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

The Females in Tech Show with Tamara Johanna

Join Tamara Johanna, founder of FIIT Collective, whose mission is to inspire, support and empower females to live a balanced and purposeful life through a career in information technology. This podcast is relevant for women in tech, or those considering technology as a career. The show covers career advice and personal stories of successful women in tech, designed to help females with their career in IT. Beyond technology, Tamara also shares how to improve the physical and mental wellbeing of women in tech to optimise their thinking, productivity and effectiveness. Plus, she explores the importance of self-care practices, relationships and balancing work and family for a sustainable career. Find out more at fiitcollective.com.au and follow Tamara on Instagram @tamarajohanna

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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

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

Ally Watson on LinkedIn and Instagram
Code Like a Girl website
Code Like a Girl Adult Coding Essentials short-courses
Code Like a Girl Kids Coding Camps
Code Like a Girl on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook
Book: Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Carol Dweck

[Full Disclaimer: Some of these links may be affiliate links, which means we receive compensation, at no extra cost to you, if you purchase through the link.]

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