Arguably one of the fastest-paced industries, where one system, language, or process is replaced by another in what seems like overnight fashion, technology makes it hard for working moms and those women who take time away from the workforce to re-enter and get ahead in the field.
The growing popularity of “Returnships” is taking a crack at counteracting women’s access to these jobs, and yet: “Women are still significantly underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. Surprisingly, studies by the U.S. Census show that the number of women in computer fields has actually declined since the 1990s,” reads a Forbes article on the topic.
IT Advisory Services and Management company, LABUR, recently placed a technical business analyst with one of their Boston clients after she had spent the last 10 years away from the workforce. Within the same month, LABUR had also placed a senior data migration/quality assurance analyst who had also taken several years off to start a family.
The business analyst’s initial doubt after LABUR CEO, Darrin Lang, reached out to her over LinkedIn tells a compelling story about the labor market, IT, and women’s opportunities in it.
“I need to be very upfront about one thing that has proven to be a much bigger deal than I ever anticipated. Simply put, I took a voluntary leave of absence from corporate life 10 years ago to focus on raising my children,” she said over a LinkedIn message. “In hindsight, what was one of the most rewarding decisions of my life also happens to be one of the worst things I could have done to my career.”
Continue reading this article on TheLadders.com: The unlikely ally to working moms in IT.