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Discussion on: Nevertheless, Kayla Coded

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wolfhoundjesse profile image
Jesse M. Holmes

I just read your sentence out loud to my partner, "… the only option known when I was in high school in …," and I asked her to fill in the blank. She said, "I want to say 1960s, but I feel like you're about to tell me it's later than that." She grew up and attended school in Liberty, Missouri, a suburb of Kansas City.

I never heard of getting a "Mrs Degree" because I attended a special high school for nerds, and it was just expected that we would all go on to college and change the world someday.

I imagine I'm in a club with other men who have previously been oblivious to gender (and otherwise) bias due to any number of factors, including being a man and developing a value system that sees men and women as equal partners in this short trip we're all on. In spite of how I feel, the longer I'm involved in this industry, the more I am aware of my own actions and whether or not they are in line of what I proclaim my values to be.

intent != impact

I'll never be perfect, but I can always be better. Thanks for writing this and informing me that this mindset—a world without options—is still being propagated in schools. We've come a long way, but we obviously still have a long way to go.

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itsasine profile image
ItsASine (Kayla)

Intent is more than half the battle and is absolutely valued and better than none :) I can see the intent behind companies making initiatives to support women and non-binary folks in tech, but I don't have much faith in the impact it will have without targetting rural and other poorer areas. You very succulently helped explain and expand upon my rambles!