Top Resources For Women To Learn How To Code

Women currently hold only 26.7% of tech-related jobs. Reasons for this include a lack of female role models and technology careers not being presented as a viable option for them. In fact, only 16% of females have had a career in technology suggested to them (33% of males) ref. This is something I can personally relate to. As a straight A, enthusiastic sixth former (16/17 year old), the majority of roles suggested to me were suprise suprise healthcare-related. In fact, funnily enough, I only found out what a Software Engineer actually does about 3 years ago...AND NOW IM WORKING AS ONE.

So, why should we care so much about the gender imbalance in tech?

When women aren’t in the rooms deciding what tech will be built and how tech will be built, it leads to gender blindness.

For example:

Google's voice recognition technology was 70% more likely to understand men than women ref .

Additionally, modern-day phones were designed with male hand propritions. That's why as a woman, you may notice that you struggle to grip your phone comfortably.

Women aren't recognised as users of these technologies and therefore, their needs are forgotten. So ultimately, we get technological advances, but women are left out of some of the benefits these pose.

I say all this to say, WE NEED MORE WOMEN IN TECH! So I have compiled a list of great resources specifically for women to learn how to code either for free or at a heavily discounted price. Send this to every woman in your life looking to upskill - you never know what this seed will reap.

• She Codes: She Codes provides coding workshops and courses designed to empower women with coding skills and support their entry into the tech industry. Their programs cover various programming languages and tech topics including the recent addition of AI. They have hundreds of testimonials with graduates working at places such as Nvidia, JPMorgan, Philips and more. Use my discount code to get 20% off.

• Code First Girls: An organisation Offering FREE coding courses and workshops for women. They have 8-week intro classes and offer a degree - an intense bootcamp-like course that provides you with the core skills needed to get an entry-level tech role. Read about my personal experience on the course here. Applications for their summer cohort are now open so apply here.

• Coding Black Females (UK): Focused on providing support and resources to black women in the tech industry, they offer coding workshops, bootcamps where you get a tech role in banking upon completion, networking events, mentorship programs and more.

• Black Girls in Tech (UK): Dedicated to supporting and empowering black girls and women in the tech industry, this community offers workshops, networking opportunities, and mentorship programs specifically tailored to the needs of black females pursuing careers in tech.

• AWS She Cloud Up Programme: Sponsored by Amazon Web Services (AWS), the FREE She Cloud Up Programme offers training and support for women interested in cloud computing and AWS services. The program includes workshops, mentorship, and networking opportunities to help women advance their careers in cloud technology. They give you a voucher towards the exam too.

• Makers (UK): Makers offers coding bootcamps and training programs with a focus on diversity and inclusion. Their courses are subsidised for women, providing an accessible pathway for women interested in entering the tech industry through intensive coding education.

• £10,000 scholarship for tech-related degrees (UK) : If you're a female student, you can apply for free postgraduate education for a tech-related degree.

• Microsoft TechHer: Resources for women to develop technically and expand their network.

Join these communities:

• WomenTech Network: WomenTech Network provides a platform for women in tech to connect, share knowledge, and access resources such as job opportunities, events, and mentorship programs.

• Girls in Tech: Girls in Tech is a global non-profit organization that aims to empower and support women in technology through education, mentorship, and networking initiatives.

• Girls Who Code: Girls Who Code offers coding education programs, clubs, and resources aimed at closing the gender gap in technology by inspiring and equipping girls with coding skills and confidence.

Well there you have it, some amazing resources to learn tech skills!

For tips on how to learn your tech skills, read this blog post here.

If you do try one, send me over an email here: contact@ruthfultech.com I'd love to follow your journey.

Until next time,

Happy learning!

Ruth