Few parents want to limit their child’s options for careers. You want each child to find a place to thrive, mentally, emotionally and financially. But you need to know what discourages kids from getting involved in technology. And, if you’re working with your daughter or other girls, you’ll see these factors impact girls and minorities harder than boys. But that’s changing.
Photo by Michelle Lange
Building robots and
telling digital stories are some of the fun ways kids learn about technology,
but many middle schoolers — especially girls — steer clear of these classes,
per a new study. Some think it’s “boring,” and others think computers are just
for boys. Others can’t find someone like them working in tech. It’s those types
of notions keeping girls from pursuing technology as an interest or a career.
Eleven is the critical
age when girls start to choose activities besides technology and science – so
that’s exactly when groups focused on getting more girls in STEM jump in.
Through mentoring, entrepreneurial projects and hands-on playtime, girls get a
look at how much fun there is in technology, and how many career options are
open to them, too.
Parents play a critical
role in helping kids embrace technology, too. That’s where Launching Your Teen’s Career in Technology: A Parent’s Guide to the T in STEM Education fits.
“Anyone who understands
technology and wants to use it for a larger purpose should consider a career in
technology,” Charles Eaton, the book’s author, writes in the book’s first
chapter, which is focused on busting myths about tech careers. (You can start reading a 7-part“Bust the Tech Myths” blog series here.)
Reference the book to
explore how your daughter’s strengths and interests fit with tech careers. You
can encourage girls to try activities that lead toward tech, and you can push
your schools to change too. Right now, you can change a girls’ future – spend
10 minutes on CompTIA’s Dream IT site to find nearby programs that
focus on bringing girls into tech. Get involved, and share the information with
girls, teachers and guidance counselors.
Read profiles of women
in technology to your daughter. Get your copy of Launching Your Teen’s
Career in Technology: A Parent’s Guide to the T in STEM Education at a 10% discount by entering the coupon
code BLOG17 here.
Special Correspondent Michelle Lange is a Chicago-based writer, designer and business owner, who developed
graphics and provided photography for the “T in STEM” guide.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of the above mentioned brand. I received monetary compensation or product(s) in exchange for my honest and unbiased thoughts. All thoughts and opinions stated are my own and are in no way influenced by my partnership with mentioned brands.
