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Page 1: HomegrownHigh-Tech · Sunda y, Ma y 17, 2015 • The At lant a Journal-Cons titution • 4 CyanMagentaYellowBlack 4 AEDU Sunday,May17,2015EDUCATION4 Filename:4-EDUCAT-AEDU0517-AEDU

LEARNMORE. EARNMORE.

S u n d a y , M a y 1 7 , 2 0 1 5

Who’s hiring?PAGE3

Makingit work

10 Things:Managingyour time.

PAGE5

PAGE8

HomegrownHigh-TechGeorgia schools can get youwired into a career in technology,Page 6

A N A D V E R T I S I N G S U P P L E M E N T

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C O N TAC T U S >EDU Atlanta is a monthly advertisingspecial section about postsecondaryeducation in metro Atlanta.

EDITORIALLane Holman, Special Sections [email protected]

Lori Johnson, Contributing [email protected]

ADVERTISINGMatt Teli, Recruitment [email protected], 404-526-2526

ONLINEFor online versions of the articles anda PDF of the complete section, go toajc.com/go/eduatlanta.EDU Atlanta also runs in the AJC Today’sPaper app.

DAI SUGANO / BAYAREA NEWS GROUP

Is the high-tech industrythe right fitfor you?By Hunter LaceyFor theAJC

Answer these five questions to deter-mine if a technology career is path thatyou should be considering.

1. When your computer freezes, whofixes it?

A. I do.B. Anyone other than me.2. If you are thinking about buying a

new electronic device, how do you re-search it?

A. I read the device’s specs because Ilike to interpret them on my own.

B. I read the reviews, I’d rather hearwhat others have to say.

3. When a website has a glitch, what isyour reaction?

A. I think of ways it can be fixed or im-proved, because I hate malfunctions.

B. It bothers me, but I move on with-out giving it too much thought.

4. A new gadget is coming out—what’syour reaction?

A. I’ve been on the waiting list forweeks, because I have to own it.

B. I like what I have currently, and Idon’t see the need in trying somethingnew.

5. How do you respond when given acreative and open task?

A. I love an opportunity to showcasemy creative side, so I can’t wait to jumpright in.

B. Lack of direction can be prettystressful, so I’d rather do something thathas more defined guidelines.

If you answered A to most of thesequestions, consider pursuing educationand training to work in the high-tech in-dustry, which is a high-growth field.The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics re-ports that jobs such as web developersare expected to increase by 20 percentby 2022.

These careers require someone witha desire to stay on the cutting edge oftechnology and a solution-orientedmindset.

E D U AT L A N TA > 5 Q U E S T I O N S

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Greenway Health

By Elizabeth GerberFor theAJC

Greenway Health CEOTee Green has calledGeorgia the “health ITcapital of the U.S.” Morethan 225 health IT com-panies are located in thestate, according to theGeorgia Department ofEconomic Development.

The explosion of jobs inthe health care IT field isevident in Georgia, with

local companies expand-ing and receiving recogni-tion for their innovations.Carrollton-based Green-way Health was namedone of the Top 10 Innova-tive Technology Compa-nies — and the most like-ly to create jobs — at the2015 Georgia TechnologySummit this spring, heldby the Technology Associ-ation of Georgia.

Paula Kepes, vice

president of talent, an-swered questionsabout Greenway Health(greenwayhealth.com),which was founded morethan 30 years ago and hasmore than 1,600 employ-ees.

The company’s clinical,financial and administra-tive information solutionstools are used by 80,000clinicians in 11,000 sitesacross the U.S., in addi-tion to 27,000 pharma-cists in Walgreens’ 8,200-plus pharmacies.

Q: Why are you hiring?A: The health care IT

field is growing by leapsand bounds, and we arein growth mode as a com-

pany.Q: What is fueling the

job growth?A: The need for the

ability to truly exchangedata between provid-ers so that people can ac-cess their health care datawherever they are.

Q: Are you openingnew offices or expandingservices in other ways?

A: We are adding ap-proximately 150 positionsin our Atlanta and Carroll-ton offices.

Q: How many tech jobsdo you plan to fill at yournew technology devel-opment center in CobbCounty?

A: We are looking to

create approximately 50jobs.

Q: What type positionsare available?

A: We are hiring forproduct development,medical billing analysis,sales, customer support,general administrationand accounting positions.

Q: What type of educa-tion are you seeking fromcandidates?

A: It varies by role, butwe typically look first fora degree in a related field.

