The Females in Tech Show with Tamara Johanna

Empowering Females in Tech with Code Like a Girl CEO, Ally Watson - 018

March 23, 2020 Tamara Johanna Season 1 Episode 18
The Females in Tech Show with Tamara Johanna
Empowering Females in Tech with Code Like a Girl CEO, Ally Watson - 018
Show Notes

Ally Watson is the Founder and CEO of Code Like a Girl, a social enterprise dedicated to providing girls with the tools, knowledge and support to enter and flourish in the world of coding.

A backend .NET developer by trade, Ally has always loved working in technology. Despite her love for the tech, she experienced isolation and barriers associated with being a woman in a male-dominated industry.

None more so than when she moved from Scotland to Australia in 2014, and struggled to meet like-minded women in tech. Ally decided to host her own event, specifically for women in tech, with the aim of forming strong connections and female friendships. She had no idea that one event would turn into many, and become the humble beginnings of Code Like A Girl.

After 2 years of running the events as a side hustle, Code Like a Girl became Ally's full-time job in July 2017 and has continued to go from strength to strength.

Today Code Like a Girl runs a series of tech-focused events, an internship program and coding camps around Australia; bringing together local talent and like-minded girls who are passionate about coding and technology to learn, connect and celebrate each other's achievements.

In the latest episode of The Females in Tech Show, I interview Ally Watson, and talk about her career journey from artist, to Founder and CEO of Code Like a Girl.

Ally also shares:

  • Her experience of being one of the only females in her computer science degree, and why she was one of the few females to graduate (10:34)
  • Why she thinks there is a 50% drop-out rate for women in computer science (14:12)
  • We talk about Code Like a Girl, how it started, and her journey to becoming full-time CEO (19:39)
  • Why she chose a social enterprise business model, rather than being a not for profit organisation (22:16)
  • Plus, Ally shares exclusive details of their latest launch for Code Like a Girl -  this is super exciting! (32:33)

Episode Resources 

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