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Kinme
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15 Nov 2013, 6:55 am

I am anxious to be starting classes for CS in January. I was wondering if any women, or men, have seen women teased/bothered in these classes. I've heard about discrimination (because of it being a male-dominated field), and witnessed men often discriminated against when I was in Human Services (since it's mostly women). I just hope it isn't the same experience. I'm trying to keep positive and will make the effort to go in without negativity.

Also, what do you guys think about women being in this field? Does it bother you? Do you like seeing more women joining this field?



Last edited by Kinme on 15 Nov 2013, 6:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Uprising
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15 Nov 2013, 7:07 am

Discrimination? Probably not.

Boner fest? Very likely if you ask me.



Kinme
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15 Nov 2013, 7:18 am

Should I be horrified or complimented?



Uprising
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15 Nov 2013, 7:36 am

Cautious rather.



demeus
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15 Nov 2013, 8:03 am

You bigger worry will be men hitting on you. I have seen women however complete a CS program successfully so I doubt there is much discrimination. Also realize that quite a few CS teachers are female so try to get one of them as your mentor.



Kinme
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15 Nov 2013, 4:38 pm

Being flirted with is far less of an issue, since I never notice when I'm being flirted with anyway (unless very obvious). I have seen a few female professors on my university's class listings. I never really had an issue with male teachers, so I'm fine with that.



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15 Nov 2013, 5:55 pm

You'll be okay. One of my instructors faced verbal abuse from an instructor when she was in school, but it's not like that anymore.



Kinme
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15 Nov 2013, 6:02 pm

Yikes. What was said to that person, out of curiosity?



coffeebean
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15 Nov 2013, 6:14 pm

The only one I remember clearly was her being flat-out told to go home after she filed a complaint about his treatment of her in class and in private. This was 25-30 years ago, though, and if anyone treats you this way now you'll have a lot of support. I've read quite a few comment sections online and I won't say there's no prejudice at all, but it's an increasingly rare mindset.

Maybe it would help to talk to men in computer science or other male-dominated fields and see an open-mindedness to your interest?



Kinme
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15 Nov 2013, 6:34 pm

Yeah, that was quite awhile ago. If something like that happened now, I'm sure it'd be way more of an issue.

That's exactly why I posted this here. There's a lot of guys in this section, from what I noticed, so I wondered if they'd witnessed it. I'll add a question to the first post.



coffeebean
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15 Nov 2013, 6:51 pm

I was thinking that, if you feel like you might not "belong" and will be treated that way, that spending time talking to others in the field might help. Aside from a few smartasses, they're really pretty nonthreatening...



Kinme
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15 Nov 2013, 6:55 pm

I've never really felt like I didn't belong. Guys tend to include me more than girls do. I don't know; this is probably just me being stupid and worrying about something that won't happen. The guys who I hang out with tend to be nerds.



Spudz76
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19 Nov 2013, 2:21 am

Echoing sentiments of everyone else, I have never seen any "techie woman" ever, ever, ever maligned by a male techie type. If anything, as others have said, they will find you attractive and perhaps in a better-than-usual way (for your mind!). Also, I think many tech types are on the spectrum somewhere, if just the very low fringes - it is one of the fields where it can be a definite asset to not be NT.



Kinme
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19 Nov 2013, 3:33 am

Thanks for the input, Spudz.



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19 Nov 2013, 11:40 am

Geeks and nerds tend to be quite respectful as they know what it is like to be bullied. Asperger's is a definite asset when it comes to programming, I think most great programmers I have met appear to have it to some degree. I suspect this may be why there are more male coders, as AS disorders are more common amongst men.

Computer science is an extremely deep topic, and you can easily spend a lifetime becoming the best in your in any one particular area. Unlike most special interests, an interest in coding can make you fairly rich as well.

Alternative modes of thought are useful, particularly the ability to think in patterns. One of my female students does take a little flak on the internet for describing herself as a developer and a gamer. She's a pretty big blogger though, so I think that's just trolls. I think if you do take heat it'll be from older and/or less able developers who may see you as a threat.

One thing I would advise is that you try to learn a little coding first to see if it suits you. Many programmers already know they're programmers before they start a CS course. A good proportion of those who come with no prior experience seem to find they have no interest in it, so do have a go before you commit to a whole course.

Best of luck with it!



Kinme
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19 Nov 2013, 4:07 pm

superluminary wrote:
Geeks and nerds tend to be quite respectful as they know what it is like to be bullied. Asperger's is a definite asset when it comes to programming, I think most great programmers I have met appear to have it to some degree. I suspect this may be why there are more male coders, as AS disorders are more common amongst men.

Computer science is an extremely deep topic, and you can easily spend a lifetime becoming the best in your in any one particular area. Unlike most special interests, an interest in coding can make you fairly rich as well.

Alternative modes of thought are useful, particularly the ability to think in patterns. One of my female students does take a little flak on the internet for describing herself as a developer and a gamer. She's a pretty big blogger though, so I think that's just trolls. I think if you do take heat it'll be from older and/or less able developers who may see you as a threat.

One thing I would advise is that you try to learn a little coding first to see if it suits you. Many programmers already know they're programmers before they start a CS course. A good proportion of those who come with no prior experience seem to find they have no interest in it, so do have a go before you commit to a whole course.

Best of luck with it!


Already have been teaching myself C++. I'm enjoying it. I've also been messing with androids since 2009, and have become completely obsessed. I've recently transitioned myself to Linux and won't be coming back to Windows unless for gaming purposes. Knowing that I like it isn't the issue. I'm not sure why people keep bringing that up with me, lol. Thanks for the advice.

I think I'm worried about things that won't matter. I was already treated poorly by women when I was in a different field; I get along better with people who play video games and have interests in technology. I know for a fact none of those women in social work were interested in what I was. Hard making friends when you're in that kind of position. I'm glad I decided to go with programming, because I feel way more excited than I have with anything else I have tried pursuing. Japanese was my first excitement, but that doesn't compare to this.