Ellen Sloan
Rosie the Riveter and her sisters took off their aprons and marched into the factories to help produce the goods needed for the war effort and to keep the US economy going while the men went off to war. (Let’s not forget some sisters went off to war too!) The work place and economy were never the same after so many women entered the workforce. The US prospered mightily because half the adult working age population had the opportunity to participate in the economy.
A new era is upon us and so are the opportunities for women to march into the tech studios of Silicon Beach, Silicon Valley, Silicon Alley and beyond.
I began my journey with a career change. After decades in the finance and accounting world and a decade starting and running small businesses, I decided to become a software developer. My last company was a startup mobile health app company. I became so frustrated that we could not find affordable mobile app developers in the US. As CEO/COO I did virtually everything from raising capital, managing product development, but what I could not do is code the damn application!! We relied on external providers with coders in India and Eastern Europe. Local talent was scarce and prohibitively expensive.
After we put our startup on hiatus, I decided to become a software developer myself. I know it is a bit backassward but its never to late to learn especially with all the great software and tools that are available! Since I know how to run a restaurant I had better learn to cook so I know what is going on in the kitchen!
Hmm…will I need an apron? Stay tuned.