30 Things I have Learned Before 30!

So here is my short list the things I have learned thus far, I am sure I have a lot to learn, but I look forward to that.

1.  The world is a remarkable place...  You can choose to see the good in it, or the bad;  The best in people or the worst...That is a choice.

2. The little things in life, there's nothing bigger.  Sometimes the moment that mean the most to you are not the big planned events, but the small things that happen when you least expect it.  Take care to not miss those.

3.  Sometimes when everything goes wrong, it's meant to.  For those of you who are a perfectionist/type A like me :)  You can
agree that there is something comforting about being in control of a situation, and insuring that everything goes smoothly.
What I have learned, is that is not always the case.  Some things in life you cannot avoid, and it's not about what you are faced with but how you react to it that counts.

4. Laughter is life's best medicine.   I have learned to laugh at losing my luggage, rather than letting it ruin my vacation- it ends up being a much more interesting story later on. Rolling with the punches, and turning lemons into lemonade allows you to get through most of life's strife, with a smile no less.  It also makes you much more appealing to those around you.

5. Explore- there are hidden treasures around every corner, make sure to take the time to look for them.

6.  Help Others- the feeling you get from others is mutually beneficial, and there is no better feeling than helping someone in need, and feeling like you helped make a difference in the world, or in that persons life.

7. Life is short, don't waste it dwelling in the shoulda' coulda' woulda's. Remember the experiences fondly, learn from the mistakes, take a deep breath, and turn the page.

8.  We all experience loss.  I have never been particuliarly comfortable with death, although I know it is a part of life.  My uncle Sam got a job working as a funeral limo driver, and has been to all sorts of funerals, all sorts of religions, cultures, and people.  The ones that impacted him the most, were the people who would celebrate the life of the loved ones they lost.  They would sing, and dance, and celebrate their life.  I want to celebrate the life of those I love- during their life, and after they leave this world.

9. Misery loves company- For those who choose to be miserable, I choose not to be dragged down.

10. Be a Tourist- even in your home.  I lived in NYC my whole life, and often would rush from one spot to the next, and was guilty of rolling my eyes at the people who slowed me done.  The day I found out I was moving to NC, I was with three College friends, none of which lived in NY.  As I hurried along, I looked back at my friends lagging behind, and said what are you looking at?  They said- "We are just looking".  That was the first time, I really STOPPED and LOOKED at the home I spent 21 years living in without a real glimpse.  I made sure from that day forward to truly experience every aspect of my "home" no matter where it may be.

11. We can sometimes be our own worst critics.  Don't be so harsh on yourself. Take the time to love yourself.  You need to love you, and be complete and whole, before anyone else can compliment that.  You matter most, and there is nothing in the world more real than the freedom you feel once you have come to completely love yourself.

12.  Don't judge a book by it's cover.  Cliche as it is- it always holds true.

13. Take responsibility for your actions; if you are wrong, say you are sorry and MEAN it. If you are blaming someone else, stop.  No one is stifling you except yourself, and if you think otherwise: Who do you think controls your actions, your thoughts, and your patterns? You do! Stop being the victim and start being the solution.

14.  ALWAYS tell the truth. The truth always comes out in the end, and nobody likes a Liar.

15.  Stove Theory- 2 strike rule.  The first time you burn your hand on a stove- that's not your fault.  You didn't know what it was, or how hot it was. If you now know it's hot, and keep sticking your hand on the stove, at a certain point the fault lands back on you.  It's okay to forgive somebody once, but don't expect to change the spots on a leopard. If people show you who they are, BELIEVE THEM.

16.  We never know what goes on in the hearts, minds, and homes, of people we encounter.  Cut them some slack, and grant people the benefit of doubt.

17.  Prioritize your day by starting with the most critical things on your list.  You may not finish everything, but it will give you ease to know you have knocked off the most important things first.

18.  A smile is universal.  Despite are differences, We all are the same- deep down.

19.  Children and Animals are angels (some are just covered in fur).  They deserve to be treasured.  They love unconditionally, trust without cause, and forgive without anger or pause.  I aspire to be more like them.

20.  Do some form of "fun fitness" at least 30 min a day- minimum.  Endorphines are good for the mind, body, and soul.

21.  Oxygen Mask= "YOU TIME"!  In the event of a plane emergency, they tell you to put the oxygen on your own face before you help anyone else. The same is true in "real life" and this is NOT Selfish.  Make sure to take the time to take care of yourself.  It will make you a better partner, spouse, parent, employee, boss etc.

