The Girl Code

Hey people. How are ya’ll getting along? I hope you are doing fine. I am just peachy! I have a short story to share, so kids gather around. Hehe, just the other day, I met someone (a male someone) who asked me what I did.  It went a little bit like this, “So what do you do?”

Lately, I have come to the realization that people do not ask such questions with the aim of actually wanting to know what the other person does but instead what they usually want to know is you level of intelligence or something of the sort. They want to gauge you!

So when I told him that I do Computer Science, he was shocked to say the least. Then what followed after his long and intimate relationship with silence and utter dismay was a remark that will leave many females and female activists asking me for this guy’s number.

He retorted, “You’re lying! Girls do not code! So seriously, what do you do?”

And that, my good people, is the last time me and him talked!

Haha, if your jaw was on the floor I will give you a minute to pick it up. Lord knows mine was! I was amazed. I did not think that at this day and age, there could exist someone who would say something like that! I never thought we were still at that point in time where there were ‘jobs’ for men and women. But according to this guy, it seems he is still stuck on the ‘a woman’s place is in the kitchen’ era. Don’t get me wrong, I love to cook. Hehe, but that is a story for another day :)

So yes, for those like this dude over here who did not know this, I code! And I am a girl! And I am not the only one. We are many. This is not just something that men do! It’s the same thing with soccer! I get a lot of ‘You are just trying to fit in with the boys’ or ‘You do not even know what you are talking about’ when I comment about a team I like or a match I watched. And I am like ‘really??’ And that usually makes me so mad. But anyway, we are not here to talk about sports.

Onwards onwards . . .

There are many avenues for girls to learn how to code. I know of Girls Who Code, Girls in ICT, the AkiraChix, Women in Technology , Black Girls Code and many more which are initiatives that aim to inspire, educate and equip young women with the skills and resources to pursue academic and career opportunities in computing fields. Their main aim it to bridge the gap in gender when it comes to the IT sector. Visit their sites for more information.

Video: Computer Science Education Week featuring Reshma Saujani of Girls Who Code

My interest in code grew towards the end of last year. Before that, I had never even seen myself doing much in this field. There was a particular time I had even contemplated changing my entire course of study and picking up my CPA (Certified Public Accountant) from where I had left them. Math had never been a problem for me, so I knew in that sector I wasn’t going to suffer. And all this contemplating was after I had scored the worst grade in my entire life in the ‘Programming in C’ which was a basic first year unit LOL!

But last year, after a six week training which was sponsored by Google and an all-girl two day hackathon organized by AkiraChix which followed shortly after, I couldn’t put code down. I finally understood it! I got the hang of things and I must admit that it is great! Since then I have learnt some Android programming, Java, PHP, HTML and CSS. Most are self-taught with so many tutorials and e-books being available online.

Last Year's All-Girl  Code Hackathon

So encourage your sisters, daughters, nieces, cousins, girlfriends and mothers to get involved in any way they can and never to shy off when such opportunities present themselves. Forget the likes of that Mr. Anonymous because girls can code! #Word

PS. A couple of days ago the World lost a great hero, an icon, a leader and a fighter, Nelson Mandela. And even as he was laid to rest yesterday, I know that his memory will live on. #RIP

Thank you for reading. Have a lovely and blessed Monday!

Remember to always do cool things that matter.

#happydays