My Worlds Collide
Warning: there’s no coherent theme or even a thread that’s holding this all together. Just stay with me til the end though. There’s a nice little surprise.
I lead a largely compartmentalized life. There’s no good reason. Well, except I’m still not comfortable with my coworkers talking to me about things that I didn’t explicitly share with them. I don’t know if that says more about me or my coworkers.
Last week (really the week before, but who is counting?) I attended the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing. OH MAH GAH, the brains in the room. So many PhDs and researchers and actual computer scientists … well, it was over whelming. I worry, fairly often, that each career choice I make is the forever one. The one that’ll define where I can take myself in the next 30 years. Did I completely screw myself with the degrees I’ve chosen? Or the employers? Or the fact that I live where I do? The cavity inside my skull is aflutter with worry.
No, I do not have a flare for the melodramatic, why do you ask?
I met two older women that returned to the work force at 38 & 39 respectively. And now? Now they are major players at HP. Awesome for them. I wonder if I can recreate myself when I’m that age. I feel like I’m on a slippery slope; that the path has been laid and it’s my role in this is to follow the path. It’s as if I don’t have free will. I do. Lots. But a career path? Hmmm.
Back to my point.
BlogHer was awarded the ABI Social Impact award this year and I was thrilled for them. They completely deserve it.
The Anita Borg Social Impact Award honors an individual or team that has caused technology to have a positive impact on the lives of women and society or has caused women to have a significant impact on the design and use of technology.
Elisa Camahort Page accepted the award on BlogHer’s behalf, she gave an awesome (also short and sweet) speech. The following day she led a panel discussion. I expected it to be standing room only. Oddly, it was not. She spoke eloquently about blogging and how it’s affecting technology. She warned up front that it was not a talk about the technology that powers BlogHer.
And here’s where my worlds collided. Blogging is my hobby. I was at GHC for professional reasons. Hobby. Work. Work. Hobby.
During the Q&A session I did have the opportunity to point out that blogging decreases isolation. I had heard many women talk about how their chosen study field or their employment make their lives isolating. It’s tough to be the only girl at a science lab, especially when that lab is something like Las Alamos. You know, out in the middle of nowhere.
I explained that you all are my community; that I found my peeps inside my computer.
Wow, that was a really long winding road just for me to tell you all that I appreciate you. A room of techie women reminded me of that.
Maybe soon I’ll tell you about Mary Lou Jepsen’s great speech.
And, I’m sure you want the Google shirt I picked up. Earn it. Just change names to protect the innocent.