Technical courses as well as technical jobs have in the past been male dominated. These are jobs that require hands on experience and most of the time they are physically and psychologically involving hence the misconstruction that only the male can cope with such courses and jobs. However, in the recent past, there has been a mass increase in the number of women taking up these courses and subsequently the jobs and the most amazing part of it is that they have excelled just as the male counterparts or even exceed and dwarfed them.

So what has brought about this change in the uptake of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) courses by females? It could be the realization that skills learnt have nothing to do with one’s gender but also the increased sensitization for the “girl child “to take up STEM courses. The Office of Career Services in partnership with Huawei Women in Technology hosted a career talk targeting female students enrolled for STEM courses at the University of Nairobi. The career talk’s theme was “Transforming Lives through Digitization” and was held on 13^th March 2020 at the UoN Towers, 4^th floor.

The Director of the Women in Technology program at Huawei, Maureen Mwaniki an alumnus of UON from the School of Engineering talked about the need to mentor the girl child to take up technical courses through providing resources and ICT equipment for girls. This is being promoted through Huawei’s mentorship program dubbed ‘Women in Technology Huawei (WITH). The purpose of the program is to attract more women into the Tech job market and encourage partner customers to recommend 8 women-owned suppliers to Huawei.

Laura Chite, the CEO at CIO East Africa in collaboration with HerNovation, a company deliberately budding women in technology is supporting women by offering them mentorship especially those pursuing technical courses in various institutions and levels as well as those in early careers to encourage them and to propel their careers to higher heights in the corporate and social world. The women are equipped with networking skills to enable them exploit all the available platforms of interaction with potential employers or clients. Equally, Laura laid emphasis on the women to acquire soft skills such as public speaking, people management, critical thinking and analytical skills to help them in developing their careers.

Esther Muchiri, the CEO eMentoring Africa (eMA) encouraged women to be their own mentors, make informed careers choices, set their goals and have a clear laid down plan on the ways to achieve their goals. Esther has a passion for providing guidance, counselling, empowerment and motivation to students and youth and through her passion, she is also reaching out to women in Tech to offer them mentorship.

Aprielle Moraa, the Managing Director, Infosphere narrated her career growth journey that has not been a walk in the park. She insisted on women especially the ones doing technical courses to never let other people look down on them and they should work hard despite the circumstances surrounding them.

Catherine Muraga, the Chief Information Officer (CIO) Sidian Bank said that one must be a brand in what he or she does. She also had a word of encouragement for the women in tech that dreams take time and that patience is a key factor in achieving one’s dream. She advised the ladies in tech to choose friends wisely since the power of friends has the ability to build or destroy one’s career. While noting that we all have areas of improvement, one must not seek validation from wrong places but rather be objective in looking for solutions to challenges they face. “Please take certifications after completing your studies. I remember being challenged by my male colleagues to take Microsoft Certifications. I did the certifications and immediately I completed them, my salary doubled,” said Catherine Muraga. Professional certification courses are now taken seriously by potential employers.

Barbra Okelo, a Data Scientist at the Strategy Department at Safaricom encouraged women to never settle for less since one gets what they negotiate for, she insisted on aiming higher in life.

Su Shuqi, the Head of the ICT Academy at Huawei Technologies, shared her personal success story on how she had to defy all odds to be where she is today. She further advised women not to let anything hinder their success but rather to be determined and focused.

The students were told to gear up for the 4^th industrial revolution that will create millions of jobs. Such technologies like artificial intelligence, internet of things, robotics, machine learning, and data science will create millions of jobs in future. Students were challenged to position and prepare themselves for the future jobs  by mastering new skills online.

This mentorship session and career talk was appreciated by the students in attendance. The female speakers who are soaring heights in the respective companies where they work inspired the students and gave them hope to realise their dreams. The Director of the UoN Office of Career Services, Mr. Johnson Kinyua gave a vote of thanks to the great women who came to mentor and empower young women in STEM. The office plans to hold more career talks and mentorship sessions for the students in a bid to empower them as they lay foundations for their careers.