Google and Fifty50
Google is one of those
companies everyone dreams about working for. We've all heard the
rumours...slippery slides, climbing walls, free meals and, my personal
favourite, their 20% projects. From the outside, the Google workplace seems
like a tech-lover's playground, but probably just out of reach for most of
us.
In 2015 I was lucky enough
to visit their office in Sydney, but only for a few days. I went to Anita Borg
ANZ Retreat. A group of women from Australia and New Zealand were able to take
part in workshops on professional development, unconscious bias, Google itself,
and ways to encourage younger students to explore technical fields.
I was, of course, impressed
by the office (though I was disappointed not to come across a single slippery
slide). Their catering facilities, onsite medical services, and spaces for
learning and sharing ideas seemed phenomenal to me.
However, I think the most
impressive thing I experienced was the energy which permeated in the workshops.
Not the energy from the Google employees, but the energy from the other
students. It was the first time I had been in a room full of (mostly) women who
were truly passionate about technology and encouraging other people to be
equally as passionate. I do have a few friends who feel the same way, but I'd
never been in a room of 25 people who were so in step before.
One of Google's great
skills is its ability to create and harness energy like that, and that's
something I wanted to bring back to ANU.
This year our new gender
equity group, Fifty50, is working to create a space that allows all of the
staff and students in the College of Engineering and Computer Science to feel
supported, enthusiastic and excited for their future. The group also hopes to
appeal to high school students thinking of studying with us. We have big plans
for networking events, mentoring programs, talks from industry, social media
awareness and workshops in schools.
It's going to be a
wonderful year for coming together, sharing ideas and supporting each other.
I’m hoping to reproduce that Google energy (admittedly in a slightly less
flamboyant way) right here at the ANU.
Emily
0 comments:
Post a Comment