Microsoft IT-Girls 2012
Microsoft IT-Girls 2012 (formerly known as DigiGirlz) was held to a packed theatre on Monday
2nd April 2012 at the Microsoft offices. Over 150 girls from 16 schools participated in a full (and pretty exhausting) day of workshops, presentations and careers panels, to learn more about the career opportunities for women in ICT. The audience featured a balanced mix of private and public school students across Sydney, with some school groups travelling for over an hour to attend!
Workshops included “The Future of Innovation”, “The Future of Entertainment” and “Experience Windows 8”. It was amazing to hear the laughter and “oohs and aahs” during the workshops, and very encouraging to see a group of girls ambush our Windows 8 workshop presenter after his slot to see more of this new operating system! The girls asked lots of questions during our careers panels and it was great to be able to showcase that there a multiple paths that lead to a career in technology.
So many schools had responded to our invitations that we actually had to turn a few away as we couldn’t overcrowd our venue. Having said that – the theatre was pretty packed, with several students sitting on the floor – learning for next time: book a bigger venue! We are looking forward to turning this into a nationwide event and have already started discussions with other Microsoft state offices so that girls outside of Sydney can participate in this amazing experience.
One of my Favorite responses was:
“Today was a very enjoyable day. I learnt a lot about the technology we have today and the upcoming technology that Microsoft is aiming to make public. The experience has shown me that I can have a career in technology and be successful at it. “
Well done to everyone involved!