Women in Tech: Take Your Career to the Next Level with Practical Advice and Inspiring Stories

by Tarah Wheeler, Esther Dyson (Foreword by)

Overview

“Jam packed with insights from women in the field,” this is an invaluable career guide for the aspiring or experienced female tech professional (Forbes).

As the CEO of a startup, Tarah Wheeler is all too familiar with the challenges female tech professionals face on a daily basis. That’s why she’s teamed up with other high-achieving women within the field—from entrepreneurs and analysts to elite hackers and gamers—to provide a roadmap for women looking to jump-start, or further develop, their tech career.

In an effort to dismantle the unconscious social bias against women in the industry, Wheeler interviews professionals like Brianna Wu (founder, Giant Spacekat), Angie Chang (founder, Women 2.0), Keren Elazari (TED speaker and cybersecurity expert), Katie Cunningham (Python educator and developer), and Miah Johnson (senior systems administrator) about the obstacles they have overcome to do what they love. Their inspiring personal stories are interspersed with tech-focused career advice. Readers will learn:

• the secrets of salary negotiation
• the best format for tech resumes
• how to ace a tech interview
• the perks of both contracting (W-9) and salaried full-time work
• the secrets of mentorship
• how to start your own company
• and much more!

BONUS CONTENT: Perfect for its audience of hackers and coders, Women in Tech also contains puzzles and codes throughout—created by Mike Selinker (Lone Shark Games), Gabby Weidling (Lone Shark Games), and cryptographer Ryan “LostboY” Clarke—that are love letters to women in the industry. A distinguished anonymous contributor created the Python code for the cover of the book, which references the mother of computer science, Ada Lovelace. Run the code to see what it does!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781632171405
Publisher:	Blue Star Press
Publication date:	08/22/2017
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	443,680
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Tarah Wheeler is a Belfer Fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. She is an International Security Fellow at New America and a US/UK Fulbright Scholar in cybersecurity. She is also an Electronic Frontier Foundation advisory board member, an inaugural contributing cybersecurity expert for the Washington Post, and a Foreign Policy contributor on cyberwarfare.

Table of Contents

Foreword Esther Dyson ix

Introduction xi

The Scientist (Tarah Wheeler) 1

Applying for Jobs and the Tech Résumé 13

The Developer (Kamilah Taylor) 29

Tech Interviews 37

Types of Tech Jobs and Salary Negotiations 55

The Sysadmin (Mian Johnson) 73

Communication on the Job 85

The Family 97

The Educator (Kristin Toth Smith) 109

Personal Branding 119

The Hacker (Keren Elazari) 131

Mentorship 139

The Gamer (Brianna Wu) 151

Networking and Relationships 159

The Parent (Katie Cunningham) 169

Going from Engineer to Executive 177

The Crusader (Angie Chang) 191

Start Your Own Company 203

A Final Note 215

Bonus Chapter for Men: How to Be an Ally and How to Help 219

Acknowledgments 233

Resources 241

Bibliography 243

Editorial Reviews

Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack is a brilliant role model. With this book, she offers something rare and wonderful—straightforward and honest guidance for women. I am often approached by women asking, ‘How do I get started in tech?’ I recommend reading this book for answers—I wish I’d had it when I was starting out!”
— Elissa Shevinsky, editor of Lean Out: The Struggle for Gender Equality in Tech and Start-Up Culture

“The essential handbook for women in technology—engaging, practical, and inspirational, with ready-to-use advice, examples, and stories.”
—Library Journal

“With contributions from hackers, gamers, analysts, and more, this is the book Game Developer Barbie would use to guide her career.”
—Bustle

“[Women in Tech] contains advice ranging from interviews, networking and entrepreneurship, right over to developing, mentorship and the family balance. It’s actually jam packed with insights from women in the field.”
—Forbes

“[Women in Tech] discusses salary negotiation, interviewing, and business practices. Along with practical career advice, the book includes personal stories from female tech professionals.”
—GeekWire

“Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack, author of Women in Tech, wants to stop women from leaving tech jobs mid-career.... [Her] book offers career advice to women who are considering getting into tech, or those already in it who want to take their career to the next level.” 
—Seattle magazine

“[Women in Tech] has practical advice and personal stories from a variety of voices, and it covers every stage of a tech career, from applying for your first job to starting your first company. The book is lively and entertaining, and it’s a vital read for any woman, non-binary, or transgender person working in technology."
—Bitch magazine

“If you’re a woman in the tech world, or are looking to join it, what’s the best way to succeed? Women in Tech is one expert’s answer.” 
—GeekGirlCon

“If you’re seriously considering tech as a career, this book is for you."
—FabFitFun

"Both inclusive and empowering"
—The Market for Computer and Video Games

“With this book, [Van Vlack] sets out to buck the system, giving great advice on how women can forge their own tech career paths.”
—The Bellingham Herald

"This book features advice from several female professionals on how to succeed in this male-dominated field."
—Business Insider

"Here's what you need to know [from] security researcher Tarah Wheeler."
—Teen Vogue

From the Publisher