Q: What types of skillsdo you want to see in can-didates?

A: Not all roles requireexperience. It’s not nec-essary to come with a full

range of skills, just someexposure.

Q: What types of edu-cation opportunities doyou offer for workers?

A: We offer a world-class on-boarding pro-gram (training for newemployees). Because wedon’t require experiencefor some of our positions,this training is beneficial.

Q: What perks do youprovide to workers?

A: We offer the fullgamut of insurance pack-ages: medical, dental, etc.We also offer the standardarray of benefits; retire-ment, paid time off, paidholidays, etc.

Greenway Health, based in Carrollton, plans to hire dozens of new employees in the region. CONTRIBUTED PHOTOSGreenway Health’s Paula Kepes says people’s desire toaccess their information anywhere is driving job growth.

Carollton-based companynamed one of state’s 10mostinnovative technology firms.

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E D U AT L A N TA > D I D YO U K N OW ?

The Apartment Industry Education Foundationpromotesmanagement careers in area schools.

Non-profit putspeople on pathinto properties

By Melanie WatsonFor theAJC

A Georgia organizationseeks to help individualsfurther their chances offinding a job in propertymanagement and gaineducation on topics,such as technology andlogistics, that are used inthe field.

The GeorgiaApartment IndustryEducation Foundation(GAIEF), a non-profitorganization based inStockbridge, promotescareer opportunities andconnects students withprofessionals.

GAIEF raisesawareness by bringingindustry leaders into

high schools anduniversities, such as theUniversity of Georgia andGeorgia Tech, for guestlectures and classroomdiscussions. They offerinformation aboutproperty management,ways to advertiseproperties, how to shopthe competition andmuch more.

According to the GAIEFwebsite (gaief.com),housing and communitymanagement is apathway that can leadto jobs ranging frommarketing to managingan enterprise valued inexcess of $20 million.According to participantfeedback, more than 70percent of students said

they would considera major in propertymanagement.

Debbie Phillips,president of GAIEF, hasworked in the apartmentindustry since 1987.She teaches apartmentindustry courses,mentors students andrepresents the industryat career fairs. She’sintroduced more than6,000 college students tocareer opportunities inthe industry, accordingto gaief.com.

The housing industryis another route for youto employ technicaleducation and othertraining in a potentiallyexciting new career path.

A bit of research can pay off if you’re considering taking classes or working toward adegree. BITA HONARVAR / STAFF

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By Hannah Pap RockiFor theAJC

If you are juggling the roles of a parent, student andemployee, you might be worried about how to survivesummer and prepare for fall classes. Use these 10 tipsto make the most out of your limited free time.

1. Make lists. Even if you can’t get everythingchecked off that day, just writing it down can be a pro-active step. Use apps such as Evernote, Cozi and To-doist — find the best one for your device, tech know-how and your budget — that sync with multiple devic-es to make sure no tasks or appointments slip throughthe cracks.

2. Prioritize. Note your school and work deadlineson a calendar. Arrange other tasks around these

high-priority items.3. Integrate activities. For example, take your chil-

dren to an event at the library or plan a playdate whileyou study or complete preparations for fall classes.

4. Set goals. Assign a realistic deadline to each proj-ect (such as tasks to get ready for fall classes or proj-ects related to your coursework), and consider break-ing them down into smaller tasks.

5. Be realistic. Look over your schedule thoroughlyand be honest about whether or not you can completeanother task before saying “yes.” Mastering this nowwill save you stress in the fall.

6. Cut out time-wasting activities. For example,avoid reading emails throughout the day by turning offthe notifications on your phone. Pick a time—or a cou-ple of times a day — to check them all at once.

7. Be prepared. Always carry your schoolwork withyou and study when you happen to have downtime.

8. Ask your kids for help. Use the summer breakto teach children additional household chores so thatit’s not a shock when fall arrives and your class sched-ule and schoolwork kick in.

9. Give yourself wiggle room. If you are preparedby planning ahead, it can be easier to change yourschedule when something unexpected happens, suchas sickness or additional work tasks.

10. Regroup. Take a few moments to review tasksyou have or have not accomplished. Decide what youdid well and what can be improved — and possiblysave you time in the future.

SOURCES: THE COLLEGE BOARD, UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, FLORIDA GULF

COAST UNIVERSITY

E D U AT L A N TA > P E R S O N A L O RG A N I Z AT I O N

10 timemanagement tipsfor adult learners

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By Chris StarrsFor theAJC

For several decades, At-lanta has been among thefavored cities of the high-tech industry. The trendcontinues as companiesare either established orrelocate here on an al-most monthly basis andneed to fill jobs.

