IT, your career will definitely blossom in a larger metropolitan area, but not in the mid Ohio valley.

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