There’s an issue in the tech industry, and it’s one we’ve known about for quite some time. While many tech companies are trying to increase their female workforce, a majority of them still have a shockingly low number of women among their ranks.
在科技行业存在这样一个问题，这个问题我们已经知道很久了。虽然许多科技公司都在努力增加女性劳动力，但其中大多数公司的女性员工数量仍然少得惊人。

In fact, a recent report showed that among major tech companies, only 26-43% of their workforce is female. And in Silicon Valley, women hold just 11% of the executive positions.
事实上，最近的一份报告显示，在大型科技公司中，只有26%-43%的员工是女性。而在硅谷，女性只占管理职位的11%。

We spoke with Kelly Sheng, Associate Director of Technology at AT&T, about how women can excel in this male-dominated field and what they should look for in a job in tech.
我们采访了美国电话电报公司(AT&T)的技术副总监凯莉•沈(Kelly Sheng)，谈到了女性如何能在这个男性主导的领域出类拔萃，以及她们应该在科技行业寻找什么样的工作。

Timing Is Everything, But So Is Hard Work
时间就是一切，努力工作也一样
Success is dependent upon talent and hard work, but as Malcolm Gladwell said in Outliers, timing definitely helps. And that’s certainly true for Kelly—growing up in Shanghai throughout the 1980s and 90s, she had access to a computer. Today, this might not sound like a big deal, but 25 years ago, it was.
成功取决于天赋和努力，但正如马尔科姆•格拉德威尔在《局外人》一书中所言，把握时机无疑是有帮助的。凯莉在上世纪八九十年代在上海长大，她有一台电脑。今天，这听起来似乎没什么大不了的，但在25年前，这真的很了不起。

“I was fortunate enough to get access to an afterschool program that teaches young kids in elementary school computer programming,” Kelly says. This was a luxury and a privilege, as none of her friends had PCs, nor did her family have a home computer. “At that time, it was rare. There were maybe just one or two programs in a few cities in China.” It was an eye-opening experience for Kelly, and she continued working with computers throughout elementary and high school.
凯利说:“我很幸运地参加了一个课外项目，这个项目教小学生学习计算机编程。”这是一种奢侈和特权，因为她的朋友都没有电脑，她的家人也没有家用电脑。“那时候，这是很罕见的。可能只有在中国的少数城市里有一两个这样的项目。对凯利来说，这次经历让她大开眼界，后来她在小学和高中继续使用电脑。

In addition to fortunate timing, Kelly also put in the time, and it led her to UCLA where she got her Masters in Computer Science.
除了幸运的时机，凯莉也投入了时间，这让她成功进入了加州大学洛杉矶分校，在那里她获得了计算机科学硕士学位。

Curiosity and Confidence Are Key
好奇和自信是关键

Kelly started as a developer in software engineering, but she’s changed roles multiple times throughout her 5 years at AT&T.
凯莉最初是一名软件工程开发人员，但在AT＆T工作的5年间，她多次变换角色。

But there’s a good reason she's stayed in a STEM-related field. She loves math, but more importantly, she loves a good challenge. Kelly could have remained a developer and worked on one product at the start of her career, but she was curious how other systems worked. And luckily, AT&T not only offers opportunities to reach your potential, but they help you develop and grow your career.
但她留在与科学、技术、工程和数学教育有关的领域是有原因的。她喜欢数学，但更重要的是，她喜欢挑战。凯莉本来可以继续做开发人员，并在她职业生涯的开始时就致力于一种产品的开发，但是她很好奇其他系统是如何工作的。幸运的是，AT&T不仅为员工提供了开发潜力的机会，还帮助你发展你的事业。
  
The lesson here? Being curious really helps
这告诉我们，好奇真的很有用

“That’s the most important gain from challenges or different roles you work on,” Kelly says. “You should be learning and have the opportunity and support to do that at any place you work. So even when you take on different jobs, if it doesn’t work out, it's fine as long as you’re learning something new.”
“这是你在所面临的挑战或不同角色中得到的最重要的收获，”凯莉说，“你应该保持学习，而且无论在哪里工作，都能拥有学习的机会，并获得支持。所以，即使当你从事不同的工作时，如果你所学的用不上，没关系，只要你在学习新的东西就行。”
 
The Right Company Goes a Long Way
在合适的公司才能做长远

So what should you look for in a company? According to Kelly, as soon as you walk through the door, really take in your surroundings.
那么你应该在公司里寻找什么呢？根据凯莉的说法，当你一走进公司的门，就要真正地融入你周围的环境了。

“When you go in for interviews,” Kelly says, “do you see other women engineers in the company?” Are those women in leadership or executive level positions? And, more importantly, what’s the company's attitude toward promoting and supporting women in this industry? You want to find a company that promotes a culture of inclusion and asks the hard questions about unconscious bias and gender stereotyping.
“当你去面试的时候，”凯莉说，“你看到公司里的其他女工程师了吗?”“这些女性是领导职位还是高级管理层?”更重要的是，公司对于在这个行业中提升和支持女性的态度是什么?你希望找到一家提倡包容文化，并就无意识偏见和性别刻板印象提出尖锐问题的公司。

You should also find out what the company does outside of the office. For example, AT&T supports initiatives that encourage women to get into STEM, and they’ve sponsored numerous coding camps like Girls Who Code and Women Who Code. They also regularly send women engineers to college campuses across the country to speak about their careers and assist in recruiting.
你还应该了解公司在业务以外会做些什么。例如，AT&T支持那些鼓励女性进入STEM领域的项目，他们赞助了许多编程训练营，比如“编程女孩”和“编程女性”项目。他们还定期派女工程师到全国各地的大学校园去讲述自己的职业生涯并协助招聘。

It’s also important to find your peers. “Find your support circle,” Kelly says. “Talk to them. Get advice." For Kelly, it can be easier to share what you're thinking with a fellow female engineer, and often, you’ll find common ground.
找到你的同伴也很重要。“找到支持你的圈子，”凯利说。“与他们交谈，听听他们的建议。”对于凯莉来说，与女性工程师同事分享你的想法会更容易，而且你经常会发现共同点。”


（翻译：雅兰）