GHC13: What would you do if you weren't afraid?

The Grace Hopper Women in Computing Conference 2013 was held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Almost 5000 technical women (and a few men) gathered together to celebrate the achievements of women in technology and computing. The sheer number of technical women gathered together in one place was pretty amazing!

The opening plenary, which included Sheryl Sandberg and Maria Klawe, definitely set the right tone to inspire everyone for the next few days. Before arriving at GHC13, I'd heard rumours about this "revolutionary" book called Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg and I'd watched her TEDtalk online. She reiterated a few of the key points in the opening plenary, and two of them which really stood out for me, and made me think of my own role as a technical woman. One of them was the fact that not talking about gender and realising that we have an issue with the low numbers of women in tech, was not working on making it better. Talking about gender in the workplace is seen as risky, and we steer clear of it - but we're not changing anything by doing so. The other was more of a question than a point -

 "What would you do if you weren't afraid?"

I carried this question, in fact The Question, with me throughout the conference, and my month in the US - and it still echoes in my mind daily.

The first day of the conference was not a huge success for me in terms of attending useful sessions. Most of the sessions I tried to get into were full, and the one I managed to make it to didn't really strike a chord with me. However, the time spent outside the conference rooms - whether chatting to other women while sitting on the floor and charging my cellphone, or engaging with people during the career fair - was so much more useful as time spent networking. It's always fun to chat to people about what I do and what I love about my job and to hear their own stories.

Conference shenanigans

Over the next few days I did attend a few really great sessions. One of them was about negotiation. This was a vital workshop for me, specifically because of the epiphany I'd had on the flight to Minneapolis. The interesting thing to note is that most women do not negotiate for salaries. I had never even considered that it's something I could do! The workshop highlighted some pretty important points about negotiation. Before going into a negotiation, you should know what you want and have reasons (based on data) ready. This requires doing some market research. It's important not to become emotionally attached to the outcome of the negotiation, and not to come across as having a sense of entitlement regarding the terms. It's important to gain visibility within the company and the team where you work - do something challenging and outside of your comfort zone, step up and volunteer for project. Self promotion is important - don't assume people will notice or recognise and respect you for your efforts. Promote the colleagues around you and network within the organisation to both advocate for and gain advocates. In essence, the preparation around negotiation starts long before the actual conversation takes place.

Another useful session was around creating LeanIn circles - a group of women (and even male advocates) coming together to share experiences and learn together. Often as women in tech we feel pretty isolated and don't really have a platform for sharing challenges that we face or breakthroughs that we have had. Working in tech can be very intimidating for women when there is a self perpetuating stereotype that it's not really a "woman's thing". What's even more difficult is that women do not advocate for other women in technology. It's important to have women leaders and role models in industry.

The closing night of GHC13 was grand event. There was a Google/Microsoft sponsored party including massive dessert bars with every sweet treat imaginable, thousands of glowsticks and free t shirts, and a pumping dance floor. We'd made new friends and new acquaintances, chatted to fellow women in industry from every well-known and awesome tech company, laughed and debated and cried, and had raucous fun while doing so.

Grace Hopper was a huge eye-opener for me. My own experiences as a technical woman to date have been rather fraught with obstacles and daunting times. Until recently, I actually didn't really want to get on board with the whole "let's hire more women" thing. I'd worked hard to get where I was, and I felt kinda special - one of the few "elite". I definitely didn't feel as though I'd had special treatment or opportunities during my studies and career. In fact, I felt the opposite: as though I'd had to work harder and exceed the successes of my male peers to garner their respect. I'd encountered sexism both during my studies and in the workplace, but felt proud of the "thick skin" I'd developed. What I didn't realise was that this was causing me to become desensitised. Also, the lack of diversity in the workplace was to my detriment - and is to the detriment of us all.

It's pretty terrifying to start having conversations about gender with male colleagues and senior members of the organisation. However, thanks to The Question, fear is not stopping me. In short, I now definitely consider myself to be a feminist. Not the kind that wants special treatment for women - or in fact all minorities - but the kind that wants to be on equal footing with male peers and the kind that believes that real change is possible.

NYC: So much to see, so little time

Two and a half days in the Big Apple

Times Square at night

We arrived in New York City on a Sunday morning after almost 30 hrs of travel and transit from Cape Town to JFK via Dubai. After making it through passport control without a hassle, we jumped in a yellow NYC taxi and headed to our Airbnb accommodation in Manhattan's East Village. The tiny New York apartment had interesting décor and an unfortunate proximity to the street noise.

