Why do I want to start a blog? Great question. I have been an engineer for two decades. I had not realized I had essentially ‘fallen asleep’ a while back thinking I was hopeless and helpless to change the cultural problem that drives so many of our diverse and promising engineering and technology professionals away from our profession. I had internalized the lie that women do not want to work in our field or for many other reasons, they do not stay.
The fact is I cannot change other people (or places and things), however I can change my relationship to them. I can change what I expect of myself and of those around me. One day I was in a stand-up for a huge project, I realized I was not just helpless, I had become part of the problem. I had fallen into the trap of thinking I had to become a part of the culture in order to get promoted so I could change it. Only, here’s the rub, when you get to where you thought you had to be, you have too much to lose to rock the boat. Besides, life is pretty comfortable up there.
I am sick and tired of being comfortable and putting in my time. I want to push the boundaries. I want to innovate in every way possible and to do that, I need a more diverse staff and I need to make sure we include them in everything. I need to create and nurture a culture that encourages people to question, disagree, and speak their mind. I no longer want to attend seminars that teach diverse employees how to behave in ways the majority find acceptable. I want to stop accepting that diversity equals conformity.
Frankly, even if I never get promoted again, I want to be the voice in the wilderness that is no longer afraid to speak the truth. Yes, I was asleep. I kept my head down and just did my job. But today I am awake and I will no longer accept the status quo. Join me on a journey where we will focus on the problems and solution of why we cannot bring more diversity into technology and why we keep losing the diversity we have to other professions. I promise, it will be a ride worth taking. Together, we can do anything; even solve this puzzle.
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