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Diversity in Software Engineering & Development: A Practical Guide for Women & Underrepresented Groups

Home > Resources for Software Engineering Students > Diversity in Software Engineering & Development: A Practical Guide for Women & Underrepresented Groups

Explore 200+ strategies & resources for underrepresented groups in the tech industry! This “how-to” guide is designed to help everyone from women to people of color to low-income students create a rewarding career for themselves in software development or software engineering. Discover how many organizations, companies & mentors are able to help you achieve your goals.

How This Guide Works

Strategies

When we started investigating resources for underrepresented groups in the tech industry, we found that a lot of diversity guides were either a) parroting statistics without solutions; or b) offering broad advice that didn’t take into account what was happening on the ground. So we decided to focus on practical strategies.

  • Each section tackles a common workplace challenge for underrepresented groups in tech, followed by a list of real-world solutions.
  • Some of these ideas come straight from software development discussion groups among women and people of color.

We’re not going to sugarcoat it—this industry struggles with diversity. And by diversity, we’re not only talking about race and gender. We’re also talking about folks of different ages, sexual identities, socioeconomic backgrounds, geographic roots, and training (e.g. veterans). Women have it hard. But so do rural students, career-changers, folks with disabilities, and people without a degree from a top-tier university.

In the meantime, AI is automating processes. Companies are streamlining tech operations. And the employment market is over-saturated. Although the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is forecasting solid job growth for software developers in the next 10 years, initial job application requirements keep getting harder. That means everyone needs to be strategic about their career journeys.

Resources

In each sub-section, we’ve focused on unique resources for women and folks with diverse backgrounds, including those on a tight budget. Let us know if we’ve missed any important ones!

  • Some resources are free; some are not. You’ll need to do a little bit of field research to find out whether the experience is worth the price. Some organizations will also offer scholarships & subsidized pricing for underrepresented groups.
  • We’ve organized resources by category (e.g. Job Applications), but it’s worth skimming through related sections (e.g. Hiring Biases) to see if you’re eligible for unique opportunities.
  • Once you’ve examined our list, conduct your own AI and Google searches for general resources (e.g. tech interview prep, bootcamps, apprenticeships, industry conferences etc.) and read up on software Reddit threads. You may find just as much value in attending an IEEE event as GHC!

Our ultimate goal is to give you the best shot at a happy and fulfilling career in tech. Inequity isn’t miraculously going to disappear. The market is always going to prioritize profit over humanity. But even tiny tweaks in approach can make all the difference—both to yourself and the folks coming up behind you.

Training & Bootcamps

Strategies for Honing Your Skills

About to graduate from a lesser-known university? Transitioning from another field? In the old days, coding bootcamps and self-learning might be all that was required to secure that first job in software. Not anymore. These days, bootcampers from diverse backgrounds are going up against wealthy computer science graduates who have had time to work on hackathons, hobby projects, certifications, and internships.

That’s not to say bootcamps are totally worthless. They can lead to salary increases & career advancement for motivated candidates. Some will offer job guarantees (with a fair number of stipulations). And the best ones will be transparent about their graduate employment data. Just keep in mind that most bootcamps are unregulated—these companies are out to make money.

  • Brainstorm Your Future: Which field of software do you want to work in (e.g. mobile, full-stack, back-end, etc.)? Do you dream of being a senior technical lead? Are you aiming for a high-octane job with a Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google (FAANG) company or do you prefer the experimentation of start-ups? Your job goals will have a bearing on your training & education choices.
  • Assess Your Skills: Once you’ve looked up job descriptions and decided which roles appeal to you, use the tips in our job applications section to generate an honest assessment of your skills & knowledge gaps in today’s market. You can then circle back and decide which programs and/or degrees will be most relevant. Deploy AI to identify which bootcamps & academies cover the most up-to-date skill sets and support diverse students. You can also join organizations that offer study groups and free resources.
  • Consult with Experts: Talk to bootcamp alumni and mentors before you make any decisions (we have an entire section on how to find ’em!). Read threads on Reddit. Connect with discussion groups. You need folks in the industry to tell you what skills are paramount in the workplace. They may also have intel on which companies are willing to consider candidates with unconventional training backgrounds and which ones are biased toward Ivy League & Ivy Plus graduates.
  • Experiment with Training: You always have the option to try a course, a bootcamp, or an academy to get a feel for what you’re good at. Even though some of these programs may not be game-changers on your résumé, they’ll help you build a network of supportive peers and mentors. A number of bootcamps in our Resources section offer scholarships to groups who are underrepresented in tech. Big-name schools like MIT have even developed women-focused programs.
  • Solidify Your Credentials: Don’t exclude the idea of traditional degrees. There are plenty of ways to study virtually and earn an affordable undergraduate degree or graduate qualification. Our rankings of the best online bachelor’s and master’s degrees in software engineering are designed to help you identify top-notch programs. Remember that university students also have access to career development resources, including initiatives like Girls Who Code College & Career Programs and Code2040 Programs.
  • Build a Portfolio: Focus on anything that will help you build an online portfolio. Experience is everything in this industry. GitHub is the usual spot for this, but there are also plenty of diverse programming groups on Discord, Whatsapp, and Telegram who can support your efforts. Be a little careful with Stack Overflow. A number of folks (not just women) have had poor experiences with asking questions or providing answers. Some limit their exposure to “read only.”

Training, Bootcamp & Scholarship Resources

Apprenticeships & Internships

Strategies for Securing an Apprenticeship

Nothing beats learning from smart people in smart companies. But unless you’re enrolled in a prestigious university that organizes internships & apprenticeships, it can be extraordinarily challenging getting your foot in the door. You may also be juggling other responsibilities that make in-person opportunities impossible.

Although competition will be fierce for onboarding programs, there are scores of ways to improve your odds. We’re focusing on tactics and resources for diverse applicants, but be sure to look at our separate guide to Software Engineering Apprenticeships. It covers the ins & outs of the apprenticeship process and includes links to opportunities from companies like Google and IBM.

