September 18, 2012 | Alberta

Since the early years of information technology (IT) - and even before technology, in the fields of science and engineering - women have typically been underrepresented in this field. While there may be several reasons why, the trend of a large number of men and a significantly lower number of women with science, technology, engineering and math jobs has been the case for decades, but various parts of the world are aiming to balance out these industries.

The low numbers of women in IT has less to do with a lack of interest and more to do with minimal encouragement from other professionals in the field. While old mindsets have changed, the balance between men and women in these fields has yet to even out. From nonprofit organizations catered toward teaching women coding skills to nationwide seminars led by successful women in technology, the initiative to encourage more women into the IT sector is growing.

Instead of changing recruiting methods to attract more women into the field, executives in the IT sector can to encourage both men and women to work for them. Once interested in the field, women may even gain a competitive edge as one in a fewer number of female applicants who typically interview for technology positions.

Women have also relied on each other to strengthen their skills as technicians and help desk analysts by forming networks across the country to share input and ideas on the best ways to execute a networking task and reach their goals. By reaching out to classmates in networking training or programming courses at schools like CDI College, students not only can gain a better understanding of the future industry they might work in, but can also develop a network of strong female connections that they can hold on to throughout their professional careers.

For more information on the programming courses at CDI College, fill out the form on the right.