"There is definitely room for women", Ghizlane, Women In Digital student

Ghizlane had been working in a paint factory for eight years when she decided she wanted to change her life and begin working in a field that had always interested her: tech! Social Builder's Women In Digital* training conducted in partnership with Konexio has allowed her to unleash her creativity and desire for new challenges. Despite the many preconceptions about tech professions being relatively closed to women, Ghizlane landed a 6-month internship at Castor and Pollux and plans on continuing in this field.

Moreover, she has plenty of ideas for growing the number of women in digital careers!

What were you doing before your coursework at Konexio ? What is your background ?
I was unemployed, and before that I had worked eight years at a paint factory. I was bored and wanted to change sectors to use my brain more. I like thinking and finding solutions. It turned out that web development combines all of these qualities and I really liked it.

Why did you decide to change jobs?
The lockdown gave me time to think about my work . It had its limits, whereas web development allows you to work where you want, for whomever you want without the constraints of time or place, and there is always demand for this kind of work. I've always loved IT even though I thought it was not really open to someone like me. There are a lot of male computer scientists but this tendency is changing; more and more women are joining this field and feeling more and more comfortable here.

There are only 30% women in tech and even fewer in typical web developer positions, what do you think about this?
There is work to be done! Concretely, there is definitely room for women. In the beginning, it was a woman who started web development, but over time it became more oriented towards men. I think maybe that's what scared the women, they just can't relate to it.
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How can we better encourage women to get started?
Companies should know that women have potential. We need a real partnership so that we really know that we are supported. This is what is missing right now.

Why did you choose Women In Digital as your training?
I think it's good to have a 100% female program to open the door for women, to make them feel reassured and legitimate in this area. It's a great initiative, women really can discover a lot of their potential. This was my case. I didn't think I would necessarily succeed in completing the training because it was fairly intense, especially with a family life on the side, but it is worth the sacrifice!

What did you like during your training?
I liked working with my classmates and helping each other.  We got a lot of things done thanks to our mutual support.

So where are you now?
I am doing an internship in a communication agency (Castor & Pollux). I have to give it my all, because I want to succeed.

Tell us a happy memory of your training
At the very last session, when we presented our joint project. We all got together at the end, it was really a great time to share. We knew that this was the end of the course and that we were all heading out on our own paths.  It was a very moving moment, and we ended in style!

* The #Women In Digital program is a Social Builder return-to-work program and trains 200 women in digital professions.