And as befits Atlanta’sprominent place in thecountry’s high-tech hier-archy, employment in thissector has been on a four-year rise. In the GeorgiaDepartment of Labor’slisting of “Hot Careers,”many of the fastest-grow-ing sectors are in high-tech, and many of thosegood-paying jobs don’t

even require a four-yearcollege degree.

In the DOL’s “Hot Ca-reers to 2022,” two jobsin the technology sec-tor that expect signifi-cant growth and don’t callfor bachelor’s degreesare web developers (140jobs per year with an av-erage salary of $73,000)and computer user sup-

port specialists (870 jobsper year, $47,900). Twohot jobs for those withfour-year degrees includecomputer and systems in-formation managers (370jobs, $122,800) and data-base administrators (160,$84,000).

Many area companiesare eager, and even des-perate, to hire home-

grown talent, and plentyof educational entities areexpanding and creatingprograms to train adultsinterested in tech careers.The TAG (Technology As-sociation of Georgia) Ed-ucation Collaborative(tagedonline.com) pre-dicts that by 2018 some218,000 job openings willbe available in science,

technology, engineeringand math (STEM) fields inGeorgia.

Where you can findhigh-tech training

Georgia PiedmontTechnical College(gptc.edu) is getting in onthe action by establishing

E D U AT L A N TA > C OV E R S T O RY

Homegrown high-tech

Technical entrepreneurs and educators continue to build businesses — and careers — in Georgia.

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Jonathan Bonds teaches a computer programing class at the Interactive College of Technology in Chamblee on May 5. PHIL SKINNER PHOTOS FOR THE AJC

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Courses keep your skills current

By Hunter LaceyFor theAJC

In the fast-pacedworld of technology, itcan be hard to stay in theknow.

Kennesaw StateUniversity’s Collegeof Continuing andProfessional Education(kennesaw.edu) ishelping individualshoping to bolster theircode-crunching abilitiesthrough programssuch as a Web DesignCertificate. The nine-month course (pricedat $4,995 in 2015)introduces students totools, techniques andtrends.

Danielle Edwards, acertificate recipient,works as a web designerfor the InternationalPlant Nutrition Institute,based in PeachtreeCorners, where shecreates web registrationsystems and stop-motionshort films.

Q: What led you to thisprogram?A: I completed mybachelor’s in advertisingfrom the University ofGeorgia in 2011, but Ispent a great deal of mytime pursing the designside of advertising. Iwanted to create thebig ideas and helpexecute them as well.All of my positions sincegraduating undergradhave been design-related, because I didn’t

know how to code, butI’ve always wanted tolearn web design.

Q: What did you learnthrough the program?A: The most importantthing I learned was howto code. I just wanted toleave the class with anunderstanding of howthe pieces all fit togetherand where the designaspect intersected withthe coding aspect of aweb design.

Q: How did you fitthe program into yourschedule?A: It wasn’t a difficultschedule at all. Mycompany allowed me toleave an hour early onthe days I had class tomiss traffic. And by thetime class was over, sowas traffic.

Q: Has the programhelped you advanceyour career?A: I’ve taken onmore web projectsat my current job. Ijust designed a webregistration systemthat will allow oursubscribers to opt inand opt out of our emailcontent. I think thecertificate has given mepeace of mind aboutapproaching web designprojects, because I feelmore confident I cantackle them now.Q: What advice do youhave for prospectivestudents?

A: One, I recommendhaving a web designproject in mind thatyou’d like to completeduring the course of the

class. Whenever youlearn a new concept,you can apply it to yourproject in a realistic anduseful way. Examples

are good, but I thinkit would be effectiveto combine all theknowledge into oneusable website using

real-life applications.Two, get some foodbefore class. It’s hardto code on an emptystomach.

Kennesaw State University web design graduate Danielle Edwards works on a project at the International Plant Nutri-tion Institute in Norcross on April 30. CONTRIBUTED

Continuing and ProfessionalEducation program offers‘peace of mind’ in web design.

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By Melanie WatsonFor theAJC

Kelvin Basdeo, 25,worked in retail untilhe realized he wanted amore challenging career.His mother’s intuitionled him to pursue a high-tech career, after she sawa commercial for Interac-tive College of Technolo-gy (ict.edu) and thought

he could excel in the field.After graduating in

2013 with an associate’sdegree in computerinformation systemstechnology, he landed ajob as a system engineerat Milner Technologies inAtlanta. Basdeo creditsthe knowledge he gainedfrom ICT, whose maincampus is in Chamblee,for helping him land

the job and receivepromotions.

