::::7 Tips for Women in the Tech Industry::::

<img src=&quot;http://9.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Business-Woman-600.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;Businesswoman at her desk using a digital tablet&quot; width=&quot;275&quot; align=&quot;left&quot; /><p>Being a female entrepreneur in the male-dominated tech industry is challenging, and comes with a distinct set of barriers.&nbsp;Thankfully, there are several female-led organizations that are working to bring more women into the tech fold.&nbsp;</p> <p>I asked a panel of successful young female entrepreneurs from the&nbsp;Young Entrepreneur Council&nbsp;(YEC),&nbsp;an invite-only nonprofit organization comprised of the world&rsquo;s most promising young entrepreneurs,&nbsp;what challenges women in tech face, and what could help eliminate some of those barriers? Here&rsquo;s what they shared.</p> <h2>1. Women&rsquo;s Organizations Help</h2> <img class=&quot;alignleft size-full wp-image-1063101&quot; src=&quot;http://4.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/lisa.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; title=&quot;lisa&quot; width=&quot;140&quot; height=&quot;140&quot; /> While women tend to be more relationship-oriented in general, I&rsquo;ve found that networking our way into the inner circle of the tech world is not as easy for us. There are probably a number of reasons for this, but I believe organizations like Women 2.0 and Women in Technology will be instrumental in bridging that gap in the coming years.<p>&nbsp;</p> <p>- Lisa Nicole Bell,&nbsp;Inspired Life Media Group </p> <h2>2. Sharing is Key</h2> <img class=&quot;alignleft size-full wp-image-1063095&quot; src=&quot;http://6.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Amanda.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; title=&quot;Amanda&quot; width=&quot;140&quot; height=&quot;140&quot; />Whether a woman is contemplating launching her first startup or simply considering registering for a course that will teach her to code, it&rsquo;s so important that she share this with friends and colleagues. When these conversations between women don&rsquo;t take place, the circle of women in tech grows at a much slower rate. Outside the tech world, there&rsquo;s this perception that &ldquo;only men are doing it.&rdquo; But if we all talked about it more, I think that would give more women permission to dive in.<p>&nbsp;</p> <p>- Amanda Aitken,&nbsp;The Girl&rsquo;s Guide to Web Design </p> <h2>3. See the Glass as Half Full</h2> <img class=&quot;alignleft size-full wp-image-1063107&quot; src=&quot;http://7.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Thursday.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; title=&quot;Thursday&quot; width=&quot;140&quot; height=&quot;140&quot; /> Despite the fact that we tell girls and women that any path is possible, there are still strong gender roles that reinforce the idea that women aren&rsquo;t as good at STEM skills. The most important step we can take is to integrate these skills in the classroom as early as possible by showcasing successful female tech entrepreneurs. We also need to quit treating women in tech as a rarity, when numbers have grown dramatically. We&rsquo;re creating something of a self-fulfilling prophecy, and we need to step back from that. <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>- Thursday Bram,&nbsp;Hyper Modern Consulting</p> <h2>4. Develop Access to Capital</h2> <img class=&quot;alignleft size-full wp-image-1063097&quot; src=&quot;http://4.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/doreen.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; title=&quot;doreen&quot; width=&quot;140&quot; height=&quot;140&quot; /> Women founders can find it more difficult to raise funding for their businesses. The statistics show that less than 20 percent of female-led ventures get funding, which is much lower than the statistics for men. That said, there are several great organizations trying to help women reach their funding goals, including Women 2.0, Astia, and others. We need to support such groups.<p>&nbsp;</p> <p>- Doreen Bloch,&nbsp;Poshly Inc. </p> <h2>5. Be Yourself</h2> <img class=&quot;alignleft size-full wp-image-1063099&quot; src=&quot;http://7.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Lauren.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; title=&quot;Lauren&quot; width=&quot;140&quot; height=&quot;140&quot; /> When I was starting TalentEgg, not only was I a woman in the tech industry, but I was also very young &mdash; a 24-year-old who looked like I was only 15. Thankfully, I learned early on that my biggest strength was my ability to be myself. I didn&rsquo;t pretend to be older than I was, or have more experience than I had. I also didn&rsquo;t try to emulate men in my industry. I was just me, and I never listened to any commentary regarding the barriers that I was supposedly facing by being a young woman in technology.<br />

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