How certifications are pushing women in tech ahead of the game

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 The gender gap among women in high-tech roles is closing rapidly, but the women already in the trenches say more needs to be done to encourage women to enter the field. "There just aren't enough women in tech. Even though it's getting better, it's still challenging for women in this industry," says Virginia Allen, Partner Enablement Manager (PEM), Certification and Training – HPE Solutions for TD SYNNEX.

Tech companies are working hard to diversify their teams, but the numbers are still low when it comes to women in computing. The latest data from National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) in the U.S. show while women held 57% of the total number of U.S. professional positions in 2019, they comprised a little more than a quarter (26%) of the skilled computing workforce.

Still, women continue to enter the tech industry, and one way they stand out from the pack is by earning technical certifications.

"The more certifications I earn, the more confidence I have when speaking, teaching, and providing design solutions for a customer," says Ana Rodriguez, a Solutions Consultant and an HPE instructor who just earned her HPE Master ASE Storage v3 certification. But, adds Karyl Miller, a Senior Solutions Consultant at CBTS, "It's not just about acquiring certification badges. It's about learning information that I can use when I go out and talk to customers or just because I'm interested in learning,"

When it comes to certifications, research confirms learners gain a list of benefits, which they use to their professional advantage. Furthermore, organizations encourage employees to earn them because of the significant return on investment.

We spoke to four women who shared their technology career journey and how certifications helped them along the way. From the choices they made early in their career to how they prep for certification exams, these women in tech describe what it takes to stay in the game and how to make way for more women in the room.

Technology as a career choice

Anna Darling is a field solutions architect for one of the largest global distributors, focused on the entire HPE line. If a seller has technical questions about how to put that solution together, and no one knows the answer, they go to Anna and her team.

Darling did not think twice when choosing a career in tech. “I grew up around tech. It was just something that was always there. My mom would bring home her work computer and teach us commands in BASIC, in between what she was doing. So, it was always something that I did; and at the time, I didn’t realize not everyone has this same exposure.”

While Darling had incredible support at home, the intimidation was real outside of her home. She was told often her career path wouldn’t work and was warned she would never get hired. She always prided herself on having a good self-esteem, but, “It was daunting stepping into murky waters,” Darling says. “It wasn’t clear to me how I would start in this career and take that first step.”

That negative attitude is something that Ana Rodriguez had to deal with right from the start. She says she doesn’t remember considering another career option when she finished high school in Colombia more than 14 years ago. In college, Rodriguez was the only woman in her classes, with many challenges to overcome. She recalls her professors telling her she would not be a good engineer or graduate college. In one of her math classes, she remembers a professor who greeted the class by saying, “Hello engineers, and hey Ana.” It took that professor the entire semester to start acknowledging Rodriguez as an engineer, like her male peers. Rodriguez feels like she had to work twice as hard to fight against the bias, and she wondered if this were happening at the university level, would this also be happening in the workplace.

Karyl Miller had a similar experience when she started her studies in computer science. She remembers her professor saying on her first day, “I see there are girls in here; there won’t be any next week.” The two other women quit that day, but Miller didn’t give up. “When I began my IT career, computers were different, but mindsets even more so. It was very unusual to be a woman in this male-dominated field, and I even met one customer who refused to work with me. This is something that happens less and less now.”   

Virginia Allen started at a tech company as a receptionist 28 years ago. Allen grew with the company, eventually creating her position. She credits the support system to her network of women at work that helped each other advance in their careers.

Tackling gender bias one certification at a time

These four women worked hard to have the high-profile careers in tech they have today. Throughout their careers, they credit certifications with giving them the knowledge and skills to be proficient and, more importantly, to help them build the confidence they needed to persevere.

Rodriguez says, “It has been very important to prove to myself that I am able to take on the challenge. Certifications have provided me with the knowledge, experiences, information, insights, functional solutions, and the confidence that I need to do my job. This has been not just a professional goal, but also a personal one.” She also recommends not stopping at one:

Darling recommends getting the certifications early on in your career. “It gives you a structure of what you need to know,” says Darling. “If you're going to be in IT, every six months it changes, and you're going to have to learn all the time, and certifications give you the ability to learn and adapt quickly and efficiently.”