22.  Everything in moderation.  If you want to treat yourself, do so- but remember life is about balance.

23.  Find a new hobby.   Every so often I throw myself into something completely foreign, and fun.  You're never too old to learn something new.  If you have a hidden passion, you have always wanted to  pursue- do so!  Find a local class, learn a new language, start swing dancing, learn how to decorate a cake... Why wait? Start today!

24.  Call me frugal, but I think everything has some room for negotiation.  Worst that can happen, people will say no.  I have even gotten Hot Dog Salesman to sell me a hot dog in Manhattan for a $1 (Brooklyn Pricing) instead of $3 (Manhattan Touristy Pricing)-  I grew up in Brooklyn, come on now, you know it's the same Hot Dog :)

25.  Save for a rainy day.  Now more than ever, you can see the importance of saving.  Force yourself to put a certain amount away every month.  If you don't see it, you won't spend it.  You will thank yourself later.

26.  Put yourself in uncomfortable (not dangerous) situations.  People resist change, but sometimes the best things come from removing yourself from your comfort zone.

27.  Trust your gut. Human Instincts are absolutely incredible, and we should do our best not to supress the most natural of reflexes.

28.  One of my favorite quotes is, "Pray to God but row away from the rocks"- Native Amerian Proverb.  I think it is important to create your own destiny, or at least do your best to avoid disasterous situations.

29.  You have one body, it is your temple.  Treasure it, take care of it, exercise it, challenge it, fuel it and most importantly- love it.  Even more important, love what's on the inside as well!

30.  This is my personal most important.  Live like you are dying!  Why?  We all are- hopefully many years from now, but none of us know for sure until... Don't wait for that moment.  Don't keep putting off things you want to do, places you want to see, things you want to say.  Say them, do them, live them- now- before it's too late.  As Jonathon Swift so eloquently said, "May you LIVE all the days of your LIFE".

When do the "Young" become "Old"?

"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter" 

-Mark Twain

As I approach the rite of passage into another decade (my third for those wondering), I say a fond farewell to my twenties and hello to life in my thirties.  As often occurs when one approaches a milestone birthday one re-evaluates their life.  One reflects on their past, what have they accomplished?  What mistakes have they made which they can learn from?  What do they hope to achieve in the future?

Jay, my boyfriend and "partner in crime" has two daughters who I adore, ages 15 and 12 years old.  The movie "Ghost" came up, and they looked in awe, and I said, "you know, Patrick Swayze {still nothing} Dirty Dancing {pondering} "Nobody puts baby in a corner!".  I was greeted with blank stares, and then finally a collective "Who's that?".  It was then that it hit me (along with shock and appall)....  I am older than the young, and younger than the... wise ;) I am in "middle land".  So when do those considered young, get considered old?

I do not feel old, but I do not feel young.  Those older than me often scoff when I say that- perhaps they forget what it felt like to be this age; or perhaps when I am their age I will perform the same obligatory action. I suppose I have nothing else to compare it to... yet.  As that day of my birth passes, I never feel  a sudden surge of feeling "older", rather hopefully wiser, and more experienced with each passing year.

In the beginning, there was me

When I was born my mom would often joke and say I was 5 going on 50. I suppose you can say I was born an old soul trapped in a young body.  I spent my child hood growing up quickly on the city streets of Brooklyn, to a single mom who raised me alone.  I started working when I was 14; I was also born with a heart condition and the knowledge I would need open heart surgery since I was two.  That knowledge changes your perspective on death, and more importantly life at a very early age...  Sometimes depending on your life you  simply grow up faster than others I suppose.   I have always tried to live "in the moment", to "be present" and make the most of each and every single day.

Babci when she was a Young girl

My beloved grandma "Babci" and my Baby Boy Luka

My grandmother used to say, "In my heart I still feel like I am sixteen years old, and then I look in the mirror and scream, 'Yikes who is that women with all the wrinkles looking back at me'"?

 I have spent much of my life around seniors (my beloved grandmother, great aunts and uncles, and volunteering at nursing homes and adult homes).  I always found it so sad how people would grow old, and the majority never had any visitors.  I would go paint their nails and fix their hair, sit and talk, but more importantly- I would listen.  They were filled with so much wisdom and experience, stories of  generations long gone by and forgotten.  We all will be, someday.  "The meaning of life is the impact we have on others" Jay often says, and I could not agree more.  Their stories hopefully will get passed down from generation to generation.  I know I cherished the time I spent with them, and the beautiful memories they shared with me.

