Professional Development

Events Roundup: 8 virtual events to mark a year of WFH and Women’s History Month

We can feel the seasonal depression lifting as we speak (or type). Bring on the professional development this March.

NET/WORK Philly goes virtual in 2021. (Technical.ly file photo)

Events Roundup is a Technical.ly column where we highlight events happening in the Philly area each month. Got a submission? Email us the details so we can consider it for our next roundup: philly@technical.ly.


It’s finally March, and you know what that means — temperatures above freezing, the return of Daylight Savings Time and the 12th (!!) all-virtual Events Roundup.

Yes, it’s been a year since the tech community here packed up their desks to work from home “for a couple of weeks” (more like the next year and a half). We started off this interesting virtual work experience with a whole lot of Zoom happy hours, awkward virtual networking events and a lot of screen fatigue.

Now we have all those things PLUS some encouraging vaccine news. And if you ask us, we’ve also gained a better understanding of what makes an actually great virtual event. Even as some things return to “normal” and some events might happen IRL this year, we know the art of the virtual event will be here to stay.

This month is also marks Women’s History Month, and we’ve found some women-centric community building and career accelerating events. Don’t forget that Technical.ly’s annual jobs fair — NET/WORK — also happens this month with a chance to mix and mingle with companies from all of our mid-Atlantic markets.

Take note of these events happening in March:

Well City Challenge Pitch Events

The Well City Challenge, an incubator program focusing on millennial health in Philadelphia, will host three nights of pitch events for its three categories: community and social connection, food and nutrition, and mind/body. Judges will select one team from each category to receive a prize of $10,000 to support a pilot of their concept. There will also be a people’s choice award of up to $7,500 in each category. (Check out one team’s idea for a plant-based food subscription box service).

Registration for Annual Ctrl+Shift Coding Competition

Coded by Kids‘ annual Ctrl+Shift event is a citywide coding competition open to anyone ages 13 to 18 and in grades 9 through 12, with a chance to win $5,000 for their original website. While the challenge takes place over the next two months, registration closes March 5. Students may work in groups up to three, and website submissions should address an issue in the arts, education, entrepreneurship or social impact.

  • Deadline to apply is March 5
  • Mentoring sessions run Fridays through May 8
  • Free to register; do so here

Sisters Learning Code: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for Beginners

This six-week coding series by Philly Tech Sistas is geared toward women of color who are looking to gain new tech skills. Attendees will walk away with a beginner developer’s tool kit, including an understanding of HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Classes run for two hours on Saturdays, and no prior coding experience is necessary.

International Women’s Day: Managing your career in a virtual environment

The Philadelphia Chapter of Women in ETFs is hosting an hour-long virtual panel on International Women’s Day with three women in the finance industry who will share tips and tricks of navigating the WFH environment, leading their teams remotely, developing their careers and managing parental responsibilities.

Reimagining the Workforce of Tomorrow

This talk, hosted by the University City Science Center will focus on how the pandemic, the digital divide and an ever-growing gap in access to education and training will require a reimagined approach to workforce development. This panel will talk about the work being done to overcome these obstacles and prep educators, employers and job seekers for a more productive and more equitable future.

Women, Work and COVID-19: The Future is Still Female

This webinar will address the long-standing workforce challenges that the pandemic has exacerbated for women, like parenting while working from home, women leaving the workforce and women of color facing higher rates of unemployment. The Future Works Alliance PHL, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and Chariot Solutions to will explore these challenges and possible solutions.

NET/WORK 2021

Technical.ly brings its annual tech jobs fair virtual this year and for a pretty nice price tag: totally free. We’re including all the communities we report on daily — and remote-only jobs, too. You’ll have a chance to engage with 30+ companies hiring for more than 200 roles. The hiring companies specialize in the likes of ecommerce, big data, gaming, sports betting, software development, retail, marketing and sales. We have confirmed some of the biggest tech teams you already know, such as Comcast, as well as growth-stage companies like Crossbeam.

Spring 2021 Women in Tech Summit

This year’s Women in Tech Summit will host spring and fall virtual summits, featuring a ton of speakers from local companies and beyond. The spring summit will be held over three days in late March and features fireside chats, yoga and meditation, networking and technical talks.

  • March 24 through 26
  • All day
  • Tickets between $49 and $149; purchase here
Companies: Philly Tech Sistas / Crossbeam / Coded by Kids / Chariot Solutions / Comcast / Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia / University City Science Center / Technical.ly

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