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| aman_ | i know C and bash scripting a little bit, how can i contribute? | 14:12 |
|---|---|---|
| aman_ | and what is the best way to start contributing? | 14:13 |
| pangolin | !contribute | 14:31 |
| ubot2 | To contribute and help out with Ubuntu, see http://www.ubuntu.com/community/participate and https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ContributeToUbuntu | 14:31 |
| === ChanServ changed the topic of #ubuntu-classroom to: Welcome to the Ubuntu Classroom - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Classroom || Support in #ubuntu || Upcoming Schedule: http://is.gd/8rtIi || Questions in #ubuntu-classroom-chat || Current Session: Ubuntu Women Career Days: From Developer to CEO: A Career in Tech - Instructors: silbs | ||
| ClassBot | Logs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/11/12/%23ubuntu-classroom.html following the conclusion of the session. | 16:00 |
| pleia2 | welcome everyone to the second Ubuntu Women Career Days session :) | 16:01 |
| pleia2 | this time we're very pround to have Jane Silber (silbs), the CEO of Canonical here to present on her career in tech | 16:02 |
| silbs | hi everyone. Thanks for joining us today, and I'm really happy to participate in this Ubuntu Women's series | 16:03 |
| pleia2 | she'll introduce herself and when you have a question you can ask in #ubuntu-classroom-chat in the format of QUESTION: Do you like pears? | 16:03 |
| pleia2 | silbs: all yours! | 16:03 |
| silbs | :) | 16:03 |
| silbs | so, I thought I would give an overview of my career (so far!), talk a little bit about what i've learned during the course of that wrt women in tech | 16:03 |
| silbs | we'll definitely have time for questions at the end | 16:04 |
| silbs | like many people,I first got interested in computers in high school | 16:04 |
| silbs | for me, I didn't really think of it as technology or computers - it was the logical,problem solving aspect of development that I liked | 16:04 |
| silbs | I majored in math/comp sci in college | 16:05 |
| silbs | and, like many, was in an environment that was almost all male | 16:05 |
| silbs | in my case, my college choice exacerbated that a bit because I went to a college that had only turned from all male to co-ed the year before | 16:05 |
| silbs | but in many ways, I think that helped because it wasn't just the math/science classes that were male dominated, but all classes | 16:06 |
| silbs | and so it quickly became a non-issue (for me, and for most at the school) | 16:06 |
| silbs | after college I briefly entertained the idea of finance and other careers like most of my friends, but knew that wasn't right for me | 16:07 |
| silbs | so I joined a software start up | 16:07 |
| silbs | in a garage in Wash, DC - the whole thing | 16:07 |
| silbs | that environment was pretty classic start-up - everyone working hard, doing all sorts of roles beyond your job description | 16:08 |
| silbs | I joined as a s/w dev, but also ended up doing a fair amount of research, statistical analysis, data modelling | 16:08 |
| silbs | the company developed health risk appraisals - i.e, personalised reports that processed questionnaire data and gave you estimates of chances of getting or dying from different causes | 16:09 |
| silbs | I was only there for a couple years, but learned a lot about data, stats, ... and mortality and morbidity :) | 16:10 |
| silbs | I left there to go back to grad school - did a MS degree in Management of Technology | 16:10 |
| silbs | I did that because I was seeking a broader context for software and technology in a business setting. I liked programming, and still loved the puzzle/problem-solving aspect | 16:11 |
| silbs | but I found that I wanted to see it as part of a larger process | 16:11 |
| silbs | and that graduate program provided that for me. One of the things I liked was that it was interdisciplinary, and allowed you to focus on any technology | 16:11 |
| silbs | so I focused on comp sci, but others in the program were chemical engineers, electrical engineers, etc | 16:12 |
| silbs | and we looked at mgt principles across technologies | 16:12 |
| silbs | after that, I went to Japan for 2.5 yrs and worked as a software dev/researcher/manager | 16:13 |
| silbs | that company was an established company (synthetic fibers, pharmaceuticals) that wanted to get into s/w as a new line of business | 16:13 |
| silbs | to help that, they set up a special software R&D institute,and I was fortunate enough to be a part of it | 16:14 |
| silbs | this was a really formative experience for me, in a number of ways | 16:14 |
