Diversity & Inclusion
Philly Tech Week / Resources / Roundups / Women in tech

Here’s a list of 75 career-building resources for Philly women in tech

We asked local women in tech to share resources that have helped them advance on their career path — from books to podcasts to mentorship programs.

This editorial article is a part of Technical.ly's Women in Tech month.

Update: This article was updated to remove an inactive event. In its place, we've added the upcoming Women in Tech Soiree. The lead photo was also updated. (3/26/19, 10:28 a.m.)
You can easily take stock of the tech industry’s gender gap by strolling around the office of a random tech company.

More of a numbers person? Just have a look at U.S. Census Bureau statistics: Seven out of every 10 technologists in Philadelphia are male, according to the agency’s American Community Survey, cited in a report by the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia.

The disparity in these numbers spells out a multifaceted problem for the tech sector. The most urgent one is glaring: It means that women, who already grapple with a palpable gender pay gap, are being largely underrepresented in the fastest growing sliver of the local economy.

For managers, a company without a diverse team and an inclusive culture will ward off talented staffers, at a time when talent is the hottest commodity. For consumers, the adverse effects of homogeneous companies have been widely chronicled. One example is the first version of Apple’s health app, which claimed to track major all health indicators yet lacked a way to track menstrual cycles. And for employees from underrepresented groups, a mostly-male workforce can open the door to a lack of inclusivity in the workplace and even harassment (which, as developer Shanise Barona will tell you, is a technical problem.)

In response to the vast culture issues in tech, and the inequities laid bare by the numbers, a wide-ranging support system has risen, in a bid to connect women with career-building opportunities in tech and entrepreneurship. That said: Don’t read this list as a way to put the onus on women for the industry’s diversity problems — as one disgraced Microsoft ad once did — but rather as a testament to that support system, and a push to ensure the resources reach those who want them.

In the spirit of Women in Tech Month, Technical.ly crowdsourced from Philly women in tech an updated version of our 2017 list of career-building resources for women. We use “resources” as a purposefully broad term here, one that encompasses everything from local meetups to books, from websites to podcasts, and from mentorship programs to nonprofits.

Quick shoutout to everyone who helped us compile this list: Lauren Hallden, Zeina Barr, Sharon Hake, Tiffanie Stanard, Maggie Deptola, Amelia Longo, Adriana Vazquez, Melissa Le, Jen Dionisio, Alisha Miranda, Yuval Yarden, Jessica Cornell, Jessica David, Sharon Hake, Brie Wildau, Rana Fayez, Suzie Nieman, Morgan Berman, Alana Bly, Kiera Smalls, Adele Oliva, Heather B., Ashley Turner, Tahroma Alligood, Mariah Schmidt and Kristen Fitch.

(Also, hat tip to former Technical.ly Philly reporter Juliana Reyes who for years reported on women in tech.)

Here’s the list, which we’ve broken down by categories for easy access:

Meetups and events

Programs

Podcasts

Books

Organizations

Websites and blogs

Etc.

  • PHL Design Co’s #phl-xx Slack channel: Practical advice for women in design.
  • Dream, Girl“: A documentary on women entrepreneurs by Brooklyn-based filmmaker Erin Bagwell. Here’s how to watch it.
  • Seeking mentorship: Consultant Brie Wildau said “the human element goes a long way” when thinking through problems.
  • … or speech coaching: Sharon Hake, of Great Dames, recommends seeking a coach like Laura Sicola, of Vocal Impact Productions, who can help women “gain the ability to confidently and authentically command the room, connect with the audience, and close the deal in any context.”
  • … or Brazilian jiu jitsu: MilkCrate founder Morgan Berman credits her practiced of the martial art with helping her life stay balanced. “Learning how to fight, and how to fight men or anyone else bigger or stronger than me has been the biggest gift I’ve ever given myself. It’s also helped me find comfort in the uncomfortable. Like being one of the only woman in the room. Or on the mat.”
  • The Headspace app: “It’s so important for people to turn off their ‘work’ and take time to give their minds a break,” says SocialLadder cofounder Alana Bly. “I’ve been meditating for years and have found headspace is a great tool to introduce friends/coworkers to meditation. It’s approachable, affordable and can be done with minimal commitment.”
  • Our interview with Grubhub CTO  Maria Belousova: Where she lays out the company’s roadmap to making a remote team function smoothly.
  • Technica.ly’s This Week in Jobs newsletter: Weekly roundups of open tech jobs in the area (and remote jobs), including those that don’t require a college degree.
  • Technical.ly’s jobs board: For jobs, of course.
  • Bumble Bizz: Swipe on this app to connect with other entrepreneurs in the area.
  • Amy Cuddy’s TED Talk: A look at how body language shapes who we are.
  • Coworking spaces: Hake strongly encourages women to join a coworking space, for access to an environment that “can help brainstorm business ideas and make connections to resources and potential clients.” Some, like Indy Hall, have a code of conduct. The Old City space declares itself to be a “respectful and harassment-free” environment for everyone.

Did we miss any? Let us know — philly@technical.ly.

Companies: Coded by Kids / Philly Startup Leaders / TechGirlz
Series: Women in Tech Month 2019
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