Similar to last year, this year too I got the opportunity to attend Grace Hopper Conference (GHC) virtually. I had attended GHC before back in 2018 which was organized in pre pandemic days and hence was in person. I am so glad to get this opportunity with the help of my university and especially WICS (Women in Information and Computer Science) community to be a part of Grace Hopper Conference again this year. I am grateful to receive the ICS BRAID Scholarship to attend the virtual Grace Hopper Celebration 2022.
My few takeaways and experience from GHC -
- The connection that the women share in the conference is worth experiencing. One can find here a community of women to share your dreams and passions or who have gone through similar situations/experiences in the past and can give you guidance.
- It’s a great place for professional networking with thousands of conference attendees every year.
- Know about companies and what latest technologies they are working on.
- Attend diverse and inclusive events.
- Get hands on all kinds of tech like VR gadgets or other artificial intelligence-based tech solutions.
- Great workshops for women for all levels of career.
- A lot of opportunities to meet another like-minded woman in tech who could act as a sponsor or mentor in your career.
- Provides volunteering opportunities.
- GHC was hosted on 2–3 different platforms this year, each having its own individual purpose. For example — there were separate platforms for career fair, tech talks and job openings which were interlinked with each other.
- Opportunity to meet tons of famous people in tech and probably one’s idol too.
Statistically, it is a fact that women are still underrepresented in IT roles and the technology sector. GHC gives you opportunity to meet both freshers as well as experienced women. These events motivate me to do my bit to attract, retain and help women thrive in this sector. At UCI, we have a lot of women centric groups like WICS (Women in Information and Computer Science) who frequently organize networking events like ice breaker sessions, tech talks, resume building sessions which are helping us in reaching towards our career goal in an industry of our choice. Groups like WICS enable women to come out of their shell and seek help or mentorship which would help them in their career.
Lastly, I look forward to attending GHC again next year …