| silbs | the fact that it was a different culture, the fact that I was a woman in what was (esp at that time) a very male-dominated environment | 16:15 |
| silbs | it was probably the first time I was faced with overt examples of sexism, but it was also informative for me to consider how they came about and what was considered such in different cultures | 16:16 |
| silbs | i never personally felt discriminated against, but there were certainly uncomfortable elements (e.g., reps of corporate suppliers would stop by the office with little gifts for employees, and one supplier in particular always gave calendars w/ pictures of naked women. So these calendars were all over the office!) | 16:17 |
| silbs | to be fair, that was quite a while ago and I don't think they would do that today. But it was ... interesting! | 16:17 |
| silbs | that experience was also my first management experience. I was asked to manage one of the new recruits | 16:18 |
| silbs | it was clear he wasn't really thrilled with being managed by someone he had to speak English with, and esp a woman. We struggled at first, but I eventually learned that it was because he thought it would hurt his future career | 16:19 |
| silbs | i.e., I clearly wasn't going to be around forever and he felt that he wouldn't get the same career help recognition from me as he would have from a male, Japanese manager. | 16:19 |
| silbs | I am omitting a lot from the story, but it was a learning experience for me in terms of understanding people's motivations, my own pre-conceptions, and especially the danger of only seeing what you are looking for | 16:20 |
| silbs | I left Japan after a few years, returned to the Wash, DC area and got a job with a small s/w company | 16:20 |
| silbs | at that time I really just needed a paycheck, and so while I wasn't excited about the company (a defense contractor), I decided to take the role for 6 months while I sorted out what I really wanted to do | 16:21 |
| silbs | you all know the "best laid plans.." saying, so while I planned to stay for 6 months, I stayed for 8 years | 16:21 |
| silbs | I joined as a s/w engineer, moved in to team management roles and eventually became VP of the company | 16:22 |
| silbs | that period was my "stretch role" - I want to say something about "strech roles" later on | 16:22 |
| silbs | it was during this period that I became more interested in the business element, the human elements, what it take around the technology to create a successful company, than in the s/w or technology itself | 16:23 |
| silbs | after 8 yrs, we sold that company to General Dynamics and I spent a further 2 yrs at GD | 16:24 |
| silbs | in search of a career break (remember I started that role not knowing "what I really wanted to do"!), I moved to England and studied for a yr at Oxford | 16:24 |
| silbs | following that year, I moved to London, met Mark Shuttleworth through a mutual friend, and joined Canonical about a week after meeting Mark | 16:25 |
| silbs | I joined as COO in the summer of 2004 (Canonical started in April 2004), became CEO in Mar of last year | 16:25 |
| silbs | so that's the quick summary. At the time I never really knew what I ws doing next - I wasn't one of those people with a career plan mapped out at every step of the way | 16:26 |
| silbs | but as I look back, I can see the important elements and how so much contributes to who I am and what I'm doing today. | 16:27 |
| silbs | e.g., always software at its core, international, a real interest in not just the technology for the sake of technology but how it fits in context of a larger organisation, etc | 16:27 |
| silbs | A couple more points, and then we'll do questions. There is a lot written about girls/women in science and technology. | 16:29 |
| silbs | And I don't subscribe to a single, simple theory abotu what is right or wrong or how to fix it. | 16:29 |
| silbs | I think the drivers of the current situation and the ways to change it are multi-faceted and complex. | 16:30 |
| silbs | but there are a couple things that I have read over the years, that really fits with my experience. And so I thought I would just call them out | 16:30 |
| silbs | studies show that: | 16:31 |
| silbs | - men are more confident in the work place | 16:31 |
| silbs | - women express more self doubt about their abilities | 16:31 |
| silbs | - men are more likely to apply for jobs that they know they are not fully qualified for | 16:31 |
| silbs | (sorry, I mean in comparison to women applying for jobs they know they are not fully qualified for. | 16:32 |