By 10:30 we'd dropped our bags and were ready to explore. I had made plans to meet up with one of my high school friends who was in NYC working as an au pair, so we set off for Columbus circle near Central Park. Navigating the subway system proved remarkably easy, using a combination of Google maps and mobile apps. Our first stop was a Starbucks where I purchased a Pumpkin Spice latte, which turned out to be very orange and very sweet.

Once we'd met up with my friend, we bought some lunch at Whole Foods and headed into Central Park. While dodging horse-drawn carriages, we strolled past vendors selling magnets and artwork, entertainers blowing giant bubbles to the amusement of kids, a baseball field with a game in full swing and squirrels frolicking on the lawns. It was a beautifully sunny Sunday afternoon, the leaves only just starting to hint at the change in seasons, and New Yorkers were making the most of it. Entering from the South, we made it as far as the Bethesda Terrace before we turned around.

After we'd explored barely a fifth of Central Park, we headed off to Times Square to behold the madness. I scored a free coffee at a Starbucks on 5th Ave when I tried to purchase a latte with a $100 bill! We walked up and down fifth avenue, making a quick stop at McDonalds to use the restroom. We said goodbye to my friend and Nina and I ate dinner at a corner Asian restaurant before going to our Broadway show.

By the time Wicked was set to begin, we were just about ready to pass out from jetlag and pure exhaustion. I was certain I'd sleep through at least half the second act, but I my eyes were glued wide open. The sheer energy, stage design and quality of performance blew my mind. Needless to say, when the final round of applause died down the adrenaline rush that had kept me awake through 2hrs of stage magic died with it. I vaguely remember walking back towards Times Square and the dazzle of the bright lights and massive screens. I can't remember exactly how we made it back to our apartment in East Village but I assume the subway was involved.

NYC Culture

Monday morning dawned and I had a massive blister on one of my feet. Nina had big shopping plans so after breakfast we walked (ok, I limped) down towards the Lower East Side. Unfortunately, most of the stores were closed and were only to open at noon and we'd headed out at 9am! After lunch at the Fat Radish, a super hipster vegetarian joint, Nina and I parted ways with plans to meet up at the Staten Island Ferry later.

I jumped on a subway to Rockerfeller Center and purchased a ticket to ride the elevator to the Top of the Rock. Luckily I dodged the canned photo shoot in front of a backdrop of scaffolding suspended above the city ("smile, you're on your lunch break", "aaah, you're falling!"). The whole of Manhattan stretched out before me in all directions and I took a few obligatory selfies with the iconic backdrop of the island. It was surreal to be so far above the mad crowds with the general humdrum of the city only a faint murmur. The souvenir shops were filled with the generic keychains, mugs and t-shirt assortments. To make sure I'd make it to our Ferry appointment in time, I jumped back on a subway and headed downtown. 

Top of the Rock

I made it to the ferry for our rendezvous. When I got hold of Nina, she let me know that she'd been caught up with her shopping spree and wouldn't be making it. I headed into the general cattle bay for the ferry and waited to board. By this time my cellphone was in seriously dire battery straits so I switched to airplane mode. Once we'd been herded onto the ferry, I found a seat and we set off! The Staten Island Ferry is free and it provides great views of the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline. I had to jostle many tourists and maneuver myself for the appropriate selfies and typical tourist shots.

Once back on the main island, I met up with Nina at our apartment where we met our host for the first time. Then we walked 14 blocks to dinner at a molecular gastronomy restaurant, wd~50. We both opted for the 13 course dinner, with a few alterations to the courses made to accommodate my gluten-free dining requirement. The food was definitely special and unusual - I just wish the servers would have talked about the techniques used without being prompted. The sea urchin tongues were really splendid, but my favourite was the sea scallops with ravioli. The key lime pie dessert was also fantastic, as was my 13th course - reduced cheesecake in a blueberry parcel.

High Line

On Tuesday morning, we headed out to Chelsea market. We arrived fairly early as this was our final day in NYC and we wanted to make the most of it. Unfortunately, this meant many of the places were not yet open. We grabbed some coffee and made our way to the High Line, a converted railway line that ran above ground and was suggested to us by our host. It's now a trendy and hip walkway with gardens and flowers, trellises and sculptures along the line for a good few blocks. It was pretty cool to walk above the city between the massive buildings. 

Then we set off for MoMA, NYC's Museum of Modern Art. Our host lent us his artsy museum card and we got in for free! We budgeted only an hour for the whole museum, so we went on a whirlwind tour of the six floors, covering an exhibition of Magritte, galleries filled with Van Goghs, Frieda Kahlos, Picassos and many others. The interactive displays in some of the sections were really cool. The artsy fix was a great way to end off our mad adventures in the Big Apple as we left for JFK. Next stop: Minneapolis.

MoMA