Breaking the Information Technology Glass Ceiling

According to studies and news items over the last few years, many women have been shying away from the prospect of a career in what is perceived as a male-dominated field and Information Technology.

Here is a story from IT World on the situation in Canada.

" Fewer than half as many Canadian women are graduating from university and college IT programs today as were 15 years ago, a statistic that managers and business owners should find bothersome, said a director from a national technology society.&lrquo;

Yet, successes of the likes of Carly Fiorina (Chief Executive of Hewlett Packard) and Meg Whitman (CEO e-Bay), show that it isn't impossible to crack the glass ceiling. These are only two examples out of a large, mainly male dominated profession, but it does beg the question — Why aren't more highly-educated women chosen for executive positions in IT related careers?

Analyzing the figures for degree entry make one thing clear — the numbers of women going into the field are low.

For every three men who embark on pursuit of a technology degree, only one woman will do likewise. The main reasons given for this phenomenon are similar to those areas where female workers are at a low percentage. IT careers are perceived as incompatible with family life. There are few female role models in the higher rungs of the business. There is also a perception of IT being very competitive field and that educators have not given enough encouragement to push women into this labor force. But that shouldn't stop a woman any more than it would stop a man, should it?

Data also shows that girls are discouraged from using computers at an early age, often due to violent and aggressive games played by their male peers. This lack of use, however, is changing as women, especially younger women surge into the Internet culture. This is especially the case in the U.S. and Europe, though the rest of the Internet world remains male dominated.

Like a lot of data on women in various careers the key word is ' perception'. If a female student ignores the perceptions that IT is incompatible with family life (or maybe family life is not even a goal), searches out the role models (they are out there), takes on a greater role in facilitating their own education instead of waiting for others to push them into the field, and competes with the boys, the picture is actually rather rosy.

Currently a quarter of a million networking administration jobs are unfilled.

Network and system administration, as well as Web development workers are in high demand. Companies place a high premium on teamwork, communication, and multitasking – areas where many women outperform men. Employment opportunities abound for those with a good education in technology – male or female.

Demand by employees is much higher than supply. Companies cannot afford to recruit from only half the applicants – they need the best. As Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorino have already proved; the only requirements for getting to the top are determination and having the right skills.

Here are a few links for online technology and computer courses and programs which on their own can be a launching pad toward a career in Information Technology, or supplement existing coursework at a traditional university.

Adult Education Theme Site

ACCIS (American College of Computer and Information Sciences)

Aspen University Technology Degree

Capella University Special Technology

Capella University School of Technology

Clark University's Computer Career Institute

Colorado Technical University Graduate Programs

Thomson Education Direct Technology

ITT Technical Institute Online

Kaplan Online IT

UOP Online Single Courses Technology

University of Liverpool-MSc in IT

Westwood Online – Computer Networks

Westwood Online – Software Engineering

Westwood Online – Comp Network Managment

Top Online Colleges

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