| silbs | I don't mean "in comparison to jobs they are qualified for") | 16:32 |
| silbs | - people doing hiring are more likely to judge men based on potential (e.g., "he's got the core skills, he could do it"), and more likely to judge women based on experience (e.g., "she's never done this before") | 16:33 |
| silbs | and, finally, that in many/most people's careers, there is a pivotal "stretch job" | 16:34 |
| silbs | this is true in many fields, not just technology. It's the job that really pushes you beyond what you've done before. | 16:34 |
| silbs | It may be an overseas assignment, cleaning up a failing project, a turnaround on a big account, managing a team of people who are doing roles that you aren't an expert in | 16:35 |
| silbs | no real pattern to what it is, but it is often a career accelerator or a missed opportunity | 16:36 |
| silbs | and for some of the reasons I mentioned above, men are more likely to get those "stretch roles" than women | 16:36 |
| silbs | (it's actually even more complicated,because these roles often happen in someone's early 30s - i.e, the years when women take time to have children) | 16:37 |
| silbs | but if I were to offer an (unsolicited advice), it would be to be open minded, to look for the stretch roles if that's what you want, to remember that you don't have to have done everything before. | 16:37 |
| silbs | I do believe that you see what you're looking for (e.g, the classic "count the basketball passes" video), and if you are open to the opportunities, you will both find them and, frankly, make them | 16:38 |
| silbs | okay, that's all I wanted to say. Questions? | 16:39 |
| ClassBot | mhall119 asked: What was the hardest part about transitioning from a s/w developer into a management role? | 16:39 |
| silbs | for me, it was learning to not solve all the problems myself. | 16:40 |
| silbs | remember, I have a strong problem-solving gene. That's what attracted me to s/w in the first place | 16:41 |
| ClassBot | Cheri703 asked: in relation to having "a real interest in not just the technology for the sake of technology but how it fits in context of a larger organisation" When seeking careers along those lines, is it more important to have a working knowledge or the degree/certification? If the degree/cert, which? from where? (are there non-graduate programs that offer the more rounded knowledge?) If the working knowledge, at what point do peopl | 16:41 |
| silbs | and you certainly solve problems as a manager, but you also have to prioritise other things around buidling an effective team | 16:41 |
| pleia2 | question cut off, continues: e consider a level of experience to be "enough"? | 16:41 |
| silbs | good question | 16:42 |
| silbs | I find having a technical background very valuable in the mgt roles (and non-technical roles) that I have done | 16:43 |
| silbs | I know many manager and other contributors in a technical environment who don't have that background and who are very effective, but if they don't have that background, they must have an affinity, an interest, a "gee, that's cool" aspect to it | 16:43 |
| silbs | i think someone for whom the technology is just another domain and might as well be flower arranging, won't be as effective | 16:44 |
| silbs | I personally don't put much weight into degrees/certification, but I do think that having something that proves your interest is important | 16:45 |
| silbs | that could be a degree, or it could be experience, etc | 16:45 |
| silbs | (I realise that it's a bit rich for me to say I don't put much stock in degrees when I have several. I am glad that I did each, but I did them for specific reasons at the time, not with the end goal of the degree) | 16:46 |
| silbs | there are certainly degree programs that offer that "well-rounded" aspect - that's one of the reasons I did the Mgt of Technology program | 16:47 |
| silbs | I wasn't interested in a Comp Sci masters | 16:47 |
| silbs | at the time I went, there were about 14 similar, interdisciplinary programs around the country | 16:47 |
| silbs | (the country = the US) | 16:47 |
| silbs | i am not up to speed on them now, but I am sure they (or others) exist | 16:48 |
| ClassBot | Pendulum asked: In your experience specifically and in your opinion about technical management in general, how important is it to have extensive programming experience when it comes to managing teams in a tech company? | 16:48 |
| pleia2 | I guess this one is sort of answered now, but anything to add? | 16:48 |
