5 Reasons Women Should Pursue a Career in Technology

The information technology world is most often seen as a type of “boys” club and it is true that the number of women working in the industry is limited. Moving into the IT world presents a variety of challenges, especially for women who must work with a large male majority, but many companies are now working hard to specifically encourage women to join the ranks. There are plenty of reasons women should take a look at these jobs, here”s just a few of them.

The IT Industry Desperately Needs Women

Right now, Bridge Technical Talent states that only 1 out of 4 IT professionals are women and most of the new IT degree recipients are male. However, the industry is in desperate need of females to bring balance to their workplace. Women provide the key to understanding the large female customer demographic and making sure their needs are met. Unemployment continues to be high for young people, yet there”s a large number of jobs waiting for qualified employees in the IT sector. This number is constantly expanding, given the rate tech is moving. Getting educated, whether through a traditional degree program or extra online training, can give women (and men) a starting point to enter this field, according to CBT Nuggets.

Flexible Hours

Not many people would say no to less nine-to-five hours and women should take note that IT jobs often have more flexible hours. For women who are looking to balance both a career and family, IT might just be the niche they”re looking for. These jobs often have work that is project based, creating more of a fluctuation in the amount of work being done at various times. There”s also lots of contract work in the industry so jumping into part-time work is much easier and there”s also plenty of work from home opportunities as well.

Financial & Job Security

At this point it”s safe to say that the tech industry is not going to be slowing down any time soon, in fact, it will probably continue to move more rapidly than ever. Stepping into the IT industry is pretty much a guarantee for job security as there”s always plenty of IT work available. Another important point is that these jobs generally pay well, even entry-level jobs offer competitive graduate salaries and climbing up the ladder can happen quickly. Women will also generally find that the pay gap faced by women in the working world is one of the smallest in this sector and women make 89 percent on the dollar for what male counterparts take in, according to the New York Times.

Never Bored & Constantly Learning

Money matters, but beyond that, many people are looking for work that provides enough challenges to create job satisfaction. IT is a constantly changing industry and people are always breaking new ground. For people who can put their problem solving and logical thinking to work, this can be and exciting and rewarding experience. Technology is also a global industry and there”s opportunity to travel around the world and meet interesting people working on IT projects worldwide.

Variety of Career Paths to Choose

Committing to working in IT doesn”t mean locking oneself into a narrow career path, but rather one with multiple and ever expanding possibilities. Almost every industry must now work hand-in-hand with technology and that means IT professionals are needed in almost every field. Traditionally IT screams coding and computer software development to most people, but there are a vast array of jobs that are in demand including things like computer animation, graphic design, video game design, and project management, according to ITCareerFinder.