  • Demonstrate Initiative: Show the big guns you’re a self-directed learner. Create a portfolio of projects on GitHub. Volunteer to mentor others so you can highlight your interpersonal skills (e.g. Code The Dream volunteer opportunities). Earn early-career certifications. Sign up for workshops and hackathons. Participate in meetup groups and coding communities. Polish your LinkedIn profile using AI.
  • Target Your Search: In addition to applying for apprenticeships that are open to all comers, explore our Resources section to identify apprenticeships that are specifically tailored to underrepresented groups. Programs like the MLH Fellowship even allow participants to work from home.
  • Lean on Your Mentors: Talk to your mentors about your goals—they may be able to create new opportunities for you. One developer on Reddit noted: “I have a mentor right now who is preparing me to become an intern at his company which will eventually lead to a full time job… It’s beneficial for him and his company too because it’s less risky than hiring an expensive senior dev who might not even stick around.”
  • Create Your Own Opportunities: Instead of approaching contacts in your professional network with a general appeal, explain why you’d like to work for the company and what you might be able to do to assist. Another Reddit commenter secured a paid internship with a senior manager in their network by volunteering to do the scut work: “He has me doing menial tasks like updating broken links & references, to get familiar with the CMS and codebase. The timing works out because one of the engineers is leaving before the end of the year to accept a FAANG position, so I will transition into their role when my internship ends.”
  • Connect with Fellow Apprentices: Use LinkedIn to find people who have successfully gone through an apprenticeship process—they’ll list it in their profile. Reach out to them to learn about their experiences. They’ll have inside knowledge on what worked and what didn’t. And anyone who replies will be a supportive peer to add to your network.

Apprenticeship & Internship Resources

  • Amazon Technical Apprenticeship: A technical apprenticeship program for military veterans and spouses seeking to transition into careers in cloud computing.
  • AnitaB.org Apprenticeship Pathway Program (APP): Paid apprenticeships and job placements for underrepresented groups, women, and non-binary individuals in technology.
  • Capital One Developer Academy (CODA): A 6-month software engineering training program designed to help non-computer science graduates secure software engineering roles at Capital One.
  • Code2040 Fellows Program: Provides Black and Latinx college-level computer science students with summer internships, mentorship, and professional development opportunities.
  • Entry Point!: Sponsored by the AAAS Project on Science, Technology, and Disability, Entry Point! is a 10-week, paid internship program for students with disabilities who are training for STEM careers. Interns receive support during the program, post-placement follow-up, and mentoring.
  • JP Morgan Emerging Talent Software Engineer (ETSE) Program: A full-time training program that guides high-potential individuals through hands-on experience and mentorship. Open to early career software engineers who have a foundational coding skill set and come from non-traditional career paths.
  • Levels.fyi Internship Board: An online platform listing internships at top tech companies. You can search by role, start date, location, and company type (e.g. FAANG, Financial, Startups, etc.).
  • LinkedIn REACH Program: A technical apprenticeship program that offers on-the-job training and mentorship for individuals with non-traditional backgrounds looking to transition into tech roles at LinkedIn.
  • Major League Hacking (MLH) Fellowships: Paid, remote, 12-week internship alternatives for students and early-career software engineers who wish to work on open source projects and gain industry experience.
  • Outreachy Internships: Paid, remote, 3-month internships for underrepresented groups in tech to work on open source projects.
  • Techtonia Full-Time Program: A 1-year immersive training program that provides practical training, mentorship, and job placement support to women and non-binary individuals.
  • Twilio Hatch Apprenticeship Program: A 6-month apprenticeship designed to support underrepresented individuals in gaining the skills and experience needed for software engineering roles at Twilio.

Professional Networking

Strategies for Networking in the Tech Industry

You are not alone! We’ll repeat it for emphasis—you are NOT alone. Even though you may be outnumbered in the workplace or classroom, you will find allies and mentors in the wider world. In our Resources section, you’ll discover scores of organizations that will help you build a professional network. And these are just the ones that cater to diverse groups!

For the introverts out there, we understand that networking can feel uncomfortable. It’s hard enough getting your technical résumé in order without adding the extra energy required to reach out to people. You may also be deeply worried about how you will be perceived as a woman or person of color. We’re with you. Here’s how to network without losing your enthusiasm:

  • Take Your Time: Networking is the platonic version of dating. You’re going to have lovely experiences and you’re going to have shockers. Some people may surprise you with their professional support and encouragement. Others will be narcissists who want to take advantage of anything you offer. Pin a red flag on the latter and move on. Your network is who you want to bring into your circle.
  • Start Small: If you’re new or nervous, join an online programming group that supports folks with your background. Attend a project-focused meetup in your area. Sign up for a virtual workshop or group class. It’s often easier to make connections with people when you’re focused on building or creating, instead of swapping small talk about the weather. Once you have some projects in hand, you’ll also have a constructive answer to the inevitable “what are you working on?” question.
  • Utilize LinkedIn: It’s an incredible resource for learning about educational & professional journeys. Follow the industry folks you admire. Refine your profile to echo their approach. Learn what certifications and skills they have. Make it a morning habit to respond to posts that pertain to your work. Share links to resources and articles. With each interaction, you are also increasing your visibility in the industry. And because folks know that employers are watching, it’s a much more civil space than other social media hubs.
  • Go Beyond Your Circle: Although it’s wonderful to have a network of people from your background, it’s also a joy to meet folks from other walks of life. When you join well-respected organizations like IEEE Computer Society and ACM SIGSOFT, you’ll be able to connect with serious professionals from around the world. Many sensible people are willing to be industry allies—you’re going to find them within those groups.
  • Choose Your Arenas: The tech industry is known for alcohol-fueled happy hours and cutthroat hackathons. Unless that’s your jam, you don’t have to engage in this ridiculousness in order to get ahead. We’ve provided links to events and summits that are tailored to specific groups, as well as strategies for attending them. Conferences that include university academics and researchers may also be more welcoming and supportive to outsiders.
  • Stay Safe: You’re allowed to insist on a Zoom meeting instead of an in-person coffee. You’re allowed to walk away from situations that don’t feel right. You’re allowed to withhold your phone number. You’re allowed to block folks on email or LinkedIn. You’re allowed to take along an industry buddy to events. You’re allowed to shut down romantic approaches. There are going to be shady operators out there, so be ready for their tactics. If you’re struggling with how to do this effectively, talk to your mentors.