Q: Why was this indus-try of interest to you?

A: The challenge ofthis industry drew me in.I realized that I liked trou-bleshooting, dealing withdevices, configuring andbuilding networks.

Q: Were you a full-timestudent?

A: Yes. I took daytimeclasses twice a week andthen worked at an IT jobfor the school at night aspart of a work-study pro-gram. I quit my previous

retail job so that I couldfocus on my educationmore.

Q: How were the class-es?

A: I paid very little togo back to school consid-ering the caliber of edu-cation they provide. Myclassmates were adultlearners. There were usu-ally eight to 10 people ineach class. Your peersbecome friendly rivals.Our instructors motivat-ed us by sharing our indi-vidual accomplishmentswith the class. You seethe success of others and

you want to strive for thesame thing or somethingbetter.

Q: Was it hard for youto find a job?

A: This career pathis in high demand. I wassurprised by the amountof job offers I had af-ter graduation. Within amonth or two, most peo-ple are able to find a job.There were always op-tions and the school helpsyou. They ask you whattype of job you’re look-ing for and they help youfind it.

Q: What tips do youhave for adult learnerswho are looking to backto school, or looking for anew job?

A: If you want to im-prove your life, go toschool and learn the basicfundamentals. The con-cepts will help you. Thepeople I work with are soimpressed by the thingsI’ve learned and with thethings I’m already doing. Iwas afraid to touch a com-puter when I first arrivedat ICT, and now I’m suc-cessfully building com-puter networks.

E D U AT L A N TA > M A K I N G I T WO R K

Interactive College ofTechnology helps studentmakemove from retail to tech.

Learning leads to new path

Interactive College of Technology graduate Kelvin Basdeo works at the Milner call center in Norcross as a systems engineer. PHIL SKINNER FOR THE AJC

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programs that preparestudents for work on thetech side of the Atlanta ar-ea’s booming digital me-dia industry. Two yearsago, the school createdprograms in design andmedia production tech-nology and recording artstechnology, with a newtelevision and produc-tion studio. The first grad-uates of those programsare heading into the fieldthis spring.

In the design and me-dia production realm,specializations offered in-clude TV production, 3-Danimation, graphic de-sign, motion graphics andweb interface. Hands-ontraining is part of the edu-cation experience.

“One of the hallmarksof our program is we giveour students the hands-on experience to learnthe skills and to ultimate-ly get the jobs,” said CoryThompson of GeorgiaPiedmont. “A lot of peo-ple in the industry arelooking for those skills.They don’t care whatschool you went to — theywant to know if you cando the job. And that’s ourfocus — to get them thejob.”

With a host of largemanufacturers in north-east Georgia, Ath-ens Technical College(athenstech.edu) is doingits part not only to pre-pare its students for 21stcentury high-tech workbut is “future-proofing”their degrees and certifi-cates through its emerg-ing technologies and nan-otechnology programs.

Mark Evans, chair ofAthens Tech’s emergingtechnologies and engi-neering technologies pro-grams, says the emerg-ing technologies curri-cula — which is expect-ed to come online this fall— will include tracks on

mobile security and mo-bile planning, high-techsecurity, video game de-sign and development,personal robotics, anddrones.

Certifications also area way to pursue in-de-mand tech jobs. Interac-tive College of Technol-ogy (ict.edu), which isbased in Chamblee andhas other metro area lo-cations, offers trainingprograms through Micro-soft and national certifi-cations, along with diplo-ma and associates degreeprograms in computer in-formation systems.

Career possibilities inGeorgia’s high-techindustry

Of course, the best en-dorsement of the educa-tion students are gettingcomes in the form of joboffers. Leaders of two At-lanta firms — IngeniousMed and First Data — saythey are pleased withtheir partnerships withlocal schools, from tech-nical colleges to research

universities such as Geor-gia Tech. Major institu-tions such as GeorgiaTech, for example, alsooffer professional educa-tion courses in technolo-gy and other fields.

Some companies, suchas Ingenious Med, whichwas founded in 1999 anddevelops mobile softwaresolutions for point-of-caretreatment and informa-tion gathering of patients,have created internshipprograms in partnershipwith local schools.