"Grandma" Annie,  my grandmothers roommate.  I still go visit her  after my Grandma passed away.
Pink is her fav color too! :)

Now with things like Social Media, and the Cloud, we are entering a very new and unprecedented arena.  We can capture, store,and save things unlike anytime before in history.  My sister will be creating a Facebook page dedicated for her daughter (who is due on my birthday :)).  She will be able to "virtually scrap book"  her entire life through pictures, special events and a timeline of her life. What an incredible time in history that such a thing is even possible.

My Mom and my Aunt Chris as Little Girls

With aps like "Memo Lane" we can get emails about our history for the last few years.  Imagine how amazing it would be if you can carry those memories from one generation to the next, "Michelle, on this day in history 65 years ago your Grandfather proposed to your Grandmother under the Board Walk in Coney Island NY... than they shared a chilli cheese dog". :)  We can virtually document and store our thoughts, our pictures, our lives forever more.  When my grandmother passed away, I got all of her albums ( I love pictures, because I feel like they capture memories in time).  I scanned them all in and shared them to FB.  I tagged all of my relatives, their children, and grand children.  My uncle Eddie was turning 75 and had never seen them, and it made him cry with happiness to see all of the pictures of time gone by, and memories long forgotten.  This is the power of the internet.

My grandmothers wedding day

As time goes by, I will forever be grateful for the time I have on this earth (however long it may be),  the lessons I learn along the way , and the memories I make with each passing year.  I am compiling a list of the 30 lessons I have learned in my 30 years on earth (short or long as you deem them to be).  I will be sharing them on my Birthday-May 7, and that too will go into the virtual land of memories which I can reflect on with passing years, and decades.  Long after I am gone from this earth, maybe my great grand-kids can open up my blog and read what their grandma once looked like, thought and felt before she was old... or at least wrinkly :)

Who is Michelle Ragusa?

Well, here is my 2 minute Video Blog Synopsis! :)

Who runs the world... girls?

Who Runs the World...Girls!

I am a fan of the iconic "Independent Woman" Beyonce and her latest creation- the epic pop video Runs the World (Girls) [music video link above].   CBS News was also smitten as they stated: “We got to hand it to Beyonce, she’s asking the right question: Who will run the world? She’s got the right answer too… Girls! … ".  Hopeful reviews, but the the question lies is that the case?

Stereotypes of the perception of women of yester year can be evidenced by stories passed down, and brought to life on the hit TV Sitcom Mad Men.  These images cause many to reflect on the fact that only 50 years ago, women in business were almost exclusively  telephone operators and/or secretaries – and many generally stayed in those jobs only until they got married. In the mid 1960s, only about 35% of women worked, and only 1 in 50 working women held managerial or professional jobs. "The grandmothers and grandfathers of the young women coming into the work force today expected that women, if they worked at all, would be secretaries, nurses, teachers, librarians, or possibly factory workers, and that they would only work if they “had” to – that is, if they didn’t have husbands who could be the family breadwinner" Forbes contributor Erika Andersen references in her very thought provoking analysis on women leaders which I will discuss momentarily.  

That image of women can be debated when you look at these first professional pioneers:  full-time computer programmers who were all women,  hired for their math skills no less. "In 1942, when computers were human and women were underestimated, a group of female mathematicians helped win a war and usher in the modern computer age. Seventy years later their story has finally been told".  Please check it out here, Top Secret Rosies.  Thanks so much for my dear friend Karl Palachuk, for opening my eyes to their story.

So what has changed in present day society?  According to Charlotte Beers, Research still shows that women of equal or superior qualifications are still less likely to run for senior positions, as compared to men with far inferior qualifications.  My last two blogs Chic and Geek, and Talk Nerdy to Me show the challenges women face in IT.  This infographic did a WONDERFUL job of collaborating all of that information and showing why we NEED more women in Tech, and signs of hope that interest is growing!  You need to see this:  Infographic on Women in Technology!

This got me thinking, was it just technology where women were less dominant or less likely to succeed in leadership positions-- what about a bigger picture?   If we take a look at government or legislature, would that show a more promising picture?

