Women in Tech

by Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack

Jobs

First line of job description is what the job is about. Rest all are preferred skills.
Show that you have been a part of a community in your domain.
Maintain a good github profile.
Show your skills in resume, the problem you solved, and how it benefitted the project.
Your skillset is the requirement for getting the job, rest of your career is based on how you treat people and how you let them treat you.
Do something that is meaningful to you. Your own passion for the subject will help you as you persuade other people to be better.
If you say that you can do it, show that you can do it in your portfolio.
Having a job gives you a sense of who you are.
Say yes to opportunities that cross your path. Especially those that require you to learn something new.

We need women leaders who aren't afraid to take chances and who aren't afraid to fail.
There is more than one way to be a leader.
A leader is a servant to the people around her, and not one of them. She is the one others look to for inspiration and guidance.
As a leader, the things you say matter to the people you lead.
A lot of people will listen to you as a leader and as a representative of your company. Be mindful of the image you're presenting.
Women are often uncomfortable acknowledging that they have power and authority.
A leader's job is to make good decisions about everything. However you make decisions, include both ethics and practicality and constantly refine.
When putting a team together, a mix of personalities and level of respect for each other's skills is very important.
As a leader, it's your responsiblity to take care of your people.

One of the most frightening things to deal with as you're starting something is that somewhere, some other genius is working on the same idea you are.
Do not get so caught up in your idea that you forget to produce.
Worry about only two things: talk to users to find out what they want & iterate your working product ASAP.
Take some time to work on yourself, your abilities, your sense of responsibility and your ability to solve conflicts before jumping into the startup world.
Startups are the only real way for a woman to get power in tech.

Setting goals and achieveing them is only satisafactory and realistic when you have someone to share them with on a professional level.
With co-founder, you are working towards a common goal. You should have someone to motivate you and rely on when you're unavailable or not at your best.
Start with someone who you think works as much or harder than you, whose skills complement yours, and who has excellent communication skills.
Business and hardwork in a startup can drain and exhaust you. Having a solid partners can lift that burden.
All partners should know at least some part of how to do each other's tasks.
With co-founder, don't be jealous and accept your roles in advance.
Have the deepest respect for each other.

You cannot hide who you are. The only thing you can do is accept each of your parts and be proud of what you've become.
There are parts of your identity you can keep secret and there are parts you cannot.
You cannot have a personal identity on the internet that makes you feel happy and also expect that no one judges you.
When you have even a modicum of information, start sharing it with others.
You don't have to be perfect to be a mentor.
If you want it, get out there and build it.

Ask yourself what you are stopping yourself from being because you think you'll never be done becoming.
Fear stops most people from striving for what they really want.
Developing yourself outside your profession is the key to being a well-rounded person who can connect with others.
You become more diverse by pursuing all of your interests.
Do not schedule your work, schedule your free time and activities.
Have the audacity to become someone you would have admired at the age of 10.
The constant journey of learning what makes you tick and how you can create a wonderful life for yourself will likewise be difficult, but this journey is one worth making.
When there are no statistics proving that we can achieve our dreams, sometimes we have to take a leap of faith.

The only people who don't suffer from imposter syndrome are imposters.
Not knowing what to do next is a side effect of living an exciting life where you can have a real impact on people.
Develop your sense of judgement about people to the point that you've learned to trust your instincts about someone's charachter.
Failure is inevitable. You cannot possibly succeed at everything.
It's good to have competition. It moves you to work harder.
Normal people don't have an exciting life.
Your physical and mental well-being are the fuel that lets you pursue your dreams; maintain them diligently.
There is a price to success and it is contstant criticism from others.