Think about the last time you saw a visibly pregnant engineer presenting at a conference, leading a high-profile technical project, or being publicly recognised for a significant piece of work. It is rare, is it not?

There is a well-documented pattern of women leaving the tech industry around their mid-thirties – which, for many, coincides precisely with becoming a mother. According to a 2023 report by the Fawcett Society, women in STEM are more likely to leave the industry than their male counterparts, and caring responsibilities are consistently cited as a major factor. The pipeline does not just leak: it is being punctured at a very specific moment.

I had originally applied through the sponsored route, where a company supports you through the programme and you join them in a tech role at the end.  I made it through to the video interview stage, and got rejected at that point.

However, a few weeks later, I got a call from Code First Girls and they offered to sponsor me directly. It was a different path to the one I had imagined, but I said yes.

And honestly? It was one of the best decisions I have made. The CFGdegree gave me the skills, the confidence, and the credibility to make a real career change into tech. I graduated with a Distinction!

Here is why completing the CFGdegree, even without a sponsor, is a strong signal to employers:

• It shows real passion and dedication. Choosing to study for 16 weeks almost daily demonstrates that you are driven and able to learn independently, it is a highly transferable skill for any software engineering role.
• Team projects mirror real industry experience. Engineers spend a significant amount of time collaborating and communicating. The group project work in CFGdegree reflects that reality closely.
• CFG is a recognised, trusted brand. A long list of amazing companies understand the value of the CFGdegree and actively partner with Code First Girls.

Jump ahead to the 19th century and we come across Nettie Stevens, who discovered the XY sex-determination system through her research into mealworms. Through this work, Stevens provided critical evidence for chromosomal theories of inheritance.

Thomas Hunt Morgan, a distinguished geneticist of the time, was credited with her work, and Nettie only received wider recognition in the late 1990s when she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. Her story is another example of how contributions from women in STEM have historically been overlooked.

My introduction to tech came through curiosity rather than a clear plan. I came across SQL while exploring ways to understand data more effectively and decided to give it a try. I started learning through YouTube tutorials and simple practice exercises, and very quickly, I was hooked. For the first time in a long while, learning felt exciting again. I loved the problem solving aspect of SQL and the way data could be used to answer real world questions. It gave me a sense of control and creativity that I had been missing. What started as casual learning soon became something more serious.

Fairness in AI means the development and design of AI systems that support equitable treatment for all individuals and groups. Fairness is something that shouldn’t be an afterthought when designing AI systems. It’s a crucial part of design that should be considered at the start of your project. 

Here are a few principles you could apply to any AI project :

• Define fairness goals early. Decide early what fairness means in your context. Is it equal opportunity for across groups? Minimising disparities in error rates?
• Build with diverse personas in mind. In my own project, I completed research and a thematic analysis of literature to build four diverse personas. This helped keep inclusivity front and centre.
• Involve end users in testing and feedback loops. Fairness is best evaluated with the people who will actually use or be affected by the system.

Now you know what it is – how do we actually tackle it?

Tech is broader than most people realise. While coding skills matter, the tech industry needs diverse skills and perspectives. UX design, product management, cybersecurity strategy, content creation, and tech governance are all crucial areas within tech that thrive from different perspectives and experiences.

Students are increasingly experimenting with AI, and there’s a clear rise in LLMs being used for assignments and homework. Sometimes that means clever prompting to help structure an essay, other times it’s building a study guide, testing knowledge with quizzes or generating revision materials. And it’s not limited to STEM, students in subjects like English, Geography and History are also embracing these tools.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom about students “cheating.” AI has the potential to support ethical, effective learning in areas like:

• Intelligent tutoring: LLMs can provide personalised feedback and support i.e. personalised quizzes, feedback and revision guides

• Chatbots: chatbots can offer instant clarification of tricky concepts

• Summarisation & translation: AI systems can be used (either via inbuilt in lecture recordings or copying transcripts) to summarise lecture materials into concise notes, or translate them into a student’s first language

After many interviews and a steep learning curve, I pivoted into tech as an Agile Delivery Manager at a challenger bank. The role was challenging but rewarding, and I even completed a Scrum Master certification to strengthen my foundation.

It was during this time that my interest in product management began to grow. My boss recommended “Inspired” by Marty Cagan, which is often called the bible of product management, and as I read about product thinking and customer-centric approaches, I had a lightbulb moment. Running my online shoe store had actually been a form of product management: both were about solving customer problems and delivering the best possible experience.

For four years, I worked as an Agile Delivery Manager, collaborating with product and engineering teams to deliver effectively. I focused on building sustainable team culture, keeping everyone informed about potential blockers, and managing changes in business objectives. I loved working in the background to enable my teams’ success, but I couldn’t shake the growing interest in product management.

It’s true that mastering technical skills like coding is essential for an engineering role, however it’s easy to overlook how valuable your existing soft skills are. Creativity, communication, empathy and problem-solving are equally as important. Here are some of the transferable skills from my previous career that I still use everyday:

📌 User-Centered Design

My experience in fashion gave me a strong understanding of how to balance design and usability, with the end user in mind. Now, I apply that same approach to front-end development, instead swapping fabric for code and garments for digital products.

📌 Detail-Oriented

As a designer, getting the details right made all the difference. Creating accurate technical packs with precise measurements was key to successful production. Today, that same attention to detail shapes my work, through detailed code reviews and a focus on code quality.

📌 Creative Problem Solving

Fashion design taught me to think laterally and approach problems from a new angle. I now apply that same mindset to coding, tackling challenges with a fresh perspective.

📌 Adaptability & Iterative Thinking

Great products don’t happen overnight, they are shaped through prototyping, feedback and continuous improvement. This approach is key in both fashion and software development, where agile practices help teams to stay flexible, learn quickly and build solutions that truly meet the users needs.

📌 Collaboration & Communication

Building a successful product requires a strong team. In my previous role, I worked closely with buyers, merchandisers and designers to bring ideas to life. This experience taught me the value of clear communication and teamwork. Today, those same skills help me collaborate effectively with technical architects, UX designers and solution designers to create digital products.