Maine Senator Olympia Snowe's retirement announcement was more than just a potential loss for the GOP (Republian Party), but it also gleamed as another reminder of how few women reach positions of leadership in American Government.  Let's get a visual by looking at the stats:

17 % Women in the Senate and House of Rep

9% of Mayors of the 100 Largest US Cities are Women

24% Women in State Legislatures

12% Women Governors; that's only six out of 50!

3 Female Supreme Court Justices (out of 9)

That certainly does not seem like a lot of female representation.  In fact, America ranks 71st behind Bangladesh, Sudan, and the United Arab Emirates for Female Representation world wide!

Well that was a bit of a surprise, so I began pondering Where do American Women rank in the world?  Here are some stats that surprised me, and perhaps will surprise you as well.

Why is this the case?  Are women not good leaders?  On the contrary, not according to Forbes recent article by Erika Andersen, entitled: The Results Are In: Women Are Better Leaders; based upon a research study evaluation by Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkmanthey of 7,280 leaders in 2011.

They studied a wide spectrum of leaders in a variety of positions – from ‘individual contributor' all the way up to the very senior management and top C Level Execs.  In the study, they asked others to rate the leaders in 16 leadership competencies.  "According to the data shared in the article, they found that women out-scored men in all but one of the 16 competencies, and in 12 of the 16, the women were better by a significant margin". And, in the words of Zenger and Folkman, “two of the traits where women outscored men to the highest degree — taking initiative and driving for results — have long been thought of as particularly male strengths.”  That was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to interesting finds in favor of women leaders.

My past research was verified in this study,  as predicted there were more males:females in the study, with the imbalance increasing at the higher levels, as is the case in most corporations – at the highest level, a whopping 78% of the mangers were men.   Here is where the surprise came in- the women were seen as better leaders at every level. In Zenger and Folkman’s words: “…at every level, more women were rated by their peers, their bosses, their direct reports, and their other associates as better overall leaders than their male counterparts — and the higher the level, the wider that gap grows.”

This interesting study by Zenger and Folkman seems to demonstrate pretty robustly that women are seen as better leaders than men by those around them.  Additionally, there are other studies indicating that companies that have a higher representation of women in management ranks are more profitable and have higher employee productivity. And yet – statistically, and sadly, only 33 of the Fortune 1,000 are headed by women. 

Mrs. Anderson presents the ever pressing question we are all wondering, "So, what’s the deal?  Why are women still so woefully under-represented, especially at the most senior levels?"  What can we do to change the statistics, and give women a more equitable – and, according to Zenger and Folkman, well-deserved – shot at the corner office?

According to the aforementioned infographic by IT Manager Daily, here are just some of the reasons they gave for why we need more women in Tech- but the same great traits, characteristics and principals can be said for having women in leadership in all careers. 

 This should not be looked at as a pursuit of women to take away men's jobs, but rather improve the overall equality, and good of the organization which can benefit from the above-mentioned qualities:  helping to diversify intelligence, creativity, collaboration, and provide a fresh new unique way of looking at situations.  After all, this picture really resonated with me.  There is a picture of a man marching with a group of women, and he is holding a sign that says the most brilliant and honest statement I have ever seen:  " Men of Quality Are Not Threatened By Women for Equality"

Infographic on Women in Technology

Women in Technology: Triumphs and Barriers

Can women succeed in IT?

Women have recently taken several notable positions at the forefront of big tech companies. Unfortunately, they remain the exception to the rule. Statistically, and sadly, only 33 of the Fortune 1,000 are headed by women. 

Learn about the presence – or lack thereof – of women in technology, from dismal numbers to inspiring success stories and resources for supporting ambitious, tech-minded women thanks to the awesome infographic by IT Manager Daily!

Check out more at: IT Manager Daily homepage (http://www.itmanagerdaily.com/) or infographic page (http://www.itmanagerdaily.com/women-in-technology-infographic/).

Chic and Geek

A beautiful blue eyed blonde and a quiet Indian man walk into an office.  I know this sounds like the beginning of a joke or a limerick, but please bear with me... The CEO and CIO greets them both with a smile and a handshake.  They start talking about the vision of their company, and what keeps them up at night as they work to achieve it.  As they start to discuss their internal network, the focus of their eyes goes immediately towards the young man.  They get in the weeds talking about stackable 3750 chassis switches, backwards wireless compatibility of  802.11 N vs G, ASA Security devices, and redundant routing within their network... as his eyes glaze over.  ::Gulp:: Clears throat:: "Ahem, great questions" he says with a sheepish grin, "you might want to ask our engineer".  She smiles proudly.

