Even in this modern day, it’s no secret that the gender gap remains. It’s also known that certain career fields are less pursued by females, leaving specific industries like tech dominated by men.
Although tech jobs are the fastest growing in the country, girls commonly tend to drop their interest in tech from ages 13-17. After recognizing the gender imbalance within the tech industry, Reshma Saujani decided to do something about it.
She’s now the Founder and CEO of Girls Who Code, “a national non-profit organization dedicated to closing the gender gap in technology.”
“In 1995, 37% of computer scientists were women. Today, it’s only 24%. If we do nothing, in ten years the number of women in computing will decrease to just 22%,” according to the Girls Who Code website.
That’s where the organization comes in. The initiative began with 20 girls in New York and, today, has reached more than 90,000 girls of all backgrounds in 50 states. They aim to build the “largest pipeline of future female engineers in the United States.”
They offer a couple of ways for girls of various ages and backgrounds to explore coding and jobs in technology.
For 6th to 12th graders, they offer after school clubs that allow girls to discover coding in a friendly environment as well as two week specialized summer courses on a range of topics. Additionally, they offer 7-week summer programs for girls in 10th and 11th grade. During the programs, the girls will learn about coding and gain exposure to the world of tech and its jobs.
Based on the numbers, the organization is working – and making a difference. In fact, they’re downright impressive. According to their website, the initiative is "on track to achieve gender parity in computer science by 2027." They have over 5,000 college aged alumni and, of those who have already declared their majors, these alumni are choosing to major in CS, or related fields, at a rate 15 times the national average.
It doesn’t have to stop there, either. Girls Who Code offers internships for students, too!
Below, check out some of the neat internship opportunities open to students with Girls Who Code:
Our Women in STEM series highlights women in the field forging the path for female students everywhere. Check out part one of our Highlighting Women in STEM series.
Corporate Partnerships Internship
Ages: College Freshmen through College Seniors The Corporate Partnerships Internship is open to students currently pursuing a bachelor's degree. You must demonstrate effective communication skills, ability to manage projects, ability to work independently and experience with Google and Microsoft suites. Responsibilities may include assisting staff with researching, drafting and tracking of new business proposals, drafting correspondence, conduct prospect research, enter data into Salesforce, conducting market research and other duties as needed. Learn more information about the Corporate Partnerships Internship.Development Internship
Ages: College Freshmen through Graduate Students, Year 4 The Development Internship is open to students currently pursuing a bachelor's or master's degree. You must demonstrate effective communication skills, ability to manage projects, ability to work independently and experience with Google and Microsoft suites. Responsibilities may include communication with donors, field incoming partnership requests, update donor and partner information, assist with invoicing, supporting the development team and other duties as needed. Learn more information about the Development Internship.Education Internship
Ages: College Freshmen through College Seniors The Education Internship is open to students currently pursuing a course of study in education. You must demonstrate an interest in computer science and technology, be interested in sixth through twelfth grade education. Responsibilities may include gaining knowledge of existing curricula, researching technologies, developing sample projects and other duties as needed. Learn more information about the Education Internship.Business Intelligence Internship
Ages: College Freshmen through Graduate Students, Year 4 The Business Intelligence Internship is open to students currently pursuing a bachelor's or master's degree, preferably in business, management, math, finance or economics. You must demonstrate communication skills, be comfortable navigating data sources and have strong Excel skills. Responsibilities may include developing dashboards, communication analysis findings, problem solving and other duties as needed. Learn more information about the Business Intelligence Internship.Marketing and Communications Internship
Ages: College Freshmen through College Seniors The Marketing and Communications Internship is open to students currently pursuing a degree. You must demonstrate communication skills, writing skills, be comfortable with social media, have the ability to write effective social media copy and the ability to work independently. Responsibilities may include assisting the marketing team with posting content, social media support and social media curation, aggregate content from the summer program and other duties as needed. Learn more information about the Marketing and Communications Internship.Instructor Support Internship
Ages: College Freshmen through College Seniors The Instructor Support Internship is open to students currently pursuing a degree. You must demonstrate editing skills, basic computer skills, experience reviewing data and the ability to work independently. Responsibilities may include editing slide decks, videos and newsletters, preparing and managing communications, reviewing feedback and other duties as needed. Learn more information about the Instructor Support Internship.Program Engagements Internship
Ages: College Freshmen through College Seniors The Program Engagements Internship is open to students currently pursuing a degree. You must demonstrate experience with logistics, operations, project management or a related field, communication skills, ability to work independently, and computer proficiency. Responsibilities may include researching and scheduling speaking, workshop and field trip engagements, manage transportation logistics, collaborate with marketing and other duties as needed. Learn more information about the Program Engagements Internship.Program Management Internship
Ages: College Freshmen through College Seniors The Program Management Internship is open to students currently pursuing a degree. You must demonstrate experience with social work, communication skills, proficiency with Google Suite and customer service. Responsibilities may include researching best practices, supporting escalation protocols, researching and collaborating on building social service processes and other duties as needed. Learn more information about the Program Management Internship.Program Operations Internship
Ages: College Freshmen through College Seniors The Program Operations Internship is open to students currently pursuing a degree. You must demonstrate experience with project management, communication skills, proficiency with Salesforce and customer service skills. Responsibilities may include reviewing student's onboarding documents, tracking touchpoints and collaborating with teams, communicating with students and parents and other duties as needed. Learn more information about the Program Operations Internship.Programmatic Logistics Internship
Ages: College Freshmen through College Seniors The Programmatic Logistics Internship is open to students currently pursuing a degree. You must demonstrate experience with logistics or project management, communication skills, proficiency with Google and Microsoft Suites and customer service skills. Responsibilities may include building and managing logistics processes, creating inventory logs, order and manage supplies nationally, collaborating with other team members and other duties as needed. Learn more information about the Programmatic Logistics Internship.Product Design Internship
Ages: College Freshmen through College Seniors The Product Design Internship is open to students currently pursuing a degree in interaction design, human-computer interaction or other related field. You must demonstrate communication skills, experience with an agile design process and the ability to work independently. Responsibilities may include supporting various teams with user research, define and prioritize product requirements, design mockups and other duties as needed. Learn more information about the Product Design Internship. Looking to get inspired by women in successful STEM careers?Our Women in STEM series highlights women in the field forging the path for female students everywhere. Check out part one of our Highlighting Women in STEM series.
