Re: Yup, women are smarter.
Steady on. Im a miserable, bitter and angry bastard because of the people that oversee IT...not because of IT itself.
I think the problem is cultural.
In 2016 its still ok for your average 20 to 30 something to say "I dont really know computers".
I get asked some truly basic shit more often than is reasonable.
If the level of ignorance was repeated elsewhere the results would be hilarious.
We'd have fully trained mechanics parking cars in Tesco for people and Cartographers pointing the way to the front door.
Older than 50...I kinda get it, set in your ways etc etc. But if you born 1985 onwards. Theres no excuse.
If we killed off the acceptance of being technically retarded we might...*might*...get more diversity in tech since a more diverse group would feel it necessary to learn the basic skills which is a gateway to other things.
You don't know what you want to do until you've tried it or have developed an interest for it on some way.
IT isn't a straightforward industry to enter. Theres gazillions of possible skill permutations, a vast and weird pecking order, different industry sectors etc etc.
First question you'd likely get asked if you wanted to be a neurobiologist ... Which med school are you going to?
First question if you decide you want to enter IT ... Which area of IT? Thats a big question with a vast number of possible answers. Especially given all the professional overlap.
A brain surgeons skills wont ever massively overlap with a podiatrist.
But a programmers skill will have consiserable overlap with a DBA. Yet they are distinct professions.