Who Counts as a Woman in Tech?

Written by: Katie Anderson - Director of Growth at PBG Consulting

A few years into my career in government business development, I found myself in a room of data scientists, engineers, and developers discussing a complex data problem at the Department of Energy. After several formative years in the training industry, I was in a new world, filled with terms and concepts I didn’t understand, surrounded by people I was sure were smarter than me. 

Their technical acumen seemed far more valuable than my much-less-technical skills and strengths.  

But they were discussing things I knew quite a bit about: Customer problems. Decisions made and regretted based on bad information; missed goals and objectives due to a lack of resources, skills, tools, or a shared vision; inconsistent processes. It occurred to me that one thing is consistently true across all industries: Here are some problems, how do we fix them? And that’s not technical; it’s human and pervasive and industry-agnostic. It made me realize that the nature of problem-solving doesn’t change; it’s the solutions that do. I did not want to be a person who couldn’t see or understand what that meant. 

So over the next several years, I embraced curiosity about the data and technology with which my company solved these problems, and I engaged with those technologists, and, hardest of all: I asked so many stupid questions. I asked stupid questions with a genuine interest to understand. In meetings, I forced my hand up. I read and read. And slowly technical understanding started prickling every time I thought about solving the newest problem, how I could help, how my company could help.  

It. Felt. Great.  

But five years in, I still did not identify as a “woman in tech.” There were events, associations, and meet-ups. There were job fairs, mentorship programs, and lunch invitations. There were cohorts at conferences, LinkedIn groups, and cool jobs at tech-branded companies. I gate-kept myself from all of these opportunities. I wasn’t a technologist. I didn’t know (spoiler: still don’t) how to code, design an app, or build a predictive model. I was just a salesperson. 

My mindset began to shift two years ago when I came to PBG Consulting as their Director of Growth. I knew this was a tech-forward company founded on the belief that government IT can be transformed, made sleek and clean, and deliver mission-enablement. I was concerned I wouldn’t be technical enough to make an impact, that I would quickly discover the limits of my technical understanding, and everyone else would see them too. But PBG was a women-owned, women-led company, and because it aligned with my values, I wanted more than anything to find my way within it. I wasn’t just intimidated or inspired . . . I was both. 

Maybe the best thing I have taken from the last two years is the realization that yes, I am a woman in tech. Because I'm collaborating with the women around me, from corporate functions to delivery functions, from executives to project managers, I realized that being a part of the problem-solving counts, even if you aren’t the one coding the platform or writing the IT strategic plan. Our recruiters, our financial analysts, our event planners: we are all women in tech. 

If you are wondering if you are or can be a woman in tech: yes! It may look totally different than you thought it might. So here’s my non-exhaustive list of the roles and functions in a tech-forward company or government agency that absolutely “count”: 

• Human Resources / People / Culture 
• Recruiting / Talent Acquisition 
• Proposal Management / Proposal Writing 
• Finance / Pricing  
• Policy / Advocacy / Strategy 
• Contract Management / Procurement / Legal  
• Graphic Design 
• Marketing, Public Relations 
• Business Development / Growth / Partnerships 

You should be the person to add to this list. If you are or want to be in the room when people solve problems with technology, please consider all your options, your strengths, your special talents—even when they have nothing to do with technology. Tech companies need women who are unafraid to step into a dynamic, competitive industry, at all roles and in all functions. Go to the networking events, join the associations, look at the careers page (ahem: https://pbgconsult.com/about/careers/), message me!   

Being a woman in tech is not a closed club. Just walk through the door.