Diverse Tech Organizations & Networking Resources

  • AccessComputing: Funded by the NSF and led by a variety of universities, AccessComputing aims to increase the participation of people with disabilities in computing fields. It can help with internships, career advancement, research experiences, scholarships, networking, and more.
  • AnitaB.org: A non-profit organization that supports women & non-binary individuals in technology through events, apprenticeship, networking, and community programs that promote gender equity in the tech industry.
  • Baddies in Tech: A professional development & networking community aimed at empowering Black women in technology by providing resources, mentorship, and career development opportunities.
  • Black Code Collective: A supportive community for Black software developers who wish to connect, learn, and grow their technical skills.
  • Blacks in Technology (BIT): A global platform providing resources, mentorship, networking, and support for Black professionals in the tech industry. BIT has Chapters around the world.
  • Black Women in Science and Engineering (BWISE): A group dedicated to supporting Black women in STEM fields through mentorship, professional development, and networking opportunities.
  • Coding Black Females: A non-profit organization that provides networking, training, and career opportunities for Black women in software development.
  • ColorStack: A community of 7,500 members from 800+ schools across the USA and Canada who receive academic support, and career development opportunities at scale. 60% of members do not attend any of the top 50 CS programs in the country; 37% identify as women.
  • /dev/color: A global career accelerator for Black software engineers, technologists, and executives. Members can take advantage of mentorship, professional development, and networking opportunities.
  • Girls Who Code: A non-profit organization that aims to close the gender gap in technology by providing coding education, training programs, and community support for girls and young women.
  • IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE): A global network of IEEE who are dedicated to promoting women engineers and scientists. Use it for networking, mentorship, and professional development.
  • Latinas in Tech (LiT): A non-profit that connects, supports, and empowers Latinas working in technology through events, networking, professional development, and mentorship. Find an LiT Chapter in your area.
  • Lesbians Who Tech: A global community of LGBTQ+ women and non-binary individuals in technology, providing networking events, leadership programs, and career support.
  • LGBTQ in Technology Slack: An online community providing a safe space for LGBTQ+ individuals in tech to connect, share resources, and support each other.
  • National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE): An organization dedicated to increasing the number of Black engineers through academic support, professional development, and community engagement. NSBE has 600+ chapters and 24,000+ active members.
  • NPower: A non-profit that offers free tech training and job placement services to military veterans and young adults from underserved communities. View available locations.
  • Operation Code: A community of military veterans, service members, and spouses committed to becoming software developers with the help of mentors, scholarships, coding resources, and tech partners.
  • People of Color in Tech (POCIT): A platform that highlights the stories and achievements of people of color in tech and provides resources for career advancement.
  • Rewriting the Code (RTC): A non-profit organization that supports college and early-career women in tech through mentorship, professional development, and community.
  • Sista Circle: Black Women in Tech (BWiT): A solidarity group providing support, mentorship, and networking opportunities for Black women in the technology industry.
  • Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE): The largest association in the nation for Hispanic students and professionals in STEM fields. SHPE has 18,000+ members and 300+ chapters.
  • Techqueria: A non-profit global community for Latinx professionals in tech that offers a range of events, networking opportunities, professional development services, and a job board.
  • TransTech: A co-learning and co-working community providing job training and support for transgender individuals who wish to pursue careers in technology.
  • VetsinTech (ViT): A non-profit that supports military veterans and their spouses in transitioning to tech careers through training, mentorship, and job placement.
  • We Build Black: A non-profit community aimed at increasing Black representation in tech through education, meetups, mentorship, and career support.
  • Women Impact Tech: A community that connects, empowers, and promotes women in technology through events, networking, and professional development opportunities.
  • Women in Tech Reddit: An online forum on Reddit where women in tech share experiences, seek advice, and connect with peers.
  • Women in Technology International (WITI): A global organization providing networking, mentorship, career development resources, and an annual summit for women in technology. Founded in 1989.
  • Women Programmer Groups: A list of Meetup groups and organizations that offer support, networking, and resources for women in programming and software development.

Mentors & Role Models

Strategies for Finding a Mentor

One of the key reasons diverse folks drop out of the tech industry? A lack of role models and mentors. Kapor’s report on the Leaky Tech Pipeline Framework cites several research studies that address this issue. Isolation can start as early as high school and quickly spill over into university and early career experiences. Great technical training isn’t enough. You need ongoing support.

Keep in mind that mentors can come from similar backgrounds or from left field. (This author’s mother became a world-class radiologist thanks to the support of her department head, a white male Navy veteran.) But we understand that it may take some time to find the right mixture of people who will believe in your potential. Here’s how to speed up the process:

  • Begin in Your Student Days: Reach out to diverse adjunct professors who are working within the tech industry. If you can’t find them within your own department, search for them in schools around your area. Identify local tech leaders who are regular guest speakers at colleges & universities—they’re going to be supportive of student dreams. Not enrolled in a higher education program? Reach out anyway! These folks can help you decide whether you should opt for conventional educational paths and recommend the best training resources.
  • Take Advantage of Onboarding Opportunities: Apprenticeships & internships are fabulous opportunities for expanding your mentor network. We’ve also included links to tech mentorship initiatives in our Resources section. Even if you can’t secure a place in one of these programs, you can still use your time to attend workshops & events (virtually or in-person), follow diverse leaders on LinkedIn, and read articles by women and people of color in tech. It’s much easier to contact role models when you have specific questions and job goals in mind, so get up to speed with what they’re working on.
  • Be Proactive in Your Early Career: Some tech companies have mentorship programs in place where they pair junior employees with senior leaders. However, these may be competitive, subject to budget cuts, and/or not particularly diverse. If you want to be proactive, use LinkedIn and your networking groups to reach out to people who are 2-3 years ahead of you to ask about their role and why they love it. Do your field research on their career journey and be specific about why you’re approaching them. And don’t forget to ask if there’s anything you can to do to help them.
  • Connect with Sages: Networking communities can be great for support from peers, but be sure to connect with older folks who have led the way in breaking down barriers. Think of board members or semi-retired experts who have time to spare. Invite them to speak to a group you belong to. Interview them for an article on their achievements. Ask them about how they handled the speed of changes in the technology sector. Always remember that they have trained senior-level folks who could now be in a position to hire you!
  • Plan for Life Events: You may be planning for pregnancy. You may be transitioning out of the military. You may be combating discrimination in hiring after a break. Wherever you may be in life, there’s someone who has been there before you. AI searches can help you find folks who are public about their journeys, but people within your professional networks will also have ideas about who is in the same boat. Worried about talking about your decisions with your peers? Older mentors are good at discretion.

Tech Mentorship Resources

Tech Events & Hackathons

Strategies for Attending Tech Events

Our best advice for attending tech events is to be prepared. Software professionals are not renowned for their social maturity. Hackathons are often male-dominated. And it can be extremely intimidating walking into a space where no one looks like you. Even specialty conferences aren’t immune to rough experiences. In 2023, the Grace Hopper Celebration (GHC) was gatecrashed by men desperate for jobs.

However (!), there are still plenty of places where you’ll find respect and professional growth. We’ve provided links to a number of them in our Resources section. If you’re strategic about your approach to general industry events, you can also use your uniqueness to your advantage. Yes, you will stand out in the crowd. But it also means that companies will remember you. Here’s how to suit up:

  • Create a Budget: Ask your university, organization, or company if they provide funds for conference travel. Talk to your professional network and your mentors about which events you should consider attending. You may not want to blow your budget on a famous national tech conference if a couple of regional ones are going to be more effective for networking. Remember, too, that you can always participate in virtual events to save money.
  • Establish Your Comfort Level: If you’re an extrovert, you may love the gladiatorial feel of AWS events and hackathons. If you’re an introvert, you may prefer smaller conferences where the decibel level is lower and there are more chances for deep conversations. As we mentioned, research & academic conferences may feel a little more civilized than company-sponsored events. Read the reviews on Reddit and figure out what you’re ready for.
  • Go With a Trusted Buddy: We especially recommend this for young women. Conferences can be isolating affairs if you’re not traveling with company members. Being on your own also makes you more vulnerable in a male- and alcohol-heavy space. When you’re with a buddy or mentor, you can compare notes on your day, turn to each other for help, and share meals.
  • Look for Structured Networking: We’re talking about elements like workshops & hands-on labs, speed networking, conference mentoring programs, and pre-scheduled one-to-one meetings. For diverse participants, these encounters take the awkwardness out of socializing. You’ll find peers within the workshops and be able to have a normal conversation within the one-to-one meetings.
  • Practice Your Intro: It always pays to rehearse. Use folks within your professional network to role play scenarios (e.g. meeting someone in a conference lobby, speaking to a company representative, thanking a speaker after their presentation, etc.) And think about why you’re attending the event and what you’re hoping to get out of it. Including these details in your introduction helps a listener direct you to opportunities.
  • Practice Your Approach: You’ll also want to prepare for the fact that you may have to be the one starting the conversation—everyone is going to be huddled in packs. One tactic for breaking into a group is asking whether an upcoming session is going to be covering a specialist topic. With that approach, you’re quietly establishing that you know your stuff and opening a window for them to share what they’re interested in.
  • Practice Your Defense: People can be exclusionary, passive aggressive, or downright racist at tech conferences—especially when they’ve been drinking. If you’re a woman, you may be subjected to sexual advances. Be ready for it. For idiotic comments, try some of these “shut it down” responses and/or walk away. Alpha dogs don’t like being embarrassed. If you’re subject to a physical grope, be very LOUD and clear in calling out their behavior, memorize their name or face, and immediately find a staff member to report it. There are security cameras almost everywhere in conference venues.
  • Use it as Field Research: The best way to remove yourself from the stress and emotion of being outnumbered in a conference or hackathon is to act like an anthropologist. With every interaction, you’re assessing which companies have gracious employees with a genuine work-life balance and which companies employ twits. Conduct a review of these encounters at the end of the day. It puts you in a position of power throughout the event.

Tech Conference & Hackathon Resources

  • AfroTech: A multi-city event series that brings together Black professionals in technology to network, learn, and celebrate diversity in the tech industry.
  • Grace Hopper Celebration (GHC): The world’s largest gathering of women and non-binary individuals in computing, providing opportunities for networking and professional development. Includes a Career Fair & Expo. Run by AnitaB.org.
  • Latinas in Tech Summit: Connects and empowers Latinas in technology through workshops, panels, networking opportunities, and a startup competition.
  • Pride Summit: A free, week-long virtual summit that celebrates and supports LGBTQ+ individuals in the technology sector. Run by Lesbians Who Tech.
  • REFACTR.TECH: A series of meetups, panels, workshops, and conferences focused on highlighting marginalized voices and promoting diversity in the tech industry.
  • Rewriting the Code (RTC) Events: A wide range of professional development events designed to empower women in college & university who are pursuing careers in technology.
  • SheHacks Boston: A 36-hour, student-run hackathon aimed at women and non-binary individuals in software fields. Led by women from across Boston’s universities.
  • Tapia Conference: Provides a space for diverse & underrepresented groups—including undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, researchers, and professionals in computing—to network and gain professional development. Modeled after GHC.
  • TransTech Summit: A free, online event created to support the LGBTQIA+ community in technology through education, networking, and career development.
  • WECode Conference: Organized by undergraduate women at Harvard University, WECode is the largest student-run women in tech conference, offering workshops, panels, and networking opportunities over the course of 2 days.
  • WEHack: Held in Dallas, WEHack is an inclusive hackathon aimed at women, non-binary genders, and underrepresented groups in technology.
  • Women in Tech DC: The largest gathering of underrepresented tech leaders & pioneers in the Washington DC metro area.
  • Women in Tech Summit (WITS): A technical conference aimed at women and non-binary individuals who work in both technical and non-technical roles. WITS includes talks, hands-on workshops, and networking opportunities.
  • Wonder Women Tech Events: Conferences and events that celebrate, educate, and amplify women, BIPOC, and underrepresented groups in STEM fields.
  • Write/Speak/Code (W/S/C): Events, meetups, and workshops designed to help women and non-binary individuals in tech build their skills in writing, speaking, and open source coding.

