Open, but nobody has to teach you
More people reach a technical job by moving across from an adjacent one at the same employer than by any single school route. The employer already knows you, already trusts you, and does not have to take a hiring risk on a stranger.
It requires one thing nothing else here requires: someone with authority has to know you want it, in writing, more than once. Research on promotion consistently finds that men are more likely to be advanced on perceived potential and women on demonstrated performance — which, whatever one thinks of the cause, means the demonstrated part has to be visible and stated rather than assumed to speak for itself.
What does the company pay for — tuition reimbursement and certification vouchers are unused far more often than refused. What do the internal technical postings actually require, as opposed to what they say. And is there someone on the technical side who would let you shadow for a day.
Anyone may walk in. No one is obliged to instruct you, follow up with you, or notice when you stop.
The arc, in one table
| Academic year | Women's share of US computer science bachelor's degrees |
|---|---|
| 1983–84 — the peak | 37.1% |
| 1984–85 | 36.8% |
| 1985–86 | 35.7% |
| 2007–08 — the floor | 17.6% |
| 2008–09 | 17.8% |
| 2021–22 — most recent | 22.6% |
Computed from the degree counts published in NCES Digest of Education Statistics Table 325.35, which covers computer and information sciences. The table prints counts, not shares, so these percentages are our arithmetic on its numbers and can be checked against it directly.
What is already paid for
- WIOA — federal training money through your local workforce board, in every county, and displaced homemakers are a named category in that system. Not a loan. CareerOneStop.
- Registered apprenticeships — a wage from the first day. apprenticeship.gov.
- Pell grants — do not have to be repaid, and most families who qualify never file. studentaid.gov.
- Dual enrollment — college credit on a high school transcript, funded by most states.
- Employer tuition reimbursement and certification vouchers — among the least-claimed benefits in American employment. Ask in writing.
Programme names, amounts and deadlines change. These are the doors; verify current terms with the source before counting on a number.
Photographs on this campaign are licensed stock used as illustration — not portraits of the people inside the federal counts. Full credits: CREDITS.md.