It’s Time to ‘Restructure Everything’ — and Push Diversity
VMware recently held its annual Women Transforming Technology (WT2) conference, which focuses on promoting diversity and inclusion in the technology sector. As much as I’d been looking forward to attending the event — my first time — as the COVID-19 pandemic progressed, and the conference approached and became a digital event, I started wondering if I should skip it.
My days are full, juggling work, educating twin kindergarten boys from home, and coping (sometime successfully) with the existential stressors of death and global economic collapse. I know none of this is unique. And I’m extremely privileged to have a job, a healthy family, and a spouse who shoulders the burden with me — it could be much, much worse. But still, it’s exhausting, sometimes overwhelming, and lonely. Would WT2 be the best use of a full workday? Or a self-indulgent several hours that would take away from my other duties, set me behind, and add to my stress?
And with tens of thousands of people dying, and upwards of 15% of the United States’ population unemployed, does diversity and inclusion in technology even matter anymore? The short answer is yes.