Job Applications

Strategies for Applying to a Software Job

Finding a job within software is a mission. Once you submit your résumé, you may have to go through an initial recruiter screen, technical assessment & coding challenges, on-site technical & behavioral interviews, background checks, and salary negotiations. This often involves a huge amount of energy for small returns. So be sure you’ve got a crew to provide emotional support and read Richard Anton’s advice on organizing & gaming the process.

Be aware that your first job can make or break your experience in the tech industry. If you start out with incredible mentors and supportive colleagues for the first few years, you’re going to be armored against anything that idiots throw at you later on. Do a lot of research before you apply for a company, take advantage of the job boards in our Resources section, and don’t be afraid to say “no” to something that doesn’t feel right. We want you to be protected from day one!

  • Play to Your Strengths: Run an AI analysis on their job postings within the past year to discover what skills they’re prioritizing. Ask AI to create a template for an ideal résumé for a job role within that kind of company and then assess which technical skills you might need to acquire. Scan LinkedIn to see how software experts are phrasing their strengths in soft skills (e.g. problem-solving, research, adaptability, etc.). Women tend to underestimate their skill sets when applying for jobs—according to a LinkedIn Gender Insights Report, they may only apply when they meet 100% of the skills while men will apply with 60%. You may feel the same. Don’t be afraid to take the shot.
  • Understand How Vetting Works: Because AI is used to filter résumés for keywords, it’s far from infallible (check out this hilarious fake software engineering CV that was used to test the system). You’ll need to employ every tool at your disposal—résumé scanning tools, AI assessments, a mentor reviewing your phrasing—to make sure you make it past the first hurdle. If you’ve been working on GitHub portfolio projects, training, certifications, and networking, you’re going to have lots of keyword-heavy extras that signal quality.
  • Evaluate the Entire Organization: LinkedIn will show you all of the employees currently on its platform, including those in C-suite and leadership positions (e.g. team leads, managers, and software architects). Find out who’s on the company’s board. Is the company populated by a diverse bunch of people? If not, you’re going to be the flag bearer for diversity within the organization. And you may find it isolating when you are hired.
  • Watch for Red Flags: Be wary of companies with a lot of employee churn and a reputation for a tech bro culture. Read Glassdoor reviews. Find out if they’ve been repeatedly sued for discrimination or harassment claims. Connect with women and people of color within the organization before you apply and ask them about their experiences. If you can, attend a few local events to meet employees. Visit the company and make sure the women’s bathroom isn’t a store cupboard. Forget the name and the salary for a moment—if the place is toxic, it’s not worth your sanity.
  • Watch for Green Flags: Look for companies that consistently support workplace outreach programs and internal & external mentorship opportunities. Do they include a range of folks on hiring committees? Do they pair junior developers with senior developers in the first few years of work? Do they promote women and people of color to technical leadership positions? Do they offer equal pay, parental leave, professional development funds, and training benefits? If so, they will have diverse and loyal employees.
  • Decide on Your Work-Life Priorities: If you’re gunning for FAANG-type roles, find out what the time commitment is (and their track record of treating women and diverse workers). If you’d like to have kids and work remotely, plan a pathway to companies that offer those roles. As one Reddit contributor points out: “I’ve found that small but not new tech companies are relatively steady and willing to give people a break since they don’t have the flashy names or high salaries to attract the top, most experienced talent.”

Interview Prep, Job Boards & Career Fair Resources

  • Blacks in Technology (BIT) Job Board: An open job board that connects Black tech professionals with employers committed to diversity.
  • Blacks in Technology & Techqueria Career Fairs: Events that connect Black and Latinx tech talent with employers and career opportunities. Free to join for BIT and Techqueria members.
  • Brilliant Black Minds: A free initiative by Karat aimed at improving interview skills and job readiness for Black software engineers through mock technical interviews, mentorship, and feedback.
  • Exponent: Provides training, coaching, interview prep, and resources to help tech professionals prepare for interviews.
  • Girls Who Code Hiring Summit: A bi-annual event that connects women and on-binary individuals with job opportunities. Aimed at college & university students and early careerists with up to 3 years of experience.
  • Girls Who Code Technical Interview Prep: A free hands-on program designed to help young women prepare for technical interviews.
  • HackerRank: An online platform offering coding challenges and competitions to help developers practice and prepare for technical interviews.
  • Interviewing.io: Provides anonymous mock interviews with engineers from top tech companies (e.g. FAANG) to help candidates prepare for real technical interviews.
  • LeetCode: An online platform offering coding challenges and interview prep questions to help developers prepare for technical interviews.
  • Outco: A career accelerator program focused on helping software engineers improve their coding and interview skills.
  • POCIT Jobs: An open job board that connects people of color in tech with employers dedicated to diversity and inclusion.
  • Rewriting the Code Career Summit: A virtual summit & Career Fair that provides networking and career opportunities for college women pursuing careers in technology.
  • Techqueria Job Board: An open job board connecting Latinx tech professionals with job opportunities at companies committed to diversity.
  • Women Impact Tech Job Board: An open job board focused on connecting women in technology with inclusive employers.

