Twenty years ago, I had just left one male-dominated industry (sports broadcasting) for another (technology). Fresh into my career in Silicon Valley, I met a colleague who would change my outlook on work forever. She taught me how to handle difficult meetings, how to have fun at work, and how to approach things with a smile and always keep my cool. Tracy Eiler, now the CMO at Alation, was my mentor; I still carry her advice with me years later in my career.
As women in tech, we both needed each other — to share ideas, to talk about the struggles of being the only women in the room, and for the everyday comradery that made us feel part of something bigger. Especially during Women's History Month, I'm here to tell you that a good mentor can be life-changing and show you how to find and maintain that relationship.
Research from ISACA found that the leading barriers experienced by women in tech are lack of mentorship and lack of female role models — that's above unequal pay, gender bias, and uneven growth opportunities. But it isn't surprising when you consider that 9 in 10 workers who have a career mentor are happy in their jobs, while 4 in 10 workers without a mentor recently considered quitting, according to CNBC's 2019 Workplace Happiness survey. Throw in the fact that we are now totally isolated from our co ..
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