The Adventures of Women in Tech

Book excerpt: Can women have meaningful careers in tech? Are diversity efforts in Silicon Valley failing? Should women avoid working for technology companies? Alana Karen was annoyed every time she saw the latest headline questioning women's survival in tech. She pictured a new graduate deciding on her career and only having one-sided articles to help make her decision. She saw colleagues roll their eyes at books about C-level women in tech and heard jokes about how inaccessible those stories sounded. She wondered how women could feel like they belonged if they didn't see themselves reflected in the media. Inspired by women she knows in tech—women with diverse backgrounds, education, and ambitions—she wrote The Adventures of Women in Tech to fill that gap. A twenty-year tech company veteran and leader, Alana Karen brilliantly and systematically replaces what we think we know about women in tech with more than eighty women's stories of what it's honestly like to join, lead, and thrive in today's top technology companies. The Adventures of Women in Tech delves into why we join tech, the challenges we face, and the skills and support we need to succeed and stay in an often challenging environment. In twelve chapters filled with intimate stories, insights, and advice from women working in technology companies and start-ups, Alana Karen demonstrates that we all belong in tech.