Hiring Biases

Strategies for Overcoming Hiring Biases

No matter how hard companies try to make things equitable, there will be hiring biases. In a 2016 Class Advantage report published in the American Sociological Review (ASR), researchers found that cues could be as subtle as listing extracurricular activities—even if they had the same work and educational experience, law firm candidates who listed “country music” and “pick-up soccer” were less likely to be hired than those who listed “classical music” and “sailing.”

In tech, one of the key challenges for folks from non-traditional backgrounds is the education bias. Graduates with a computer science or software degree from Stanford and MIT are always going to have a clear pathway to employment. Candidates with a bachelor of science from a state university will have to be more tactical. We’ve listed onboarding programs that can circumvent hiring biases in the Resources section. Here are a few more ways to tackle the problem:

  • Look for Equity Across the Board: Ignore the companies who use DEI as a cynical marketing tool—they’re busy slashing budgets for those departments. Instead, apply to companies who have put their back behind supporting all of their workers over the span of many years (e.g. paid parental leave, transparent salary data, mentorship & internship opportunities for low income students, floating holidays for religious celebration, etc.). These are the folks who are also going to be conscious of fair hiring practices.
  • Prioritize Blind Hiring Practices: Apply to companies that offer blind applications and skills-based assessments that strip out any reference to name, gender, and race. When it comes to technical skills, you should be judged against your peers. Your background has nothing to do with it.
  • Find Out if All Education Paths Are Welcome: Use LinkedIn and AI analyses to learn where employees went to school. Does the company frequently hire from state and public universities? Has it chosen non-traditional folks who have worked their way up through bootcamps & self-directed training? Does it employ veterans? Smart companies see the entire picture when they’re assessing applicants.
  • Talk to Companies with Diverse Network Partnerships: A number of companies now work with organizations in our training and networking sections to recruit diverse candidates. They attend diverse job fairs, host career workshops at conferences, publish resources for diverse candidates, and sponsor onboarding programs. However, you will need to check on LinkedIn that they actually hire people as a consequence! Paying lip service to diversity is a big issue in the tech industry.
  • Look for Genuine Family Support: If you’re a woman, you may be worried about the motherhood penalty (This woman is going to have a baby in a few years, so why bother training her?) Field research is your friend here. Talk to current and former women employees with the company. Find out if both parents (not just mothers) are supported with parental leave, remote work options, and flexible scheduling. According to Kinsta, smaller organizations are more likely to insist on face-to-face work, while larger organizations offer more hybrid & remote models.

Job Matching & Career Advancement Resources

  • Black Tech Pipeline: A platform dedicated to supporting and connecting Black tech talent to careers through a job board, talent directory, and weekly newsletter.
  • Diversify Tech: Offers a job board, talent directory, newsletter, and career resources that can help connect underrepresented groups in tech with inclusive employers.
  • Hack.Diversity Fellowship: A 9-month fellowship program that connects Black and Latinx applicants who have foundational technical skills with internships, mentorship, and career development opportunities in the tech industry.
  • Jopwell: A career advancement platform that connects Black, Latinx, and Native American professionals with job opportunities.
  • Mentra: A neurodiversity employment network that connects software, UX, and data professionals with ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, and other forms of neurodivergence to companies.
  • Noirefy: A diversity recruiting platform that matches underrepresented professionals with inclusive employers.
  • Recurse Center: A free educational retreat for programmers that combines intensive learning with career services. It’s structured similar to a work sabbatical or writers’ retreat.
  • Squad Profile: A platform that matches the profiles of diverse tech professionals to potential employers. Run by Lesbians Who Tech.
  • TransTech G.R.O.W. Program: A talent cultivation program focused on providing job training, mentorship, and professional development to transgender individuals pursuing careers in technology.

Pay Disparities

Strategies for Salary Negotiation

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) often posts a report on Equal Pay Day to assess women’s earnings—here’s the one from 2023. In computer and mathematical fields, women still remain behind men in their full-time median weekly earnings. In 2023, they were earning $300+ less per week than their male counterparts. Zippia’s Demographics reports on Software Developers and Software Engineers show that African Americans have the lowest average salaries—by far—across all ethnic groups. Salary numbers for Hispanic or Latinos aren’t much better.

Forewarned is forearmed. Although we wish you didn’t have to devote time to this issue, we’re going to make sure you know your worth. The good news is that you will have plenty of data to argue your case. Remember, too, that some highly paid folks got those salaries through negotiation. They may have exactly the same qualifications as you, but they’re used to the game. So don’t be intimidated by the gap. It can be closed.

  • Start with Publicly Available Data: This will help you establish general salary baselines for a role. We’ve included links to BLS’s state & city wage maps in our Resources section. You can also use AI to scan salary sites like Glassdoor and Levels.fyi. We love BLS data because it shows you how wages vary dramatically across regions. Always think about the cost of living when you’re assessing these numbers! You pay for the privilege of living in expensive coastal cities.
  • Use AI as a Salary Research Tool: Pick your job role and level of experience. Then ask AI it to scan openings in your area to come up with typical salary numbers. (Many job descriptions cite salary brackets.) You can get progressively more specific with this kind of search. For example, you could narrow your search down to salary numbers for candidates with a bachelor’s degree or specific technical skill sets.
  • Go Beyond Your Network: Feel free to reach out to folks within your professional network to get a sense of their salaries, but remember that they may be underpaid! In order to negotiate from a position of strength, you need to know what everyone is getting. Are you thinking of asking for a raise within your company? According to the National Labor Relations Act, most employees have the legal right to discuss salaries and wages with their co-workers.
  • Consider the Total Compensation Package: Base pay is only the beginning. You should also find out about annual bonuses, stock options, relocation assistance, health & wellness benefits, professional development funds, remote work (fewer commuting costs), and more. Check the compensation packages that are offered by FAANG companies for comparison. If you can’t find anyone within the company who is willing to talk about their compensation packages, try folks who have recently left the company.
  • Favor Transparent Companies: Buffer has a transparent salary system; DBT makes all of its salary & compensation bands internally public to employees; Salesforce conducts an equal pay analysis every year to identify systemic disparities in pay; and Adobe has made a public commitment to pay parity. Look for companies with competency-based salary bands—if you demonstrate a mastery of skills and create data-driven outcomes for the organization, you merit a raise.
  • Practice Salary Negotiations: Once you know your market value, you can start rehearsing the salary discussion. Know what you will be facing. Some companies will have fixed salary bands with not much room for flexibility. Others are happy to negotiate. Ask your mentors to help you practice these discussions, including your counteroffers. Some folks deliberately aim too high in their initial salary demands. That means when the company goes lower with an offer, you’re not disappointed.
  • Obtain Competing Offers: Although it involves a slog of job applications and interviews, getting multiple salary offers means you have leverage in negotiations. This is especially helpful if you love a company and its ethos, but you’re not happy with the initial salary package.

