About the Women in Tech group hub

[Vivien Chia]

Hello! We are thrilled to have you here!

We launched a #CommunityPoll on social media in April 2024 asking, “Which initiative do you think would MOST effectively increase gender diversity in #STEM?” 

 And the response shown: 

* Mentoring/talent programs = 48%  

* Diversity hiring goals = 15%  

* lnclusive culture initiatives = 14%   

* Supportive communities = 23%   

 [Source: LinkedIn | X/Twitter] 

 

With your feedback in mind, we’ve created this a dedicated space for the women in networking, cybersecurity, IT, AI etc. 

What’s the hub for? 

Our mission: 

• Connect the like-minded people for professional networking. 

• Foster on-going peer support on common challenges and exchange ideas. 

• Equip and support you to contribute your technical expertise on Cisco Community portal e.g. answering questions, creating content, participating in Ask Me Anything (AMA), co-hosting Community Live events to help build your personal brand. 

• Recognize our top female Community contributors through our member recognition programs: Cisco Designated VIP | Hall of Fame | Spotlight Awards | Event Top Contributors 

• Empower you to give back by mentoring others and becoming the advocate for women in tech! 

• Showcase and amplify your technical content on our social channels: LinkedIn | Facebook | X/Twitter | Instagram 

How to get started? 

A few ideas: 

• Introduce yourself 

• Ask a pressing question*  

• Start a discussion about daily challenges, e.g. work-life balance, wellbeing 

• Share personal journey, learning or success story 

• Exchange Community experiences, best practices in creating content and build personal brand 

 *Note: To get your troubleshooting question(s) answered faster, post them under the ‘Technology & Support' forums of the relevant architecture. 

To kick things off, we would like to share some Cisco and latest Community resources you might have missed—explore, bookmark and share! 

•  Cisco Women Rock-IT program 

Celebrating its 10th year in 2024, Cisco Networking Academy’s Women Rock-IT program is a global initiative aimed at closing the gender gap in the technology industry by encouraging young women to pursue careers in tech. 

Since 2014, over 2 million participants have joined a live broadcast and 870,000 participants have enrolled in a Cisco Networking Academy course. Learn more. 

>> Women Rock-IT blog series 

>> Women Rock-IT past presentations and recordings 

>> Cisco Networking Academy courses: Online! Free! 

>> International Girls in ICT Day 2024 | [new!] 2025

>> Women Rock-IT Brasil | Cisco Community Group Hub 

• Ask Me Anything: Kathy New & Maren Mahoney (Community VIPs) | [new!] Kanyatta Walker (Cisco VP, Legal Operations and Tech Solutions) | [new!] Annie Hardy (Cisco Global AI Architect)
• Spanish Women of Cisco | Claudia Lazo, Ana Montenegro and Kassandra Hernandez: English | Español  
• Comunidade Feminina de TI de Angola agora na Comunidade Cisco: Português 
• Meet Elaine Santos: Read (English) | Watch (Português)
• [new!] Portuguese Women of Cisco and Women Rock-IT Brasil: English | Português
• [new!] Bridging the gap: The journey of women from Angola
• Women in Networking and Programmability Community: The place on the Cisco Learning Network for women to connect and discuss topics related to certifications, networking, automation, and programmability. Learn more.

>> Beyond the Router: Par Merat Spotlights Trailblazing Women in Networking & Podcast

>> Insider Baseball: Exam Taking Tips from an Insider Perspective… Just for Fun!

>> Women's History Month: Podcast Episode 40 | Micheline Murphy 

>> Women's History Month: Podcast Episode 34 | Aseel Othman 

>> International Women's Day: Podcast Episode 36 | Huma Hamid

>> Earning Certifications and Learning as a Team | The Olivia Wolf Story 

>> I'm Not an Imposter! Are You an Imposter? We Are Not Imposters!

• Career stories: Women of Cisco | Cisco Women in Tech | Cisco Women in Cybersecurity 
  
• [new!] #WomenInTech fireside chats: Noelle Allon (Sr Security Engineer) | Kelly Pack (Sr Systems Engineer)

Help close the gender gap in tech: 

Connect. Share. Celebrate. Advocate. 

*Join or start a discussion today!*

[Kathy N.]

Thank you @Vivien Chia for creating a place for women to support and mentor others.  I got into technology later in my career but found I was able to thrive in the tech field in my local school district.  I had a customer service/marketing background with a little bit of technical software support and training that led me to my current position.  I was a traditional telephone person but when vendors began to present information about SIP and IP phones, I went back to school and took additional network communication and security to get a Network Communications degree.  I also got a Converged Technologies Professional certification.  I believe my background has given me a unique skill set where I can work, design and administer technical systems but also provide training and support for users to make it simple to understand in non-tech language.

My personal learning style isn't to study and read but instead see real-world examples so the Cisco Community is great for me.  The questions, answers and observations that are posted help me to not only understand how systems work but provide information about how other customers use the system and troubleshoot issues.  These insights provide knowledge for me to help provide solutions for my organization that aren't always included in the traditional documentation.  I encourage everyone to take advantage of the community to not only post questions but to review other posts.  They are a great learning tool.

I also see quite a few posts from people that ask is it best to get a degree or certifications.  Personally I believe you need a combination of the two.  Getting a college degree has more advantages than just the accredidation.  It shows employers that you can complete a "long-term project."  It also provides social and study skills that will help you in the future.  Most college courses require you to work with others, often with people that you may disagree with.  These social skills will help you in the work force.  The study skills you learn will help you as you work on projects and keep up-to-date with technology.  Most college courses will also provide opportunities to use the course-work you completed as a base to get certifications.  Certifications are important in technology as they show employers you have additional skill sets in that specific area.  Employers will use those when they evaluate applications.  An applicant that has a degree and certifications in the area they are applying for have an advantage over an applicant that has just a degree or just certifications. 

I'm going to wrap up this post with a question.  If you could provide advice for someone else, what would you suggest would be the single most important thing they could do to advance their career?

[Dipal Thakkar]

Thank you so much, @Vivien Chia  and Cisco, for starting this wonderful initiative where people like me can share their journeys and find inspiration from one another.

My journey began when I started studying for my bachelor's in Information Technology. As a teenager, I was inspired by CCNPs around me, which motivated me to explore Cisco technologies. With a dream of diving deeper into this field, I embarked on my CCNA studies.

After a year, I moved to Australia to pursue a Master's in Information Technology, opening a new chapter of my life at La Trobe University. During this time, I was inspired by one of Cisco's VIPs to delve further into Cisco technologies. This encouragement led me to expand my horizons, learning different programming languages, utilizing APIs, and automating mundane tasks—a step that truly transformed my approach to technology.

While at La Trobe, I had the incredible opportunity to attend Cisco Live, where I connected with industry professionals and deepened my knowledge. This journey has not only strengthened my passion for Cisco technologies but also fueled my dream of inspiring more women to pursue careers in technology.

Thank you, @Vivien Chia, for creating this platform and helping me move one step closer to my dream of working closely with Cisco.