With 23,000 employ-ees across the world ser-vicing clients in nearly 70companies, Atlanta-basedFirst Data, which special-izes in payment technolo-gy and service solutions,has an immense presencein its home state. SteveTrehern, senior vice pres-ident for human resourc-es, said the companymakes some 5,000 hiresannually, and new em-ployees include militaryveterans and in-state col-lege graduates.

Trehern says specific

technical skills First Da-ta seeks in job candidatesinclude application de-velopment or agile mo-bile development, soft-ware testing, network de-sign or architecture, en-gineering, security engi-neers, cloud computing,virtualization, and cybersecurity.

“We look for peo-ple with those kinds ofskills,” he says, “andit’s really great if theyhave previous experi-ence while they were incollege, or in the caseof a veteran, while theywere in the military be-fore completing their de-gree or technical certifi-cation.”

How the state ismaking training moreaffordable

While a technical col-lege education is like-ly to cost less than a four-year degree, the state al-so helps students throughthe Strategic IndustriesWorkforce DevelopmentGrant (tcsghopeinfo.com),which provides finan-cial assistance current-ly for seven technical col-lege programs, includinginformation technologyand health care technol-ogy. Computer program-ming, offered by GwinnettTechnical College,Chattahoochee Techni-cal College, Georgia Pied-mont Technical Collegeand Athens Technical Col-lege, also was being con-sidered in spring 2015.

Students must be fullyadmitted to one of Geor-gia’s technical colleges,enrolled in one of the ap-proved programs and cur-rently receiving the HOPEScholarship for consider-ation. Depending on thenumber of hours taken ina particular semester, stu-dents can receive up to$500 in funding to defraythe cost of tuition.

Betty Manassee, Joshua Hartman and Natalie Kostaswork in the Recording Arts Studio at Georgia PiedmontTechnical College in Clarkston on May 5.

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E D U AT L A N TA > C OV E R S T O RY

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E D U AT L A N TA > T E C H N O L O G Y

Morewomen are neededin computer science fieldUnless something changes, some of the best programming jobs in the countrymay go unfilled.

Mike CassidySan JoseMercury News(TNS)

The stubbornly lownumber of femalecomputer sciencestudents in the UnitedStates has generated apile of academic studies,ample hand-wringingand a wide-rangingdiscussion in tech andeducation circles aboutwhat can be done toboost the numberof women choosingcomputing careers.

All of which raisesa fair question: Whatdifference does it makeif women don’t join thetech workforce in thesame numbers that mendo?

It turns out it makesa huge difference.The dearth of womenin computing has thepotential to slow the U.S.economy, which needsmore students in thepipeline to feed its needfor more programmers.It harms women byexcluding them fromsome of the best jobsin the country. And itdamages U.S. companies,which studies showwould benefit from morediverse teams.

Quite a trifecta.“Today, two and

a half billion peopleare connected to the

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Stanford students Sophia Westwood (center), a graduate computer science major, and Wendy Shi (right), a junior computer science major, chatwith Stanford computer networking professor Phil Levis at the Gates Computer Science Building at Stanford University in Stanford, Calif. NHATV.MEYER / BAYAREA NEWS GROUP

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E D U AT L A N TA > T E C H N O L O G Y

Internet,” said DavidCuller, chair of theUniversity of California-Berkeley’s ElectricalEngineering andComputer Sciencesdepartment. “There aremore cell phone usersthan toothbrush users.You look at how intrinsicinformation technologyis to all aspects of societyand all aspects of modernlife. Would you wantany demographic groupto be left out of shapingsomething that is soimportant to our future?”

The damage starts witha problem that is alreadybeing confronted by thetech industry and othercompanies that rely oncomputing talent (whichmeans practically all ofthem): The economyis creating far morecomputing jobs thanU.S. schools are creatingcomputer sciencegraduates.

True, not all computerscientists work incomputing jobs andnot all computing jobsare filled by computerscientists, but themismatch illustrates thepotential problem. Basedon current trends, U.S.universities will produceabout 400,000 computerscientists between 2010and 2020, a decadeduring which 1.4 millionU.S. computing jobswill open up, leaving agap of about 1 millioncomputing jobs. Togetherthose 1 million jobswould pay $500 billionin wages, according toHadi Partovi, co-founderof Code.org, a nonprofitworking to encouragecomputer scienceeducation in K-12 schools.

Without U.S. workersto fill those jobs,employers will face threechoices: export the work,import the workers

or leave the positionsempty.

But where some seea problem, people likeJocelyn Goldfein see ahistoric opportunity.