Wage Maps & Salary Data Resources

Workplace Inequities

Strategies for Countering Bias & Discrimination

You’ve built a supportive professional network, honed your technical skills, and negotiated your way into a well-paid position. So what happens when you run headfirst into an inequitable workplace? Even if you’ve done your best to avoid this situation, you may still find yourself within one. Many of the stories from the 2022 report on Pinning Down the Jellyfish: The Workplace Experiences of Women of Color in Tech are deeply discouraging.

Sometimes it helps to think of the tech industry like high school. In dysfunctional workplaces, it can be cliquey, socially awkward, and peppered with immature bullies picking on “weak” colleagues. In the worse case scenario, it also contains sexual predators. But you are under no obligation to put up with this nonsense. You deserve to work in a place of respect and support. And with the right strategies, you may be able shift the needle back towards the adults.

  • Don’t Suffer in Silence: Connect with members of the organizations in our professional networking section. Talk to people in your programming groups. Speak to your mentors. Read Reddit threads by women developers and engineers. If you’re working within a toxic environment, you need the perspective of outsiders to help you understand what a well-adjusted workplace looks like. That’s why we’re pushing so hard for newcomers to choose wisely with their first job. Not all tech companies are the same!
  • Be Prepared for Discrimination: In Ensono’s 2024 Speak Up survey, more than 25% of respondents said they felt uncomfortable or unsafe due to microaggressions and discrimination. Folks may speak over your presentations, call you a diversity hire, refuse to give you credit for your contributions, and exclude you from discussions. They may make off-color jokes and wait for your reaction. They may insult your sexuality, race, or religion. Practice how you’re going to deal with these situations. Role play scenarios with a career coach, therapist, or mentor. Use tech events to become more confident in addressing issues in a face-to-face setting. The more cool & calm you are, the worse the bullies are going to look. (As an aside, here’s our favorite discrimination shut down from The West Wing.)
  • Be Prepared for Harassment: In 2020, a Women Who Tech survey on The State of Women in Tech and Startups found that 48% of women working in tech experienced harassment and 35% of women in tech who answered the survey had been propositioned for sex. Put the power back in your court. When you’re first hired, read up on HR company policies for reporting incidents. Find out if they have Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) that provide counseling and support. Get the number of an employment lawyer as a back-up if your company refuses to act—we’ve included links in our Resources section. Have a plan in place before things happen.
  • Document Everything: Even if you think you can address the situation yourself, alert HR to the issue as soon as something occurs. Preserve all emails, communications, images, and texts that relate to the issue. Document all incidents—including dates, locations, and any witnesses to verbal conversations—copy it to HR, and save the info outside of the company computers. Written evidence is vital for formal complaints. It will also give you a way to step outside of the emotional sphere. Harassers are looking to push your buttons. Deny them that pleasure.
  • Find Your Workplace Allies: Tech companies can be like law offices—everyone at the beginning is fighting tooth and claw to get ahead. That means your allies may not be your peers. Instead, they may be senior employees or folks within other departments. One female engineer on Reddit noted: “The guys on my team are also pretty close with each other, which feels a little isolating sometimes, but then I try to think to myself, would I be friends with them if we met outside of work? And the answer is probably no… The guy I actually clicked with the most was a senior engineer in his late 50s because we both love cycling and the outdoors.” You can be civil, but you don’t have to be mates with your co-workers.
  • Allow for the Socially Inept: Younger engineers and developers may not have much experience in basic social skills & platonic relationships. They may also exclude you deliberately to avoid the risk of saying the wrong thing or being called out for harassment. That’s not to say that you should tolerate bad behavior. But it does mean that you may meet co-workers with good intentions and poor deliveries (e.g. mansplaining in an effort to connect). You’ll need to decide how much time you want to give them. There are ways to create workplace encounters that neutralize the risk for everyone (e.g. Friday co-working lunch with a socially mature mentor, career-oriented ERGs, etc.).
  • Remove Yourself from the Situation: As one Reddit contributor succinctly puts it: “If you have a sh** team or toxic company. Leave ASAP. There are inclusive places out there.” Too many folks wait it out in hopes that a miracle will occur and people will grow up. Unless your company is decisive about taking action, you’re going to be using a lot of your energy tackling the problem. Some people switch to remote work or ask to be transferred off the team. Others start lining up job interviews and reaching out to professional contacts. Build up your network ahead of time so you’re not locked into a terrible situation.

Impostor Syndrome

Strategies to Combat Impostor Syndrome

If it wasn’t already tough enough dealing with workplace inequities, you may be experiencing impostor syndrome. Am I qualified enough to be here? Do I have the right technical skills to get the job done? I didn’t graduate from a top-tier university—does that mean I’m behind my colleagues? Will I look stupid if I ask for help? These are normal questions for new employees to be asking, but they’ll be compounded if you’re from an underrepresented group.

It takes time to build professional confidence, so go easy on yourself in the first few years. You’re in a challenging intellectual job in a competitive industry—nobody is going to feel 100% comfortable every day of the week. What we want to do is turn the tables and show you how your workplace could be contributing to the situation. In many cases, impostor syndrome is just a symptom of much larger issues.

