The fifth annual Women in Technology  luncheon and panel discussion was held during the 2007 PASS Community Summit in Denver, Colorado. Sponsored by the PASS Women in Technology Special Interest Group, the topic was "Women in Technology: Reaching our Goals." This successful event attracted 140 participants, with men making up about ten percent of the audience.

While enjoying a catered lunch, attendees had the opportunity to meet and talk informally. Lively discussions about the issues facing women working in technology took place at many tables. One of the men joining the discussion was Paul. He said he came to hear about what brought women to a career in technology. "I wanted to see if they chose technology, or if technology chose them," he commented. "I also wanted to see how these women got to where they are today."

Denise McInerney, PASS WIT SIG Chairperson, chaired the event. Wayne Snyder, PASS Vice President of Marketing, greeted the attendees and thanked them for participating.

The panel included Sharon Dooley, independent consultant and trainer, Lara Rubbelke, Technology Specialist with Microsoft, Andrea Schneider, a Microsoft SQL Server Product Manager, and Buffy Ransom, Senior Director of Global Customer Support at Oracle's JDEdwards EnterpriseOne.

The panelists touched on a number factors affecting women’s ability to advance in tech careers. They all spoke of the need for women to grow their professional network. "I still have to work very hard," advised Rubbelke, "but my network provides the opportunities." Ransom added that your network begins as early as college. To reach your goals, Ransom recommends hard work and maintaining a strong network.

Schneider agreed and suggested three things to help you reach your goals. First, find "champions" to help you build your career is most important. She said champions help "cheer you on and root for your success." Secondly, she emphasized the importance of networking and meeting as many people as possible. Finally, she recommended that you nurture your network and keep up with these relationships.

A very active question and answer period followed the panelists’ remarks. Participants brought up a range of issues facing women working in technology, including the challenges of being a working mother, maternity leave, time management, and how to set short- and long-term goals.

Referring to the emphasis on networking, one audience member described herself as an introvert, and asked for advice on how best to network.  According to Dooley, "As an introvert your network is even more important. It may not be as big a network as Andrea's, but it should be a stronger network maybe with fewer people."

Another audience member asked for advice on how to best fit into a male-dominated environment. According to Dooley, "What doesn't work is to try to be one of the guys. Do your job well, and the gender thing will go away."

WIT SIG members Donna Shaver and Wendy Pastrick collaborated on this article.