Every day of you will be treated differently because of your gender.

Being a tech girl means that every day of you will be treated differently because of your gender.

This is my story. I am 17 years old this year, from my home with the first computer began, I am deeply infatuated with it. (At that time, there is no ultra-thin LCD display, Windows system is also old-fashioned, the Internet must be plugged into the Ethernet network, but also to dial first.) ）

At that time I was very young, not to go to school age, the technology is full of ambition, but also have endless exploration desire. Where would I know that the word gender distinction is so profound in the technology world. It was not until I was in high school that I realized it all.

As long as you are a little different, someone will be waiting to see your jokes. In high school, everyone will start to be categorized, such as nerds, such as the handsome men who are good at sports, or super cool kids. These do not need to speak out, but silently in our minds. For us, this is normal, the line is so obvious.

And in the technology world, as long as you are not a man, there will be people waiting to see your jokes. This is not normal.

In the summer of year eight, I enrolled in a science and technology camp, where I trained for one week of C + + programming. Before I went there, I didn't even think about sex roles (which is for sure, who would have thought of that before going to summer camp?) ）。 But when I got there, I immediately noticed that there was no other girl but me.

I was terrified: "I am alone in a group of boys, what can I do?" "The pressure that another sex brings to me is like an avalanche."

But then, I found that it was not entirely good for me. Maybe girls are not interested in writing code in front of the computer all day. Or they think they're not smart enough to think that writing code should be a boy's business. That's the problem.

Throughout the week, I was trying to keep myself on equal footing with the boys. To me, they seem to know a lot, non-stop talk, basically, are worse than me. It was a difficult problem for me, and they were able to easily solve it, which made me frustrated. But I am not discouraged, insist on continuing to debug. Needless to say, I was miserable this week, but I wasn't beaten by the fact that it was a man's business. Even if these guys have more experience and knowledge than I do, I don't spend more time on the course, and I can write the same successful program.

Rising, I was ecstatic to hear that our school has an engineering school. I'll join you in a minute. So every day, I will have a design and engineering class. Every day, I will be in the same classroom with a group of boys who think they are better than me. They never thought I could do my homework well just because I was a girl. It would be frustrating if my entire high school life had been spent in "unpopular" and "not trusted".

Luckily, in the spring of the 10 grade, I heard about American who Code, which is undoubtedly the Gospel of the girl who wants to join the scientific community. This is a great opportunity for me: I can devote myself to the programming world without worrying about all kinds of colored eyes. American who code is definitely the best experience of my life. Not only because there are no boys around, the most important thing is that it opens up countless doors to the industry. There, I was able to learn so many different programming languages, and I was able to meet professionals and stay in touch for a long time. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but not a boy.

Many companies and organizations are working to eliminate gender differences in the scientific and technological community, and they have special opportunities for girls, such as scholarships, projects, etc. Another point about girls is that you are a minority, so you have a better chance to stand out and get a job or a scholarship because there are too many boys.

However, your disadvantage is the same: you are a minority, no matter where you go, what you are doing, you will feel the invisible pressure will be stared at. Girls are always unconsciously going to judge themselves by the standards set by those men, thinking they are not up to it, and then doubting themselves. In many cases, girls lose their chance because of social criteria: people always think they are less capable than boys.

As a girl, there is no excuse. If you want to be stronger, you can. If you want to be smarter, you can. Women's power is beyond imagination. However, the social shock and lack of confidence have been preventing them from pursuing their dreams and fully realizing their potential.

Sex creates a double standard: A man can't do a woman's thing, a woman can't do a man's thing. Men and women seem to never be equal, because society is always different from gender roles. Still, someone is trying to change their minds, and you can feel that the industry is really changing.

Take a second to imagine: you are applying for STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) related company or agency work, scholarship opportunities, and you fill in the Gender column is "female". This means you've got a chance to get ahead of the other guys because you're not like them. People will want to diversify and hope for something new.

The benefits of women in the scientific and technological communities are also accompanied by obstacles that hinder their success, hinder their ability to become stronger and hinder their innovation. Our generation is constantly adapting to the new technology world and trying to get more women into the world. But no matter how hard, society will continue to have set expectations for everyone, equality is not easy.

For girls who also want to enter the tech community, my advice is to stand up and stay confident. Girls and boys have the ability to do anything. The industry needs to keep working hard. Break the routine and keep innovating. In short, as long as you have enough effort, as long as you have enough determination, in this fast-paced industry, there must be your foothold.