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I've been working in tech for 18 years and that's a load of crap.
Ive been working in IT since the days of WFWG 3.11/Novell 4 (~ 1992) so give or take 22 years. Its certainly true in my experience, yours may be different.
Do you really think things would be egalitarian or fair in a woman's world or being part of an old girls club?
Nope - that's the whole point - hopefully more professions will approach an approximately 50/50 proportion so there will be no old boys OR old girls club...get it?
Nope - that's the whole point - hopefully more professions will approach an approximately 50/50 proportion so there will be no old boys OR old girls club...get it?
Hard to go anywhere near 50% when so few women are interested in IT.
In general I think gender discrimination is a small factor, what really matters is if you got the skills they need. Also gender discrimination goes both ways.
I'm a woman too and I support your desire to get the money you want. Just don't price yourself out of the running before getting an offer.
I don't think that was the situation there. When they said they would give me the job, somebody called me to discuss my salary. Did this count as the offer? After we agreed upon a salary, they sent the paperwork over and I signed it, agreeing to accept employment. At the time they called me was when we had to discuss salary. I couldn't wait until I signed the form, and THEN asked for higher. I already agreed to that rate.
Was this the first interview? Was it with an HR person? IMO, you jumped the gun by discussing salary too early in the process. Get them interested in you where they make an offer, then discuss the salary details.
I don't think that was the situation there. When they said they would give me the job, somebody called me to discuss my salary. Did this count as the offer? After we agreed upon a salary, they sent the paperwork over and I signed it, agreeing to accept employment. At the time they called me was when we had to discuss salary. I couldn't wait until I signed the form, and THEN asked for higher. I already agreed to that rate.
Well, there you have it.
Had nothing to do with your vagina.
Had everything to do with your negotiation skills.
It also sounds like you have no confidence and just wanted the first job that someone offered you. That's a huge red flag in the STEM world. Good STEM workers are in HIGH demand and know their worth.
I recently applied for an IT job with a top hospital in Colorado. The job is entry level but the pay is way better than what I'm making at my current job. Here are the conditions that were on the job posting;
Min Wage: $ 18:24 Mid Wage : $ 20.58 Max Wage: $24.78
I felt the interview went well until they asked me about wages. I stated my desired pay is $20 dollars an hour, based on the fact that I have an associates degree in computer science and 1 year of experience in two positions. The female interviewer basically went on to tell my my year of experience is not worth that much.
She said my experience and degree is worth $17 or $18 which is below the listed min pay in the ad. I asked her if they factored education and experience into the pay. She did not answer. I do not think I was overly aggressive. I was polite and kind. I told her I'd be willing negotiate on that number. In my mind, anything below $ 19 an hour would not have been enough incentive for me to leave my job where i'm making $16.50.
I feel that if i were a man, me asking for a bump in pay when i clearly have exceeded whats being asked for would have gotten me the desired salary. Also, she seemed very concerned about Tech certs when this job does not require any. I have three things against me here in this field 1) being female, 2) being a minority, and 3) not having an A+ cert which equates to an IT tech who has 9 months of experience disregarding my year of actual hands on experience.
Any thoughts on a woman's pay in the IT field? Did I do something wrong here by asking for a mid range of pay?
Gender and minority status have nothing to do with it. If you have the requirements they're looking for, then you have points to negotiate.
You are over qualified for what they are looking for. With an IT degree you should not be accepting anything under $40/hr. The ad says "GED/HS and no experience or certs required". That sounds like ANYONE could do whatever job they were looking for.
I agree with this. OP, don't sell yourself short. Keep working on your certs, and looking for a better paying job where higher qualifications are needed. That's the only way to work your salary up.
I'm a woman in IT (although I'm more in software development/information system implementation) and no, I don't think our gender is the problem. Don't think I was ever paid less than my male co-workers, it was more length and breadth of experience and sometimes specific experience that was driving the compensation. But in some male dominated areas of IT being a woman _may_ make it easier to get hired, provided you are on par with your male competition, of course.
The OP has an Associates degree in IT, not a bachelors. An Associates degree really isn't worth much in the world of IT. For low end IT jobs, it's all about experience first and certs second.
OP is full of herself. It has more to do with her lack of experience and not staying in any place longer than a 6-month rental. She may have been able to get the mid-range, if she had an undergrad or 18-24 months at one place. If she don't like it, she can move on.
If I can get $20k more, I ain't taking a lowball.
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