Hurray for Pink Laptops!

Congratulations Barbie.

Barbie‘s next career is computer engineer,  and she’s picked a great time to join the field. Women in computer science today are one of few who enjoy equal pay with their male counterparts, and the industry is one of few in this economy still experiencing growth.

When I studied computer science 15 years ago, I was one of four women in a program of ~150, and frequently the only female in a lecture or class. Crude boys locker room jokes were common, I felt completely out-of-place 95% of the time. Hollywood and tv advertisements almost always portrayed “the computer geek” as a guy. Even my female friends gave me a hard time. The first on-campus career fair I attended one large video game company  had as a big backdrop on their poster display with a Japanime character saying “Want a piece of me programmer boy?“. (No programmer girls? Gee thanks). Another company paused when they took my resume and said, “You know you’d be the only girl”. Another third firm ‘rejected’ me before I could even walk up to the booth – “I’m sorry, we’re only hiring engineering majors, not for business positions”.  Although I suppose I am thankful those three companies were upfront with their anti-female attitudes, as a 19 year old it was a little daunting to  be reminded daily that society doesn’t consider you credible in your chosen career field.

For me, I  switched from computer science to statistics. Math class didn’t exactly have a dramatically improved male/female ratio but it was less overtly male. At even had a female advisor at one point! I won’t say that culture made me ‘drop out’ of a possible computer science degree, but it sure didn’t help.

I went on to a technical career anyway, got a job as a software developer to pay my way through school, and later advanced to lead development teams and later to be a system architect and am now a technical director at an IT consulting firm. I still encounter a great deal of misogynists in the workforce who don’t think women are competent in computer science.  But I also find a lot more women co-workers, along with plenty of men that don’t mind when I wear pink while talking tech.

I don’t think Barbie is going to transform the computer science industry, but little messages matter. Good for Mattel for showing Barbie can be a computer engineer. Good for Best buy for having women on the geek squad. Good for every company that challenges the stereotype that computers are for shy, socially awkward men wearing black. Every bit helps. I love that Barbie is a computer scientist (And a member of SWE! go girl!) and unafraid to sport a pink laptop.  It’s a great message for girls that to be in computer science, you don’t have to act (or dress) like a boy.

I can’t wait to buy this for my daughter. Pink laptop and all.

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