Workwear

I know it’s going to sound like a major first world problem…

I find it very difficult to know what to wear for work, “smart casual” is hard especially when I’ve had several people saying I dress much older than my age, but then as a 23 year old what is the appropriate workwear for me which doesn’t also make me stand out as one of the youngest in the office?

I think my workwear style can change quite a bit within a week, also depending on how I’m feeling as with anyone, sometimes I just want to be comfy in a jumper, black jeans and flats. Other times I want to be a bit smarter or maybe I’m meeting a third party and therefore I want to be in heels and a dress.

It’s quite hard to know where to fit in, keep up with latest fashions but also be appropriate for work.

I just wish I had Holly Willowby’s stylist each day 😂

So currently, I’m trying to look online for some inspiration on the types of things I should wear for my age in an office… any suggestions?

Melinda Gates on Letterman

If you have a spare hour and Netflix, I’d suggest you watch the Melinda Gates episode on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction which is David Lettermen’s show where he interviews some very high profile people.

Melinda Gates discusses the importance of gender equality and women in technology, as well as philanthropy’s role in society; and her new book The Moment of Lift which I will definitely be ordering now!

Katalytik

Women in engineering… take a look at Katalytik, consulting, coaching and programme development!

For more info also go to Twitter to: @Jan_Katalytik

Happy Women’s Day 2019

After being fortunate enough to be a finalist at the EveryWoman in Technology Awards for Rising Star this week in which I met some amazing women who are doing incredible things such as the founder of Kizcode teaching children to code in Turkey and Africa under threatening conditions.

This weekend I’m lucky to be spending it with some friends, one of which was a fellow IT placement student at GSK with me, who is now doing great things at her graduate job at Boeing.

Lucky to be surrounded by such great women!

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Happy Valentine’s Day

Our culture now means we use social media as a way of showing public affection, this is particularly great if your partner can’t be with you physically and with the use of video calls you can have a virtual date wherever you are in the world 🌎

In other recent posts, I’ve spoken about fake personas online, especially in reference to Fyre Festival etc. So if you aren’t celebrating Valentine’s this year then don’t worry, you aren’t alone and just because when you scroll through social media you see happy faces, it doesn’t mean that there is happiness or perfection there. So don’t let that get you down!

That being said, I hope everyone enjoys their day 💕🤓

Why I Changed My Name To Steve

Take a look at the inspirational Dame Stephanie Shirley who is a big part in the WCIT where I am a Journeyman.

https://www.bbc.com/ideas/videos/why-i-had-to-change-my-name-to-steve/p06yyqv1?playlist=older-and-wiser

It is unimaginable now that as a woman you wouldn’t be listened to just because of your name, but I know this was a very common thing and to some extent it still is today, not just with women and men but preconceptions when you read somebody’s name or CV before actually meeting them.

Unfortunately, it is still common for women to have to choose between a career and a family, often that is an individuals choice and increasingly more companies are willing to help with flexible hours etc. But there is still a choice to be made and that’s a lot of pressure on a woman’s mental health.

Should there be separate sporting events for men and women?

I was watching The Grand Tour episode from Friday 8th Feb, and in their usual “Conversation Street” part of the show they started to talk about a new racing league which is going to be women only and their thoughts on the matter, and probably the best thing Richard Hammond has ever said is that we should be encouraging girls from an early age to be getting into go karting and racing.

I completely agree with this, it’s the same for the STEM industries, I always get asked how do we get more women into tech and to some extent it’s too late by the time they are at university etc, to gain a real increase we need to be putting the effort into exposing girls under 10 to what they can achieve in STEM.

I can understand why in sport there are segregated leagues and teams etc, especially if it’s to do with different types of weight categories, like boxing, however when it is something like racing I don’t think it’s necessarily encouraging to girls because often it can be seen as an inferior league, like it is in football with less TV coverage, sponsorship and pay. I think separate leagues are fine with different purposes, if there is maybe then an ultimate one that brings together all to compete?

Let us know your thoughts below or on social media 🏅🤓

EveryWoman Finalist

Delighted to be announced as a finalist in the 2019 FDM EveryWoman Tech Awards among many inspiring #WomenInTech 🤓 in the Rising Star category!

Looking forward to meeting other women in technology at the award show in March and am very grateful for the nomination and recognition.

Taking place to celebrate International’s Women’s Day, the awards are a timely reminder that only 15% of people working in STEM roles in the U.K. are female and just 5% of leadership positions in the tech industry are held by women.

“Achieve, Elevate and Inspire” is this year’s rally cry

Looking back over the past year, it has been a whirlwind and I hope this can bring me more opportunities to dispel the STEM stereotype.

Wominspiration: Digital Marketing

Had a great evening yesterday speaking about my career and how i digital market, honoured to have been asked by Eileen Brown as it was her BCS Digital Marketer book launch 📚

Met some lovely people and it’s always great to put yourself out there to practice speaking and support events when you can.

Whitbread Careers

It was great to give back to the community today by representing Whitbread at Tring’s School Career Fair!

It is good to share your career path for others to learn from, both the mistakes and successes. It is also great to know that grades aren’t everything, extra curricular and passion goes a long way!