There are so many opportunities out there for women entering the tech industry.
Diversity is currently at the forefront of everyone’s minds, and you can take advantage of many free or heavily discounted resources designed to encourage more women (or those who identify as women) to enter the industry.
Read on for a list of opportunities, and links to more.
Free Workshops and Bootcamps
Learning to code is a popular route into the industry.
Specific language-based or library-based coding workshops are run by groups like Rails Girls for Ruby on Rails, Node Girls for Node.js, and Django Girls for Django.
Self-taught coders have the opportunity to attend Code Bar, a free monthly coding tutorial session where students are paired up with a mentor. These are run in various locations by volunteers around the UK.
If you are also from an ethnic minority background then there are other programmes aimed especially at your demographic. For example, Black Girls Code has several chapters around the United States with regular events and workshops – it’s worth looking around your area to see if there’s anything similar.
Networking and events
If you don’t have a specific area of tech you want to learn about then there are countless meetups which you can find on Meetup or EventBrite. Do a search in your area and sign up for events aimed at women in tech or more general purpose tech meetups.
The opportunities out there mainly focus on learning to code and other web development technologies, but there are also many networks and resources aimed at women generally involved in tech. For example, Geek Girl Meetup and Code First: Girls are thriving communities in the UK.
If you are a woman already in tech there are groups like Google’s Women Techmakers based in the US. Ada’s List is a fantastic email list connecting women in technology. SheCanCode is another online community for women in tech. Here’s a huge list of communities for women in tech, if those aren’t enough for you!
Online courses
If you just want to keep your learning online, then free resources like FreeCodeCamp, CodeAcademy or paid resource Treehouse will get you started with a foundation to everything you need to know.
Many online resources like FreeCodeCamp also have thriving offline communities with meet-ups which you can attend to get help or meet other coders.
Bootcamp scholarships
If you’re really serious about learning to code then there are many scholarships available for women who want to attend bootcamps.
Maker’s Academy is a high-profile bootcamp based in London with scholarships for women, and there’s also Northcoders which runs a popular bootcamp in Manchester. US-based Coding Dojo also offers scholarships for underrepresented groups, and Founders & Coders is a free but intensely competitive coding bootcamp open to women and men based in London.
Final remarks
If you’re a woman in tech or aspiring to enter the technology industry, there really is no shortage of free resources to get you started. It’s so important to embrace learning and develop your network to give you the best possible chance of success.
We recommend beginning with the free courses, events and meetups. Then, if you want to learn a specific industry skill like programming, there are scholarships available later down the line.
