What is She's Geeky? Talented techy and entrepreneurial Women of STEM coming together for open discussions and inspirational cross-boundary collaboration in age, education, and industry. Topics day of are generated in the "UnConference" format, meaning on the fly with sessions proposed and nominated at the beginning of the day, and led throughout the day in a casual, free-flowing, and natural manner.
Microsoft sponsored the popular coffee cart which triggered informal networking and great conversations during breaks and lunch time. We had an information booth with savvy swag and a contest to enter for a chance to win a $100 to our Microsoft Retail Store! Our recruiters enjoyed meeting passionate women in the STEM world, and sharing with them about Microsoft’s new direction and future job opportunities.
Popular sessions included:
· Social Ease for Geeky Gals
· Gender politics in business
· Handling emotional reactions in the workplace
· Work-life balance for women with families
· The Bossiness Discussion (about high-powered Women in male-dominated industries being seen as Bossy)
· What happens when humanity merges with technology
· Casting a wider net with STEM (about how to reach underserved populations in K-12 education)
· Bottlenecks in the workplace for women
· How to get a better job, where to go, and how to get noticed by recruiters?
· Social Media - How much is enough?
What did attendees takeaway?
· Empowerment to enter new situations at work without fear of failure
· Appreciation for the vast variety of personalities that make up the female Geek spectrum
· Greater sense of support from like-minded women in the community
· Readiness to re-evaluate work/life balance
· Inspiration to advocate for young girls to learn about Computer Science
· Inspiration to devote more time to start-ups and kick-start side projects
· Relax more, insist less and control less
· Reassurance and a feeling of belonging
· A local network and support group of women in STEM
· Reminder of the value in taking a day for yourself to connect with new people
Sound interesting? Make sure to follow She's Geeky on Twitter @shesgeeky or go to www.Shesgeeky.org to keep up to date on the next event in your area.