Am I the Only Woman in This Sea of Men?
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Hey guys, you’re absolutely slaying it in the IT world, and I mean that in the best way. Y’all rock this industry like it was literally built for you. Massive props for all the innovation, the clever scripts, and let’s face it, the crazy work hours you pull off.
But ladies…where are you? Seriously, I know I’m not the only one out here wielding command-line magic and troubleshooting chaos. Let me break the ice and share a bit about my journey:
I stumbled into IT back in the mid-90s when DOS was my best friend and Windows 95 was just too dang expensive for teenage me. So, I tried Linux, and let me tell you, it was love at first boot. Sure, I flirted with OS/2 Warp for a hot second, but Linux won me over, and we’ve been inseparable ever since.
Fast forward a few decades (yes, decades, let’s not talk about my age too much), and here I am: a Linux system administrator with over 300 certifications under my belt. From hardware to cybersecurity, diagnostics, and repair, I’ve dabbled in it all. If there’s a system to secure or a server to fix, I’m your girl.
But that’s not all, life isn’t just about terminal windows and kernel panics. I’m also a mom to an amazing daughter with special needs who teaches me patience and joy daily. And when I’m not juggling family life or tweaking servers, you can find me riding motorcycles, traveling, and chasing new adventures.
Oh, and because I can’t resist a good project, I’m currently building AI tools for sysadmins and crafting cool NodeBB themes. (Shameless plug for Ecliptica and Lumina, my themes inspired by solar flares and futuristic vibes.
)So, enough about me, what’s your story? How did you get here, what’s your role in tech, and what keeps you motivated? Ladies, I want to hear from you. Let’s show the world that this “sea of men” is a lot more diverse than it seems.
Let’s lift each other up, share our stories, and show the world that tech isn’t just for the boys.
Codename: Jessica
Linux Enthusiast | 
Adventurer | 
A Unicorn!
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Hi Jessica, your knowledge base and skills seem way above mine, so great to have your input.
On your topic of gender (which in an ideal world is irrelevant), I don't know why there are fewer women in I.T. than should be expected.
In the summer a female friend attended a "Women in I.T." meet up in London and came back saying many of the women at that meet were trans. That wouldn't matter matter to me, but it was around the time of the olympic debate, when the media were questioning whether birth gender should matter in competitive situations. In this particular case there were grants available for women to train in I.T.
So similar to the 'Olympics level playing field discussions' do you think any assistances only offered to women should equally be available for Trans women?
We dont normally have political / social discussions on this site, but it is an interesting topic. -
Oh wow, I hadn’t even thought about this before. As someone in the LGBTQIA+ community (firmly planted in the “L” word - pun intended - of the rainbow), this perspective is fascinating and new to me.
Let’s start with the sports part first, since it’s where the comparisons often come up. I used to be a bodybuilder, yes, the kind who lived in the gym and occasionally flexed for a mirror that may or may not have been imaginary. Back in the day (a couple of decades ago, judge away, I can take it), a lot of women in the sport took "enhancements." And guess what? Many of us lifted as much or almost as much as the guys. But does that mean we can all throw on some cleats and go tackle each other in a football game? Probably not. Sports are tricky because physical differences can matter depending on the context. I would not want to be any type of judge on this matter, as I would defend my trans peeps.
In the military, let’s just say there were no men putting me on the floor during PT. I could run circles around most of them, and not to brag (okay, maybe a little), but I usually left them in the dust. If sports are about physical performance, the military and bodybuilding taught me that sheer determination and hard work can level the playing field and sometimes tip it entirely.
But here’s where I really get fired up: IT. How in the h-e-double-hockey-sticks does gender or gender identity even factor in when it comes to being good at IT? Are we saying men are inherently better at coding? I’d kindly like to boot up my Linux distro and slap that idea straight into the kernel and watch it panic - again... pun intended -. IT is about brainpower, creativity, and problem-solving not chromosomes WTAFSAPTA (Just made it up don't ask).
When it comes to programs like grants for women in IT, I say let’s keep the focus on breaking down barriers. Historically, women, cis and trans, have faced enough of those to last a lifetime. If we’re trying to make IT more inclusive, why would we nitpick over who qualifies for assistance? Trans women, who face even more bias, absolutely deserve a seat at the table (and probably a bigger one, considering how often they’ve been excluded).
In short: sports might have some gray areas, and the military and bodybuilding gave me muscles and a competitive streak, but IT? IT is a wide-open playing field. Talent doesn’t care about gender. Let’s just make sure everyone gets a fair shot to play.
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Totally agree. And sometimes I wonder if organisations giving grants 'to only women' (of whatever classification) isnt just perpetuating prejudices (if there is still any).
I know it comes from a good place but 'grants for people who need them' to get into the industry (for whatever reason) might be more sound!Re LGBTQIA+, Im going to have to google what the IA+ groups are, as this mnemonic keeps getting longer lol
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Of course, I cannot imagine what transwomen (and our transmen) go through!
I = "Intersex"
A = "Asexual/Ally/Abrosexual"-- Yeah, on this side of the pond, we call it the "Alphabet Mafia"
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There you go! I will make a plea to the board
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I am not... I am not even sure how to get started with it. I have NodeBB at: https://discussions.codenamejessica.com but it is still v3.11.1
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Yes it wont be included as an option until v4, hopefully will be main branch soon.
Im running the Beta with it in though.
I have an idea for something that can run on top of that, but my coding level isnt quite upto it. Do you mind if I DM you my idea? -
Sure! I also have the chat section on my site. That way we can just chat it up if you like
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Im trying to register, but it says my password too weak, even though I have 8 characters/numbers.
Does it require extra special characters?The nodebb registration / email validation has been the thing Ive had most problems with over the years on my own instances
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Let me check the password complexity.
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I decreased it to 1, I did have it at 2. I do Cybersecurity for work.
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This is NodeBB's password levels:
<select id="minimumPasswordStrength" class="form-select" data-field="minimumPasswordStrength">
<option value="0">0 - too guessable: risky password</option>
<option value="1">1 - very guessable</option>
<option value="2">2 - somewhat guessable</option>
<option value="3">3 - safely unguessable</option>
<option value="4">4 - very unguessable</option>
</select> -
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Let me create a private chat for us
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Try now, if it doesn't work. Then log out and log in, it should work then
