I grew up with an IBM PCjr (pronounced PC Junior) with a 5.25″ (pronounced 5 and a quarter) floppy disk drive.
I add the pronunciation because lots of you may not know what I’m talking about.
This was the mid-80s and I was in elementary school.
— Being smart wasn’t cool.
— Computers were for nerds.
— Math and science were subjects for boys.
— Computer programmers were white men with button-down shirts and pocket protectors for their pens (like Dilbert).
I had a computer because my parents worked for IBM and they were early adopters of technology (think BetaMax and CDs)!
Now, not only do most households have a computer but many children ages 10+ have mini-computers (AKA smartphones).
What’s the point of all this?
Life and technology are evolving.
The world is changing.
— Nerds rule the world (think Facebook, Google, Amazon, Microsoft).
— Women are outpacing men in higher education.
— Technology is increasingly diverse (although there’s still room to grow) with companies actively seeking out diverse hires.
Old is cool.
Smart is cool.
Nerds are cool.
YOU ARE COOL.
PS. This is one of those secret cocktail bars in Austin, TX. Has anyone been yet? I wasn’t cool enough to know the code 
PPS. That’s me in the mirrored reflection taking the photo.
#cool #IBM #IBMPCJr #Nerds #STEM #STEAM
#stem #steam #engineering #technology #womeninstem #coding #tech #womeninscience #stemgirls #WomenInTech #WomenWhoCode