By Alison Derbenwick Miller
Question: What can three women with very different backgrounds from very different parts of the world all have in common?
Answer: A passion for computer science (CS), and a talent for turning that passion into a successful, fulfilling career.
You may have heard that the tech industry isn’t very female friendly. You may be reading that CS isn’t a career path women choose—according to the National Center for Education Statistics, only 18% of undergraduate computer science degrees are earned by women, and an online image search for “computer scientist” yields only two women in the top 50 results. You may have decided that a career in computer science isn’t for you, or your wife, or your daughter.
You may want to reconsider.
As technology continues to drive the global economy, the opportunities available to people with CS degrees are vast, and profitable. Many current employees in tech jobs are nearing retirement age, and on top of the spots they are vacating, more jobs requiring computer science skills are created every day. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are more jobs requiring CS degrees available than there are CS graduates today or in the pipeline. A lot more.
And those jobs pay better than most. Forbes puts computer engineering, software design, and computer programming as #2, #3, and #4 for degrees with the highest starting salaries for 2015 graduates. USA Today concurs, listing computer science at #2 and forecasting an average starting salary in the US of $61,287, with average lifetime earnings of $3.1 million. Heady numbers, these.
As for the educational and working environments? As a recent New York Times article highlights, many colleges and universities are working to make CS curriculum more inviting for women, and we see more women moving successfully and visibly into technology leadership roles, and making changes for the better. Think Marissa Mayer. Think Sheryl Sandberg. Think Safra Catz.
Yet, seeing these luminaries as the only female role models in technology is akin to telling boys that their only CS role models are Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates. I believe that most influential role models are the ones we can imagine ourselves being like someday, and so it is the often unsung role models who speak to us best. In that spirit, look to these heroines of computer science:
“I was in the University of Cambridge’s second-ever computer science class.” —Penny Avril
Avril started her computer science career at the University of Cambridge, which at the time was a fairly new course for the university. She had excelled in math and physics and was intrigued by the logic aspect of computer science. Her first internship during college was with a company that supplied the United Kingdom with military information. She worked on computers and programmed with punch cards.
The programming Avril encounters today is much different from what she learned 20 years ago, but her skills and abilities help her adapt. “The most important thing you learn [from studying computer science] is logic, which allows you to evolve with the changing programming language,” she says. Today Avril is a vice president for Oracle Database development. “It’s crucial that we help our customers understand how they can use data to benefit their business. I combine my technical side with my ability to communicate to share how technology is impacting the world.”
Avril finds passion in helping others make sense of computer science, even if it isn’t their ultimate career goal. “I recommend girls follow the areas that interest them, rather than what seems to be the right direction. Work in fields you believe in.”
“I was told that all I could be was a housewife.” —Isabella Omariba
Omariba came to the United States to escape domestic abuse in Kenya, where from a young age she was told she could hope to become a housewife. Refusing to accept that pre-ordained path, Omariba made her way to America, where she was encouraged to pursue a career in nursing. However, she quickly learned that the medical field wasn’t for her, and instead went to the University of Minnesota to study computer programming. “I was interested in doing computer programming and being the only woman interested me more. I challenged myself. Women can do anything men can do,” she says.
Today, Omariba is living that philosophy by making a difference both in America and Kenya. She frequently visits Kenya, where she started an orphanage that provides housing and schooling for children in her village. In America, she served as a system support engineer at Oracle and worked with Oracle Academy, introducing schools to computer programming. “I am passionate about helping others overcome their situations,” she said.
Omariba also works as a mentor and motivator for at-risk individuals. She serves on various boards, including the Salvation Army Board, where she is trying to bring to the Bay Area the Pathway of Hope assistance program, which is designed to help female minorities become self-sufficient.
“Computer science isn’t a job for men. We can all do what men can do regardless of profession; we just have to try it. If it is your heart’s desire and you put your mind to it, you can do anything,” says Omariba.
“I didn’t know anything about computer programming or computer science.” —Althea Wallop
Wallop grew up in rural Wyoming, where there was little talk about computer programming or computer science. It wasn’t even on her radar when she arrived at Stanford University. Originally she was on track to pursue psychology. When a friend suggested she consider enrolling in an introductory computer science class, Wallop was hesitant. “Initially I had reservations, but my friend presented the course not strictly as computer science, but as a great fit for me, someone who loved algorithms and puzzles.”
Wallop ended up taking the introductory course. She identifies that class as a “strong pivot point” in her career. Ultimately, Wallop found a major that fulfilled her love of psychology and computer science: symbolic systems, an interdisciplinary major that includes philosophy, linguistics, computer science, and psychology. She served as a product manager at Oracle and used her degree to help others find their place in computer science. She also helped Oracle Academy create its Big Data Science Boot Camp II, a free online educational resource for data science fundamentals.
“I’m passionate about education around technology. It is important for people to know more about computer science and technology and find accessible technology around big data,” says Wallop. For girls considering a career in computer science, she says, “Computer science is not a boys’ club. Be brave and adventurous. You might like it.”
Visit Oracle.com to learn more:
- Oracle Academy Advances Computer Science Education with New Offerings
- Teach Kids to Code and Give Them Tools for Success
- Join Oracle Academy
Alison Derbenwick Miller, vice president of Oracle Academy, leads Oracle's international corporate social responsibility team responsible for philanthropic outreach to advance computer science education. She holds bachelor's degrees in communication and in history with Honors from Stanford University, and a master's degree in Jurisprudence and Social Policy from the University of California at Berkeley.
