In 1995, computer scientist and advocate Anita Borg envisioned a 50/50 split between men and women in computing by 2020. It’s not easy to nail down accurate statistics showing where we’re at today, but it’s about 25/75.
Working in the tech sector for 25 years, I’ve been fortunate to have had a bird’s eye view of the sector’s evolution. As a woman with a career trajectory that began at Oracle, then shifted to private consulting before I became the founder and CEO of AuraPlayer, I’ve had a personal stake in the advancement of women in the sector. I’ve also mentored women at all stages of their careers, and I’m proud that AuraPlayer has reached the vaunted 50/50 split.
We may not be where Anita Borg envisioned, but we’re moving in the right direction. If you look around, people are talking about women in technology (WIT). From Sheryl Sandberg’s 2013 breakthrough best seller “Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead”, to the launch of STEM initiatives for girls, and programs that retrain women for tech careers, the opportunities for women are expanding.
The growing participation of women in the sector is tangible at the Oracle user group conferences I have attended annually for over a decade. At Ascend 2023, there were several WIT sessions where women shared stories of triumphs and challenges, and at Kscope23, AuraPlayer sponsored a WIT luncheon attended by 100. But, at each conference, when I asked for a show of hands on how many presented a session at the conference, few women put up their hands.
Ten years ago, while serving on the board of the Oracle Developer user group (ODTUG), we organized the first WIT luncheon at Kscope. We wanted a platform to discuss issues that were important to women in the sector. Prior to hosting this year’s luncheon, AuraPlayer’s team spearheaded by Sonya Schreiber and Erica Goldberg, worked hard to deliver quality content to facilitate authentic and productive table discussions. We dove deep into current research on girls and women in STEM, identifying the biggest challenges, and surveyed people who would be attending the luncheon.
AuraPlayer’s pre-conference survey found that the majority of respondents felt they had the education and experience to advance in their career, but wanted to develop soft skills, such as negotiation, conflict management, and public speaking. And, at the WIT luncheon, table discussions focused on building confidence and mentorship. So, if women felt they needed to work on their confidence and public speaking skills, it’s no surprise that there were only a handful of women presenting.
The community of Oracle women, many fellow participants in the Oracle ACE program, often provide mentorship opportunities. Strong mentor-mentee relationships are effective tools for increasing the participation of women in tech, and ensuring their advancement. I’m lucky to have a great mentor that has provided me with clarity, insight, and a supportive boost at critical junctions in my journey. And, I’ve also enjoyed paying-it-forward by being a mentor over the years.
At Ascend 2023, one woman was particularly excited when I offered to provide some mentoring, and I was so happy when she reached out to take me up on it. Our first meeting was enlightening. In preparation, I asked her to come with answers to the following questions regarding her job:
- What do you like about it?
- What do you do all day?
- What skills do you contribute?
- What skills do you have that are underutilized?
- What could you be doing, if you used your full set of skills?
For the final two questions, I suggested she consider a range of skills and activities, such as public speaking, networking, or learning new things. I asked her to think about what might be stopping her from pursuing her desired career path. And her answer was honest and powerful. She came back to me and said, “I didn’t bet on myself”. Throughout her career she went through the motions, but didn’t have the confidence to put herself out there and seek self-actualization.
Why do we find it so hard to bet on ourselves?
I’ve been thinking a lot about this. I don’t have the answers yet, but I know that it’s high time we upped the ante, and bet on ourselves.
So, I propose a challenge: no matter where you are in your career, ask yourself my mentorship questions. Consider it an audit; a health check on your worklife. If you’re not where you think you should be, take this first step to get you there.
Mia Urman is the CEO and founder of AuraPlayer, a technology company offering solutions to extend and modernize Oracle Forms and EBS as Microservices to mobile/web, RPA automation, and Chatbots. Mia is an Oracle ACE Director with over 20 years’ experience presenting, supporting, training and consulting Oracle products.
