Discover the program inspiring Australian girls to pursue a career in technology

How GoIT Girls inspired Charvi Mamidi to pursue a career in Information Technology

Charvi Mamidi is a second year Information Systems student. After completing the GoIT Girls program at Tata Consultancy Services, she discovered a passion for Information Technology (IT). Read Charvi’s story here.

I never imagined I was destined for a career in IT. For one, I wasn’t particularly good at subjects like science and my all-girls school in Western Sydney didn’t offer IT. While other schools in our area had subjects like computer programming, it just wasn’t part of our curriculum. The other reason I hadn’t envisioned a career in this field was that I’d always considered IT to be highly male-dominated and wasn’t sure if it had a place for me. Instead, I had planned to pursue a career in sports medicine or physiotherapy.

How GoIT Girls changed my mind about Information Technology

That was until I had a chance to meet with my career adviser who let me know about a program called GoIT Girls. Running across the course of a week, the program was open to female students in Year 10 and 11 who wanted to experience the options of a career in technology. With a combination of work experience and skills-based learning, the program was designed to break down gender stereotypes that prevailed with careers in science, technology, engineering and maths.

Myself and a dozen other female students from across Sydney met at the Tata Consultancy Services’ office in North Sydney. Here we were taught how to code, found out about robotics and learnt about scrums, a method of managing software projects.

The best and most beneficial part was meeting the incredible women who work in technology. Hearing their stories and learning their practical advice for life in the workforce helped me understand that IT could be a pertinent career option for me.

“We got to meet amazing women who work in tech. They shared their stories and gave us practical advice on how to prepare for life in the workforce.”

I’m now in my second year at university studying for a degree in Information Systems. It’s a job that sits squarely between business and technology. Essentially, you’re analysing a business’ needs and helping them to develop technology based on your analysis.

How GoITGirls gives young women the confidence to work in Technology

It truly was the experience of GoIT Girls that gave me the confidence to consider a career in technology in the first place. Not only did it push me on my path to information systems, it also inspired me to think about how I can help other women, from mentoring programs at university or partaking in coding camps.

Why we need GoIT Girls now more than ever

“If half the world’s population is female, why not half the scientists and technologists?”

It’s really important that there are more initiatives designed to help women get into the technology industry. If half of the world’s population is female, why not half the scientists and technologists? Senior business leaders like Sheryl Sandberg in the US and Tracey Fellows here in Australia are fantastic role models in technology. But so much more needs to be done if we want to create better female representation in the workplace.

While I understand that governments have their role, companies and people can also play their part. That’s why programs such as GoIT Girls are so important. Not only did GoIT Girls open up new opportunities for me, but it showed me that women could really make a difference within the STEM industries. If only every Australian student could experience what I did.

GoIT Girls speed round

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

My father always tells me never to look back and regret things. You just have to move forward and learn from the mistakes of your past.

What did you want to be as a child?

Like many other kids, I wanted to be an actress. I loved watching movies and TV shows and I wanted to be on the big screen. I went to drama school as well but I grew out of those interests.

What is your dream role?

A role that allows me to be creative, technical and a leader at the same time.

What advice would you give to a young woman looking to enter the STEM industries?

Speak to different people in the field and get to know what the industry is like, and once you’ve gotten a grasp of the industry, go for it. Not every role is the same, so you can always find want you want to do in the field of technology.