Webby Web Design Blog Girls CAN Code - my personal journey as a female web developer

Today is international Women's day. Time to reflect. This year I want to focus on women in my industry and what it is to be a female web developer today.I specifically say web developer as it is different than women in my industry in general, it is the women coders in small to medium business that I want to focus on.I graduated from high school in the late 80s. Computer science was not something I even considered for university. Even though I grew up in a very supportive and progressive household, it was not on my radar - I ticked all the boxes but did not consider the option as it was not done - or very rare for women back then.Being both creative and business minded I chose business school (a decision I do not regret by the way) and built a career as a Marketing Analyst (with a strong focus on the digital world) over the years.It was not until later on in life when I had to re-invent myself due to change in priorities - family and the fact that it was not advised for me to go back to a stressful corporate environment for medical reasons.My very supportive husband who has already established a career in IT as a programmer, suggested the switch. He said I had the characteristics a good web developer needs - everything but the knowledge of coding which he was confident I could learn.So I did and I was surprised to learn that it is not as hard as I thought it would be.I coded my first websites - my own, the local kinder and a friends business and I felt ready to face the world and start my own web development business.So off I went to my first networking event (it was 2007)... it was a disaster! It was a speed networking event dominated by men. 'Really a web developer?' Was the most common question...and I was bombarded by terminology and questions that did not make sense but I did not have the confidence to put them on the spot and correct them - even though I was the expert, they made me feel I didn't know a thing!I wanted to quit that day but I did not. Instead I developed a few more websites and proved to myself that I did know what I'm doing after all.I want to another event - this time it was a Women in Business Event run by my local Council. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my career - I was surrounded by women in business like me and I everyone respected me and wanted to talk to me and work with me - to them it was refreshing as they all felt that men in my profession are not helpful and only talk in 'jargon' so they are confused and feel like they do not understand and therefore have no website.I coded three new websites after this meeting and they all my clients still today eight years later. It was not always easy and there were jobs I did not win. As a women I was not trusted to be a professional and I felt I had to price my services at a lower rate than my male competitors.To this day I have coded 100 websites. I still get the odd 'really you actually code, you don't do Wordpress?' But I'm confident in what I have to offer; I learn something new every day and I do not lower my prices now because of my gender.So today, on International Women's Day, I want to thank all the women (and some men!) that put their trust in me and helped me to get where I am today, my clients, the women I collaborate with on a daily basis and the women I get support from at networking events.I also want to thank the women in my industry that helped me get here by being brave and taking on coding in a male dominated industry.I have an eleven year old daughter and she loves coding - I truly hope she continues to and more so, that she trust herself and take her passion to any level possible. I hope that more and more options will be offered to girls as young as primary school age so that they are confident to enter this industry, be successful and complete the picture as men and women together can create great things.Girls CAN code.