This is not a made up tale ladies and gentleman, this is a true story of the accounts of one of my dear friends, and one of the few, and proud, female Cisco Engineers.  She and I were in the ASR/ASE program together over 8 years ago at Cisco for technical boot camp into the world of Sales and Technology.  For over eight years she has been a proud engineer with Cisco.  Often upon walking into a board room, or cold call unfortunately,  without knowing roles they automatically default to her male counterpart to answer the tough technical questions.  Little do they know they are about to be schooled by the elite knowledge and expertise of what I affectionately call, a chic geek.

In my last blog Talk Nerdy to Me I discussed my personal story and some interesting stats of women in IT.  I have been nominated for the esteemed honor of being considered one of the SMB150. Shameless plug-  I would love if you could Please Vote for Me Here :).  I could not possibly be any happier, as I have extreme respect and admiration for SMB Nation, and all of the Nominees.  For those who don't know (get out from under a rock! hehe) SMB Nation is a publishing and events company, targeted at the small and medium business (SMB) channel partner/reseller/consulting/VAR community. SMB Nation spreads the knowledge of SMB technology trends through its conferences, books, SMB PC magazine, online services, and world-wide seminars, workshops and accredited.  They are truly a fabulous organization!

Unfortunately, I was remiss to see the stats on how out numbered women were in the competition?  Is that a reflection of women in IT over all?   It inspired me to do some research, but to be fair I wanted to expand to all top tech competitions.  A clear and evident truth is women are outnumbered in the techie world, those facts and figures were illustrated by the lack of representation of women, and the decline in the past decade- details and stats in Talk Nerdy To Me).  However the question arises, are the ladies who ARE involved fairly represented?  Do women get an equal shot at leadership positions (not BECAUSE they are a woman, but in spite of it)?  We can cast opinions and speculations but let's let the facts speak for themselves.

I looked at four overall, but the first one I looked at of course was SMB150, and found the following stats for this year:

It appears ladies, we are substantially out numbered in every single category. This year out of 328 nominees 32 were women, about 10%.   I was compelled to look at the previous year, I could not see all of the nominees but out of 150 winners, 18 women were represented, just over 11%. Was this a common trend?  I needed to dig deeper...

Next I looked as MSPmentor 250, the annual look at the executives, entrepreneurs, experts, coaches and community leaders shaping the global managed services market.  MSPmentor, produced by Nine Lives Media, defines themselves as "the ultimate guide to managed services and the leading global destination for managed service providers".  A well respected collection of media reporters, who self admittedly "cover the news, the gossip and the speculation — responsibly" with a focus on the entire MSP community.  I personally am a huge fan of all they have done in our IT Community, and an avid reader.

I searched hopefully through the 52 pages of esteemed names and winners.  You can imagine my surprise when I realized out of 250 people, out of all of the vast categories, there were 18 women represented as a leader in the MSP global managed service arena in 2011, approximately 7%.  That was a slight improvement from the 14 listed  in 2010- approximately 5% of the winners. I asked the obvious questions, Are women not active in this community?  Do women not make leadership positions to obtain this viability?  This calls for some more research I thought.

The quest to find successful women who were recognized went north of the border. CDN Computer Dealer News, eh ;)  Each year CDN, Canada's No. 1 IT channel publication, selects the leading executives and one news trend that made the biggest impact on the channel. Out of the top 25 news makers in 2010- 4 were women, 20 men, and there was 1 issue (but at 16% that is the highest thus far).  In 2011  they raised in the categories of men and issues:  with two men on one slide, they squeezed in one extra bonus gentleman, and went up to 2 issues.  Unfortunately, only 3 women made the list (down one from the year before), however compared to the other statistics, that is still high at 12%.  In defense of CDN, the number one news maker, and the person who got this cover was in fact a woman!  Huge congratulations to Leyland Brown of HP Canada and for CDN to recognize her incredible achievements!

Women managed to go down in a year over year analysis

I wasn't going to give up hope, there had to be some more ladies somewhere out there.  The search continued with the CRN Channel Chiefs for 2012.  CRN is considered one of the top news sources for solution providers and the IT channel, providing up-to-date technology news, IT vendor and product reviews, channel partners.  Out of 250 Channel Executives, 32 fantastic ladies were represented (13%) , a slight raise compared to 29 represented in 2011 (12%).   Of course, the statistics would dig to a deeper issue, why are there not more women channel chiefs?  If there were, I am sure they would be recognized fairly by all of the respective parties.  

