Never lose sight of your dreams
I wanted to share a true short story about my past.
A young (high school) Annie waits for the bell to ring after her Word Perfect typing class. She thinks her computer teacher is so awesome and brilliant because her teacher gets to teach and work on computers.
Annie shyly asks her female teacher, “Can I learn programming? I don’t want to take typing classes. I want to learn how to make games and things to play on the computer.” (Annie loves Oregon Trail, Wheel of Fortune, and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego).
Her teacher replies, “Programming is very hard. It’s not for girls. You have to be really good in math and be really smart. You can be a secretary if you really enjoy working with computers.”
Devastated by her teacher’s answer, a sad Annie walks away and scratches the thought of being a programmer off her list of aspiring dreams. … Hmm, a Secretary?
Flash foward years later ….
Today I am a web developer. And sadly enough, I wish there were MORE female developers. My struggle to become a web developer is probably like many other stories of others out there. I had an interest, but someone else shot me down and told me I wasn’t worthy. Well, as a young girl I was naive and I believed most things adults told me. In my culture, I was taught to not question my elders and to be obedient. I struggled as a teen (like many do) to figure out what I wanted to do in life.
Thanks to the encouragement of my friends and family, I was able to pursue my dream of becoming a web developer. It was a really hard and difficult challenge. I’ve come so far in my journey and it’s given me a sense of pride of achieving a goal I didn’t think was possible.
I believe that everyone deserves a chance to learn. I’ve made many mistakes over the course of my lifetime and from that, I was able to grow as a person. In the words of a wise quote, “The light at the end of the tunnel is not an illusion. The tunnel is.”
Never lose sight of your dreams.
May 15th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
oregon trail is bad ass. our school system is messed up. i taught for free at MPS for a year, translating terms into hmoob dawb and english. with 200 students they told me there was no need to teach hmong students several times, by several different faculty members. its very messed up.
with IT, we are the only ones that hold us back. you can take your own inititive and teach yourself and get certified in special interests. if you have enough IT skills you should apply at vcpi.com we are hiring tech 1’s for IT.
May 19th, 2010 at 4:09 am
I do agree with you Annie. My own history in France is close to yours.
Twenty five years ago (I’m 37 ys old) I wanted to be Programmer too. I’ve successfully developed photoshop embryo on my Thomson MO5 (french computer) . My Dad answered me that it is a very difficult job because we must change every day, I wasn’t sufficient math level and they didn’t have any money for such Studies with brother and sister.
So I passed an exam for Electrician operator for Aeronautic Defense. Had studied hard (major ended). Started to work in 1993 with lazy people, I decided to back to school, have BI and be received in the middle rating in a contest math’s fault. With no place for computing nor Electrician Manager i resigned to work hard at University to be Mechanic Manager.
Worked in naval services during eight years, i decided three years ago to back to school for Computer Master, had studied hard (second ended). I reintegrate my society , changed twice a job because closed people and poor interest job and actually wants to change of Society …so working hard on my own time for Cloud Computing for realizing my dreams and changing my life.
As you said , It’s just a matter of time, You can always get what your want
Eric
May 21st, 2010 at 4:21 am
I’m happy to know that there are many others out there who share a similar passion for technology and learning. Thanks for commenting!
May 21st, 2010 at 11:30 am
Very interesting story, I love web developing too, i can stay
days on the computer. Now I’m self learning the basic of creating website.
Most hmong parents don’t support their kids on computer major, so I went to college for something else.
I want to create some badass website for Hmong people, hehe
girls programer rock! Not to mention you are Hmong too