For almost every industry, tech is expanding across the spectrum and opening up new job opportunities for men and women alike. Depending on your passion and skill set, job descriptions vary greatly. Even if you don’t deem yourself as ‘tech-y,’ there are many different roles that could be a right fit for you. Companies seek to build dynamic teams with differing backgrounds and skill sets coupled with exciting technologies to inspire and grow in the digital sphere.
The following motivational leaders shared their biggest misconceptions within the tech industry at Create & Cultivate. Create & Cultivate is recognized as the preeminent conference and online platform for women looking to produce the career of their dreams.
Create & Cultivate hosts conferences nationwide where thousands of women gather to hear from the best in the business. Participants hear from CEOs, content creators and celebrities. Past speakers include Chelsea Handler, Nicole Richie, Jessica Alba, Gloria Steinem and more. Through their online platform Create & Cultivate offers a 365-day conversation around entrepreneurship and works to advance inclusive conversations to empower women.
Create & Cultivate has partnered with global leader Microsoft for their latest conference in Seattle which took place on the Microsoft Campus. Additional partners include The Mine, Sorel and Express.
Michelle Newbery, President, The Mine
“One of the biggest misconceptions is that failure is a bad thing, especially for women project managers and leaders. Many of our big wins have been the result of learnings from “failed” earlier initiatives. Moving fast, failing forward and quickly course correcting are all necessary to be successful in the ecommerce space. It’s great to see organizations like Create & Cultivate starting to change the conversation and celebrate women leaders.”
Heidi Gibson, Director of Product Development, GoDaddy
"Women get conflicting messages about what it takes to succeed in tech – we’re told that we need to be aggressive and competitive, but that we’ll be labeled a “bitch” if we’re too aggressive. When we try to be everything to everyone, we fail to be our authentic selves, making it impossible to develop real relationships with our teammates and build the trust that’s so critical to an organization’s overall success. The tech community is at its best when everyone can bring their full selves to work – whatever that means for each person."
Rian Buckley, CEO & Co-Founder, Fitcode
“You have to be 110% qualified: As women, we always feel like we need to check every box before being ready for the next big opportunity. I’m a non-technical CEO of a tech company, with a background in political science, climate change, and fashion modeling. It was those experiences, not business school or Silicon Valley, that prepared me to be CEO. They gave me the ability to see the world in new ways—as problems to be solved, not products to create.
Robin Li, Vice President, GGV Capital
“One myth is that every woman in tech has to be a developer or engineer. Diversity in leadership can come from many backgrounds.”