Given that womenmake up not even one-fifth of computer sciencegraduates, she figures,why not turn to the greatuntapped bench to pickup the slack, the waywomen did by movinginto factory jobs duringWorld War II? Why notbegin to encouragewomen to pursuelucrative and plentifuljobs as programmers,systems analysts,information systemsmanagers and the like?

“I really think thisis kind of a Rosie theRiveter moment,” saidGoldfein, a director ofengineering at Facebook.

The shortage is alreadyevident in Silicon Valley,where companies such asFacebook, Google, Appleand others provide bigpay and perks to stocktheir companies withtop software engineeringtalent.

Kimber Lockhart,a senior director of

engineering at cloudstorage and collaborationcompany Box, said shespends most of her timeworking to recruit newtalent and to hang on tothe talent the companyhas.

“It’s extremely hardto hire well-qualifiedengineers,” she said.“And if we could getanybody else in thepipeline, that could makeit easier. If that’s women,great.”

Encouraging womento fill those unfilled jobswould have the addedbenefit of righting awrong that has persistedfor decades. Whenwomen are excluded,even unintentionally,from the computingfield, they miss out onlucrative tech careers.

Right now, four of the20 top-paying jobs forwomen are in computing,a broad field in whichonly about one-quarter ofworkers are female. Thebest tech jobs for womenare positions such ascomputer programmer,software developer,information systemsmanager and systems

analyst, with median payfor women ranging fromabout $60,000 to about$80,000. The figures arehigher for men, rangingfrom about $71,000 toabout $90,000.

Contrast that withthe teaching profession,where more than three-quarters of public schoolteachers are female andwhere median pay forwomen is about $48,000in elementary schoolsand about $51,000 inhigh schools. Or considernursing, where about90 percent of registerednurses are female andwhere median pay forwomen is about $56,000.

Yes, computing offershigher pay than fieldsdominated by women,but the advantages gobeyond that.

“They’re highly paid,highly flexible jobs,” saidMaria Klawe, presidentof Harvey Mudd Collegeand a computer scientistwho has boosted femaleCS enrollment to 43percent at the school.“You can do computerscience with prettymuch anything you’repassionate about. I just

don’t think that it’s verygood that a large segmentof our population doesn’thave access to thosejobs.”

Beyond the six-figuresalaries, stock-optionpackages and flexibility,women are missing outon a field that many findincredibly fulfilling.

And it’s not just thewomen who are missingout. The lack of femalecomputer scientistsis also bad for thecompanies who miss outon the chance to hirethem into tech roles.

Sandy Jen, who co-founded Web messagingcompany Meebo andsold it to Google in 2012for a reported $100million, likes to pointto research that showscompanies with womenin leadership positionsoffer investors andshareholders betterreturns than thosewithout. And, shesaidd, diverse teams aredefinitely a competitiveadvantage.

“Homogeneous peoplethink the same way,” shesaid. “There’s not a lotof cross-pollination of

ideas. Whether you’rea woman, a man, short,tall, black, white, Asian,whatever, everybody hasa different perspective,and the more you mix itup, it’s just better.”

Just better, as in thecase of early voice-recognition systems,which UCLA seniorresearcher Jane Margolislikes to cite as the classiccase of single-sex designobliviousness. Becausethe systems weredesigned and trainedprimarily by men, theyhad trouble recognizingfemale voices. Theproblem still persists,judging by women’scomplaints about tryingto get automobile voicecommand systems tolisten to them. Likewise,early video conferencetechnology, whichfocused on the speaker,often had trouble findingwomen in the roombecause of the pitch oftheir voices, Margoliswrites in “Unlocking theClubhouse: Women inComputing,” which sheco-authored. Women,Margolis points out, wereneither seen nor heard.

Denise Gammal, whohas been studying theeffects of diverse teamsfor the Borg Institute,bolsters Jen’s argumentthat diverse companiesdo better by pointingto reams of research byuniversities from Londonto Chicago to make thepoint that companieswith diverse teams dobetter financially.

“Increasingly,companies are realizingthis isn’t about corporatesocial responsibility,”she says. “It’s becoming abusiness imperative.”

The sort of imperativethat cries out for amovement — maybe thistime one led not by Rosiethe Riveter, but by Peggythe Programmer.

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Based on current trends, U.S.universities will produce about400,000 computer scientistsbetween 2010 and 2020, a decadeduringwhich 1.4million U.S.computing jobs will open up,leaving a gap of about 1 millioncomputing jobs.

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