girldevelopit

Girl Develop It is focused on creating opportunities for adult women, and we do this by being inclusive of all genders and identities (men are welcome in our courses, for example). GDI is for anyone who'd like to learn in an environment where any question is OK.

Additionally, we find it entirely appropriate to address the gender gap in software education with classes designed for women to be successful, as it is primarily women who've been excluded by the current culture in tech. In our classrooms and activities, however, we do not exclude anyone, we simply try to invert the ratio of the broader industry and create a space where women are well-represented.

It's always hard to be one of few people like you in a room, and women entering tech fields are in the minority. We try to help women get comfortable with their skills so that they're more confident, even in situations that would cause anyone to question if they belong.

We believe community goes a long way. Connecting people with that "supporting programmer" is a lot of what our in-person community is based around. We see these relationships develop between students and TAs, teachers, chapter leaders, and even other students further along in their learning journeys. We also find that the classes and events with Girl Develop It help students clarify their questions and know what to ask their programmer friends about, so they don't feel like they're "annoying" but can still benefit from that mentorship and knowledge sharing. I've made so many friends and built a really great support network in the community throughout my journey as a student to chapter leader to ED. We recommend a Code & Coffee at a chapter near you! :) https://girldevelopit.com/chapters

One of the things we love about working with adult learners is actually that they tend to know themselves well and know what kinds of learning will work for them. We focus on that self-knowledge as a key asset when older people are interested, but hesitant about learning to code. Check out the story of our incredible GDI Minneapolis Chapter Leader, Susan Metoxen: http://www.brit.co/how-learning-to-code-changed-the-lives-of-these-6-moms/ Susan learned to program after 30 years working in healthcare administration.

Thanks so much! Rocking Girl Develop It stickers can go a long way to inspiring people...without even knowing who you've inspired!