reposting: Tech & Science jobs & women

It's a debate that comes up a lot. The papers often say that jobs are still opening in the technology sector(s), the counselors are telling the teens to look at technology; the recruiters tell us there is a 'war for talent' and yet many remain unconvinced.

While I believe there is space for women in the IT sector and that just about everyone should do one turn of some sort in a technology area to really look at what's underpinning most industries, there are some interesting arguments around pay, gender and what even defines true technology.

A posting by Philip Greenspun (whose blog is up-to-date but this posting is one of his older ones) looks at the financial implications of seeking jobs in mathematics or scientific fields - more on the academic and research (R&D) side but still interesting. He examines a "fourth possible explanation for the dearth of women in science: They found better jobs." Greenspun then goes on to examine how a career in R&D math/science tracks against other choices.

"Science is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one's living at it." -- Albert Einstein

Toss into the mix the current saying that one should follow one's passion and the money will come. What if the field doesn't have the money? Pure arts, pure mathematics... As a mentor, do you counsel folks to follow their heart or their wallets? Are we forced to choose between the two? 

Daniel Pink and Richard Florida both write about how money cannot be the prime motivating factor for any knowledge worker. While we need to feed and shelter ourselves (and our families), not all the reward can come from the paycheque itself.

So - are careers primarily a matter of being very practical or a path with chosen meaning?

I think steps/jobs along the way of a chosen path should be done with your head -  but the overall career/direction should come from your desires and dreams. (Which means that a side journey or deliberate path through technology can still fit a plan)

Tech is not ruining your ability to connect with others

A tool is not a solution; a tool is an accelerator for a solution. Conversely, a tool is not the the single point of failure for something not going well but we do use this kind of thinking as an excuse.

Technology isn't getting in the way of people connecting any more than credit cards force people to go into debt. They are tools and, like any tool, can serve a different purpose than originally intended if the user is determined.

Even 100 Years Ago People Were Worried about Technology Ruining Relationships points out that our desire to connect circumvents obstacles and uses new methods as available to engage.

Yes, it is silly to hold a family dinner with everyone on a smart phone. If in person, be in person. Sit in the moment: watch the movie; listen at the meeting; converse at coffee.

I love knowing I can reach my son in Vancouver via text in the middle of the day. My dad sends me 2am emails for my morning laugh. Dinner dates are arranged while I'm on the commute to work. I also meet folks from around the work via social media - relationship that have moved on to Skype, FaceTime and sometimes trips on cool jets that take me around the globe in less time than it often took me to pack for the trip.

Do you find the issue is more that we're too connected to each other via technology and therefore the only way to gain solitude is to unplug and turn off devices?

Technology is a tool. Community building and networking is a necessity. Use whatever tools we can get!

PS - nominations due Aug. 28!

As part of yesterday's post, please see the call for nominations below! Share quickly!

As part of their annual awards, the Womanity Foundation is looking for organisations that have developed and evidenced an ITC/New Tech/New Media based product to prevent violence against women. The award is a 3 year investment in a replication that will enable great preventative projects to spread from one region of the world to another. The call for nominations is open until 28th August 2015 and can be opened here: https://womanity.typeform.com/to/LCXhA8 If your work relates to this topic, or you know someone who works in this space, please do pass along the details and invite them to apply.

Linda Naiman's Whole Brain Thinking workshop

This week I am attending Linda Naiman's "Whole Brain Thinking: Cultivate 21st Century Creativity & Leadership" at Royal Roads U. It is a full two-day workshop examining creativity, neuroscience and the enterprise, starting with change at the personal level.

We started with the statement "If you always know everything, you never learn." It is challenging to seek out your own assumptions and biases at the best of times. When it comes to the personal space of creativity, where many feel insecure, emotional ties to ideas can run high. To then attempt to bring a holistic mindset of possibilities into an organization can seem like career suicide.

Yet disruptors - technology, visionary, social - mean the 21st century is a marketplace about possibilities. To not explore innovative and alternative ideas /mindsets /approaches is the real bringer-down-of-thrones.

I am not entirely sure what an enterprise model for innovation and creativity could look like from a practical standpoint. It will need to be begin with changing behaviours and expectations that imagination should be part of our job descriptions in every case /level /industry. Our concepts of R&D need to be challenged. We need a common lexicon. We might both say "blue" (innovation) and see different shades /meanings. The model will need buy-in at the top and bottom. It will require trust and autonomy. It will mean guidelines and not rules.

Just thinking about the possibilities is making me itch to figure it out!

We don't know what we don't know

...but we are expected to know that we don't know :-)

We are the sum of our experiences and flavoured by our natures. In the business world, the more experience one has, the more it is assumed we will make less mistakes.

The problem is society and technology are changing so rapidly that, even if a situation feels similar, the nuances may be brand new. Past experiences may have no firm anchor in a current dilemma or decision. So assumptions need to be reconfirmed every time.

For some, this kind of uncertainty makes new projects feel like mountain-climbing every time. For others, it keeps planning fresh.

A recent  HR blog posting on Harvard Business Review talks about how one HR professional loves to read "unconventional" resumes as potential employees who are adaptable to change can be identified if they also show change as an acceptable course of action in their own careers/lives.

The point that many seem to be making these days is that we don't have to know everything; we simply have to be willing to learn new pieces.