Darling suggests you get industry-recognized certifications, like the HPE certifications. “It’s a good resume booster for me, [and] it was an intense confidence booster,” says Darling. “I was never so proud as when I got my HPE Master ASE and was able to put that sticker on my laptop. So, every time I went somewhere and opened it up, clients could see that I knew my stuff.” Darling adds: “Don’t be modest about showing off your credentials.”

As a Partner Education Manager, who works directly with sales and technical professionals, Allen encourages women to get certified, stating that organizations need to encourage them to get certified. “Certified team members certainly do improve the way a team works, and organizations gain operational efficiency when their teams are certified IT professionals,” says Allen.

Preparing for certifications

So how do women balance things to get certified and keep up with their demanding careers? They have a system.

The pandemic helped Rodriguez focus on earning certifications. Today, she dedicates around two hours in the mornings, before her customers are online. When a certification is released or updated, Rodriguez develops a month-long plan where she schedules her exam 30 days out and develops a study schedule. If the course is five days long, she spends the rest of the month preparing, practicing, and looking for opportunities to improve her responses.

Darling agrees the coursework isn't easy, but her advice is to allow yourself to learn and not be afraid to fail. "You are not going to pass every time. That's not how technical certifications work. They are a way to learn, and many take exams more than once. Give yourself the space to fail and the space to learn."

Asking questions is also critical. Darling says, "Don't hesitate to ask the instructors if you feel some questions are ambiguous or if you're wondering if there are resources available to help you pay for the exams and material. There are exam vouchers; don't be afraid to ask your distributor or manufacturer." 

Rodriguez also relies on her manager, who helps her budget time to study that does not conflict with work obligations. This is what Miller experiences within her company, where a minimum of two classes a year is requested: “That's planned in our budget and allows me to continuously learn and stay in the know.” Classes are her preferred method of training: “They are comprehensive and set up such that they teach based on experience, so you grow through them over time.”

What’s next?

Rodriguez has set her goal on getting a new HPE Master ASE certification, the pinnacle in HPE certifications. "I'm hoping to work on the exams themselves so that I can have a positive influence on things like the wording of the questions," says Darling who has experience in beta- and alpha-testing exam content and is preparing for the new HPE Master ASE - Compute Solutions V1.

Miller recently started new self-directed labs in Artificial Intelligence and ML Ops, which are designed to help learners practice real-world tasks and scenarios with HPE technology and equipment. “This helps me understand what my daughter, a data scientist, is doing.” As a mother, she encourages girls to pursue careers in tech. “Don't give up. It's an incredible field. There's an enormous amount of opportunity here.” She feels that women can truly differentiate themselves in the technology industry through soft skills.

Allen is hopeful the gender gap will continue to close. Her 19-year-old daughter is her inspiration and motivates her to continue talking to young girls and women about careers in tech. She will soon start volunteering as an instructor with TechnGirlz, an organization that empowers middle school girls to pursue careers in STEM. "I want to promote that STEM is important and that it's an essential foundation of our future," says Allen.

Why HPE certifications?

Technology is constantly changing, and HPE certifications help you stay up to date with the ever-evolving technology and growing HPE portfolio, including Aruba solutions. Certifications not only develop and validate your knowledge and expertise, but they can also help you enhance your credibility among your customers and peers.

If you’re interested in learning how to get HPE certified, here’s how you can get started

[Karyl Miller]

I think we owe it to the next generation of young ladies to reach out and help.  I recently spoke to a young lady that had been teaching math at a high school and was miserable.  We talked about her skills and I encouraged her to look into getting an advanced degree.   She is now taking her first classes towards a masters in data science and we are continuing to stay in touch.  I think if we keep encouraging these girls that have so much potential, we make this world a better place for all our girls!