In fact, I  am happy to report that CRN saw an opportunity to highlight what they deemed the Power 100: The Most Powerful Women of The Channel.  Gathered from the ranks of CRN's annual Women of the Channel, the Power 100 spotlights 100 female executives who stand out as driving forces in their respective companies and in the industry as a whole, providing the insight and influence that lead to channel success.  I am very proud that they took time to seek out 100 talented, intelligent, and successful contributing women in the Channel.  Kudos to them and all of the winners!

The facts are what they are, and my call to action is for a change, a revolution if you will.   We cannot shoot the messengers, or blame the well deserving men who are in the industry; in fact I commend them and compliment them on their incredible savvy skills, and outstanding work in our IT Industry.  I  respect  and admire many of them, especially the incredible leaders and teams of SMBNation, MSP Mentor, CRN, and CDN.     I think however we have many talented women as well, and I just wish that there was more female representation, as we do make up half the population and on average appear to get 10% of the recognition.  The National Center for Women & Information Technology, showed female employment in the IT industry reached its high point in 1991, when women made up 36 percent of the industry's workforce. Since then, the number of technology jobs held by women has been on the decline. Unconscious bias, gender pay gaps, feelings of isolation, lack of role models and mentors, poor supervisory relationships and competing life responsibilities are all major contributing factors to the decline. 

Nearly 50 years after the modern women's movement began, the omission of women is fairly common, yet many people assume the battle for equality is largely over. Gloria Steinem is quoted as saying " Perfectly nice guys will say to me, 'You must be so happy you've won!'; and she retorts " 'But are you working for a woman?' And they look appalled.  The March 2012 Newsweek spotlights the top150 fearless women: symbols of strength. They report the allocation of power remains stunningly lopsided, from business and politics, to academia, law and religion (just watch the Republican debates to figure that one out- sorry I had too ;)).  Barnard College President Debora Spar stated at a White House Conference on urban economic development last month,  "We have fallen into...the 16 percent ghetto, which is that if you look at any sector be in aero-space engineering, Hollywood films, higher education, or Fortune 500 leading positions, women max out at roughly 16 percent....That is a crime, and is a waste of incredible talent". 

Although statistically, young women now earn more college and graduate degrees than men do, they soon fall behind professionally. In the book Women and Leadership, Deborah Rhode and Barbara Kellerman reported "In management women account for about a third of M.B.A. classes, but only 2 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs, 6 percent of top earners, 8 percent of top leadership positions, and 16 percent of board directors and corporate officers".  These statistics would account for the lack of visibility and recognition, but how do we change that?

Have no fear...There is light at the end of the tunnel... and it's not a train! 

 

There are amazing organizations stepping up to inspire women in Technology.  I am a longstanding member of Women In Technology (WIN) and often give speeches in the hopes of inspiring young women.  I recently became a member of.  CompTIA's newest community: "Advancing Women in IT".  This Community is committed to empowering women with knowledge and skills necessary to help their pursuit of successful IT careers, as well as to inspire women to make the IT field their career choice. The group will serve as a vital information resource, providing mentorship and networking opportunities; developing member-driven initiatives and programs; and taking an active role in legislation involving women and careers.

"Women have realized many breakthroughs in the work place, but the truth is our progress has stalled in IT," said Nancy Hammervik, senior vice president, industry relations, CompTIA.  She continued, "As someone who has spent nearly my entire career in high tech industry, I'm acutely aware of the gender gap...CompTIA is committed to doing its part to raise awareness of the valuable role women can and do play in our industry and to affect change to bring more women into our ranks."

The CompTIA Advancing Women in IT Community launches with members in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and South Africa. Members include women currently working in the IT industry, women seeking IT careers and men who support the mission of diversifying the IT workforce.The community is led by chair Sandy Ashworth, global director of channel relations and warranty for Unisys Corporation, and vice chair Jean Mork Bredenson, president, SERVICE 800, Inc.  "Our goal is not only to provide 'how to' knowledge, but also be the conduit and people resource to give women the mentoring, networking and career path guidance needed to advance in or join in the IT industry," said Ashworth. 

It is my hope that through this awareness we can work together, men and women, side by side, to create, empower, and support the many talented and intelligent women in our industry.   Ladies, you inspire me each and every day, and I am proud to be in your company.  We may be fewer but we are just as strong, intelligent, capable, and ready and willing to make a difference.