| silbs | As I said, i don't think it is critical. I think having an affinity for tech is important. One of the things that managers have to learn is that inevitably you will be asked to manage a team with skills you don't have | 16:49 |
| silbs | this usually doesn't happen in your first mgt role. Typically, new managers manage a group of people with the same skills | 16:50 |
| ClassBot | There are 10 minutes remaining in the current session. | 16:50 |
| ClassBot | catbus1 asked: Can you talk more about how you got the opportunity to transition from a tech role to mgmt role? Did you have to sell yourself very hard to prove that you had the potential? | 16:50 |
| silbs | but being a good manager means being able to understand the issues enough, and the team, and the goals and everytihng else well enough to be an effective leader without necessarily having the skills to do the work | 16:50 |
| silbs | catbus1: I was fortunate in that in my first mgt role I was asked to do manage someone, rather than my seeking it | 16:52 |
| silbs | that was teh role in Japan, and they wanted me to do it because they specifically wanted me to pass on my way of thinking to new recruits | 16:52 |
| silbs | the wanted their new star recruits to have exposure to an english speaker (not something I can take much credit for), to an American way of thinking about software (I can take a little credit for that) | 16:53 |
| silbs | so I got lucky. When I returned the US, I started again as a s/w dev and then moved into a mgt role | 16:53 |
| silbs | in that role, I did seek it | 16:53 |
| silbs | and had to interview, be selected, etc. But I was qualified, and while I hadn't managed a team before (and frankly didn't know the defense domain that well at that time), my manager made the right choice :) | 16:54 |
| ClassBot | mhall119 asked: I have a young daugher, and I know that as she grows she'll face social pressures to not be "geeky", but I want her to keep her interest in science and technology, any advice? | 16:55 |
| silbs | I was able to get that stretch role, to be judged on my potential, to learn how to lead teams for which I didn't have all the skills (e.g., I started managing the Finance dept in that company) | 16:55 |
| ClassBot | There are 5 minutes remaining in the current session. | 16:55 |
| silbs | mhall119: my best advice is to give her confidence. | 16:56 |
| silbs | to trust herself, to know what she likes (rather than others), to make decisions | 16:56 |
| silbs | easier said than done, i am sure, but that's the best I can offer! | 16:56 |
| ClassBot | JanC asked: isn't it *easier* in some ways to manage people who have different skills than your own? As in, you can't fall into the trap of wanting to do everything yourself? ☺ | 16:57 |
| silbs | JanC: I think it depends on the situation. In my current role, it is easy for me to accept that I don't have the skills that everyone in Canonical has :) | 16:57 |
| silbs | but often in a smaller team, the team is looking for and needs not just people-management but also sound technical decision-making | 16:58 |
| silbs | in many companies/teams, it is the manager who is expected to provide both of those | 16:58 |
| ClassBot | pleia2 asked: Are you a part of any technical career organizations (think USENIX, ACM) or specifically women in tech organizations (WITI, Women in Tech), do you find value in them? | 16:59 |
| silbs | in Canonical, we try to have a manager and a tech lead as different roles in order to clarify and emphasis the importance of both of those functions, and recognise that it is rare that it's the same person who is the best fit for both | 16:59 |
| silbs | we don't do that in every single team, but we do in most | 16:59 |
| silbs | pleia2: I was (and supposed I still am) in a network called Systers | 17:00 |
| ClassBot | Logs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/11/12/%23ubuntu-classroom.html | 17:00 |
| === ChanServ changed the topic of #ubuntu-classroom to: Welcome to the Ubuntu Classroom - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Classroom || Support in #ubuntu || Upcoming Schedule: http://is.gd/8rtIi || Questions in #ubuntu-classroom-chat || | ||
| silbs | very efficient classbot! | 17:01 |
| pleia2 | ah, hit the end of the hour! | 17:01 |
| silbs | I finished with | 17:01 |
| silbs | (17:00:13) silbs: I lurked on mailing lists more than particpated actively, but I found value in the lurking | 17:01 |
| pleia2 | thanks so much for joining us, this was a great session | 17:01 |
| Pendulum | silbs: Thank you! | 17:02 |
| silbs | thanks everyone, and esp to Ubuntu Women for organising this! | 17:02 |
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