  • Step Back & Assess Your Environment: Strong workplaces embrace intellectual honesty—senior developers & engineers will call themselves out when they make mistakes. They’ll ensure everyone understands the tasks. They’ll assess their team by the same measures. And they’ll be open & enthusiastic about their own continual learning journeys. If this doesn’t sound like your company, that’s a problem. You can’t grow and thrive if the folks above you are dysfunctional.
  • Watch Out for Gaslighting: We’re talking about maddeningly slow code reviews, endless nitpicking, others taking credit for your contributions, and phrases like “this is just in your head.” As one developer on Reddit noted: “I remember asking a male manager about how to deal with my stuff taking forever to get approved and he started going on about how women experience more imposter syndrome and I just needed to improve my skills and believe in myself.” When you work in a constructive environment, this doesn’t happen. Talk to folks in your network to get a check on whether you’re being unfairly singled out.
  • Be Prepared for Peacocking: As Paula Goyanes notes: “Tech is a male dominated field filled with guys showing off their mad skillz to each other.” There’s going to be a fair amount of preening among your peers as they show off their latest project. Sometimes they’ll be able to back up their workplace boasts with evidence. But sometimes they won’t! Don’t take everyone’s claims at face value. Wait until they prove themselves before you decide if you’re behind.
  • Know What Good Workplace Support Looks Like: In an ideal situation, you will have senior-level leaders who judge you on your merits, not on your background. They’ll help you develop a growth plan. They’ll be willing to walk you through mistakes without shaming you in front of co-workers. They’ll defer to your judgement when you’re leading a meeting. They’ll step in if people are interrupting or gaslighting you. They’ll put you forward for workshops and conference presentations. Not experiencing this? You may need to identify the challenge for them (“I’m being interrupted more than others”) and possible solutions.
  • Create a Growth Plan for Yourself: Make an appointment to talk to your supervisor or technical lead and explain where you’d like to be in 2-3 years. Show them how you’re planning to build up additional skills, work on leadership training, and present at events to achieve those ends. Ask if you’re missing any key elements in your plan. See if they’re willing to help with check-ins and feedback sessions throughout the year. This puts you in the driver’s seat for your career. But it’s also a good way to test if they’re going to be supportive or dismissive.
  • Ask the Stupid Question (But Back Yourself Up): Everyone in software says that you need to be willing to ask for help: “When you start your first job as a developer, sometimes you don’t really know what you’re getting into until you start being more hands on.” As one woman developer on Reddit noted: “I worry sometimes about asking questions and looking dumb but I worry more about not learning and improving so I never hesitate to ask a question.” If you’re worried about losing face with your peers, back yourself up by citing your reasons for asking. Then go ahead and kick it by creating great results.
  • Consider a Career Coach: We’ve listed some ideas in our Resources section, but you may want a more informal relationship with someone from your professional network. Or maybe you’d prefer a mentor. You’re looking for an advisor with technical credibility and an understanding of real-world industry issues. They’ll be able to give advice on everything from productivity & time management to salary negotiations, promotion strategies, leadership development, and career shifts. Have someone in your corner from the get-go!

Career Coaching & Leadership Resources

Workplace Advocacy

Strategies for Creating a Supportive Workplace

First things first—you are not responsible for HR and DEI tasks. As a “diverse” hire, you may be feeling the pressure to act as a spokesperson for your group, organize initiatives, or contribute time to mentoring & outreach programs. And while you’re busy doing this uncompensated work, your privileged peers are focusing on their own projects and networking at tech events. That’s just exacerbating the problem.

On the other hand, you may find a lot of value in workplace initiatives like Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), women leadership circles, and re-entry programs. We’ve included links to examples in our Resources section to give you a flavor of what’s available. Keen to advocate for yourself and change the environment? You don’t have to waste hours on unpaid efforts. Here are some low energy/high return ideas to get you started:

  • Organize a Mentor Lunch with Co-Workers: This great idea comes from a Reddit thread on Women Engineers & Boys’ Clubs: “When I was part of the young table, we’d often persuade mentors to make time on one specific day of the week. Maybe it was Friday, or taco day. There were two options for that day. The first was like birds sharing a quick dust bath, we’d let down our guard a bit together, make sure feathers were settled and each was in good shape, and move on. The second option was storytelling. This one helped to clear the air, and gave us a way of shaking off imposter syndrome and shame.” This strategy also removes any discomfort that a man might feel about meeting 1:1 with a woman.
  • Suggest a Multi-Person Apprenticeship Program: Here’s another real-world example that we loved: “When I started at Hashrocket we had an apprenticeship program, but it was a little bit different. It was started by another gentleman who took multiple apprentices at once—four at a time—and put them on client projects at a different rate. Nothing was hidden from the clients, they knew what they were getting. They knew their developer was learning, with the expectations around that. These were projects that we might not normally have been able to take, due to financial restrictions.” In addition to making the company look good, this strategy avoids any issues around favoritism.
  • Participate in Career-Oriented ERGs: ERGs are voluntary, employee-led groups that are designed to foster an equitable workplace. But not all of them are focused on diverse groups. There are also ERGs that revolve around leadership, professional development, and volunteering. Invite friendly co-workers to join you. It’s a bit like taking advantage of career resources at university. If the company is willing to provide it, use it!
  • Mentor an Intern: This one may require more of a time investment, but it’s always valuable. The best way to learn is to teach. You’ll also be honing your “soft” skills in leadership & management while your company looks on. Once you’ve got a couple of years under your belt, talk to your supervisor about your willingness to do this and ask what steps you should take to prepare for the role. You’ll need a structure for the internship, real-world projects to work on, and guidelines for giving feedback. But you’ll gain a huge amount of confidence along the way.
  • Advocate for a School Program: For example, LaunchDarkly has a history of partnering with CodeNation to teach code to students in local schools and sponsor summer interns. We don’t want you to lose out on other opportunities while you’re volunteering, so you’ll need to decide how much time you’d like to invest in this effort. However, if everyone in the team is expected to put in some kind of volunteer hours for the company, it’s a great way to inject positive energy into your week.

Real-World Workplace Initiatives & Resources