It takes a lot of courage to work in a male-dominated tech sector but women are here to make their mark. Aqsa Kausar is one of the four women, selected as Google Developer Expert from Pakistan, recalling the difficulty she faced when she started out in the field.
“I developed [an] interest in Machine Learning but since there were not a lot of resources available, I had to do a lot of online learning. Learning majorly on my own was, of course, a challenge because there weren’t many people I could go to in case I was stuck on a concept”.
“When I applied for the programme, there was no female GDE in Pakistan and there was no GDE in Machine Learning at all.”
First encounters with technology can also help young girls build their digital literacy over time. Digital literacy is the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills.
Sakina Abbas whose expertise is Flutter, meanwhile, remained upbeat while talking about her journey saying “nothing seems like a challenge if you pursue it with passion.”
“It was indeed tiring and difficult to keep up, but at the end of the day, challenges strengthen you and help you become a better version of yourself.”
“They (government) need to create more opportunities for women. They should take measures to create ease for women such as making housing available for single women to come work in hubs such as major cities.“
“The government should also promote STEM entrepreneurship among university students, establish partnerships with private organizations working on STEM entrepreneurship, and improve the capacity of NICs (National Incubation Centres) to incubate IT ventures,” said in Dawn news.
Sakina Abbas emphasized the need for the government to encourage women to come forward for participation in the IT sector.
For her future goals, Sakina said: “There’s a huge gap between academic life and the tech industry that I want to bridge with the help of my fellow community builders by organizing technical workshops and events specifically tailored for university students who have little or no idea which domain to pursue post-graduation.”
She also said that “I hope to motivate them to pursue technology without paying much heed to ‘Ye field tou sirf larkon keliye hai, larkiyan nai kar patien’ (this field is only reserved for boys, girls can’t pursue it) by the naysayers. Being GDEs from their own country, from their own gender group, I’m hopeful that women will feel comfortable enough around us to openly share their concerns with us, so that we can guide them and even mentor them,” said in technologytimes.pk
WomenInTech warmly welcomes Pakistani women in technology sectors. For the past five years, they have been working tirelessly to create a meaningful impact. They are:
Enabling the vision for a better and more inclusive future of the tech industry by helping women skill up and find opportunities by executing programs like CodeGirl and CryptoChicks in Pakistan. Helping women find mentors for their careers and facilitating them in connecting with the right networks. Providing women access to home-based and onsite work opportunities and assisting them in navigating the professional world by giving them an open and safe discussion forum.
