Technology jobs not just for the boys

NORCAT will host a Women in Tech event this evening to help encourage women to enter STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields.

“We are outnumbered and we do offer a different perspective on things than men do,” said Emily Bamsey, a web application developer with Sudbury technology startup TimeHero, and the event co-ordinator.

Bamsey said TimeHero is a bit of an anomaly in the world technology because its staff is almost evenly split between men and women.

“It's a ton of fun,” she said. “You get different perspectives.”

Bamsey added she has never faced any issues in the industry due to her gender while working in Sudbury.

But at a recent conference in California, she said she was made to feel uncomfortable when a man tried to bring her to his hotel room.

“I was like, no,” she said.

Despite recent strides, women generally remain a minority in the technology field, and do still face discrimination in some cases.

TimeHero co-founder and chief technology officer Sarah Paajanen will give a talk at the free event, and Ladies Learning Code will later offer a free workshop to learn basic HTML and CSS – programming languages integral to designing websites.

Men and women are welcome to attend the event, which starts at 5 p.m. and is scheduled to conclude at 9 p.m.

It will take place at NORCAT's office, located at 1545 Maley Drive.