Partner article
For the first time since the founding of the Wagon Montréal, we have a cohort with a majority of women. Here’s how we got there.
To have a majority of women for an intensive Web programming course is incredible! All the more so when you consider that current statistics are still far from presenting a parity situation in the technology world, both in education and in the workplace. In fact, women currently account for 20% of technology employees in Quebec.
Three years ago, at our first Wagon session in Montreal, we welcomed nine students: eight men and one woman. I realized then just how big a gap there was to be bridged. I was also convinced that we had a role to play in making the technology industry more inclusive and diverse.
Three years later, what has helped to reverse the ratio?
From words to deeds
First of all, the actions implemented in recent years by all players in the Montreal ecosystem have helped attract more women to the industry in general. Secondly, the values conveyed by our school and its community of graduates have certainly also contributed to attracting more women, as have the concrete initiatives developed to encourage them to take the plunge:
– Joining the Women in Tech Manifesto and aiming for parity at our events;
– Recruit more women to our team;
– Create programming awareness workshops for women;
– Tell the stories of the women in the Wagon.
Beyond these hypotheses, I asked four women from our current cohort what made them decide to take the plunge.
Clémence: from athletics to fashion to design to code
A top-level athlete during her university studies, Clémence studied fashion marketing and recently worked as a UI/UX Designer. She wants to become a front-end developer and launch her own startup. She explains: “I needed to improve my technical skills so that I could develop my MVP (the prototype that will enable a startup to launch its first product). I chose to do Le Wagon for the product orientation of the training, which will teach me all the steps involved in developing my application.”
Her advice for women? “I encourage them to go for it because companies are looking for new perspectives and want to diversify their teams.”
More about Clémence
Vicky: entrepreneur & designer
Vicky co-founded ctstudio, an agency that designs and sells special prints for fashion and decoration. “Creativity is nothing without technique”, she tells me. With the technical skills she learned at Le Wagon, she hopes to create new products.
Why did Vicky choose Le Wagon? “The environment is conducive to exchange and learning, and above all the training bridges the gap between theory and practice, with an emphasis on project realization.”
Her advice to women: “Learning a new language and a new way of thinking is difficult and destabilizing. But it’s a unique opportunity to understand and imagine the world around us.”
More about Vicky
Rose: from marketing to coding
After working for three years as an SEO specialist in a digital marketing agency, Rose realized that she would rather code and create websites.
“I really found myself through the values of the Wagon, especially the fact that this experience is to be lived together. It’s a school and a community that brings people together and allows us to surpass ourselves,” she explains.
Her advice to women: “It took me a year before I decided to take the plunge. What really made me decide was that I knew I’d regret not having tried. And the worst thing that could happen? Meeting new people, accessing a new network, rediscovering yourself, revealing unsuspected potential and broadening your range of skills!”
More about Rose
Laurence: demystifying programming
Laurence was an account manager at Bell before joining Le Wagon. A mother of two, she wanted to change careers to become a developer or product manager. “I wanted to demystify programming so I could better understand what developers do.”
Her advice to women: “There’s never going to be a perfect opportunity to go back to school or make a career change. So you have to seize the moment and trust yourself. The important thing is to listen to yourself and follow your path; there’s no perfect way to get where you want to be.”
More about Laurence
