How much money do you make ?

I was perched comfortably on my chair on a stage in a large ballroom in a hotel in downtown Toronto. It was a Girls in Tech event. I was one of the panelists at that event. I was there to share my journey into Tech and my experience working in Tech. The audience was a group of elementary school girls. We, the panelists, talked about our love of Math and Sciences, our role models and what inspired us to work in Tech. During Q&A, a small hand went up in the back of the room, with a question, “How much money do you make?”. I was not expecting that question. I shifted somewhat uncomfortably in my chair and mumbled something. After the event, I thought about that question. I was surprised that that question had come up. I never expected to get that question again. I was wrong.

Not long after, when I was talking to a group of girls, a similar question came up a second time and then a third time. Then I knew that , in some ways, big or small, when young girls decide on the type of career to pursue,money factored in the decision making process, at a much younger age than I thought it ever did.

Until then whenever I talked to young girls to encourage them to pursue a career in STEM, I didn’t talk about money. I never put forth the fact that working in tech can offer a comfortable living. It never occurred to me to appeal that way. Perhaps I felt it was wrong to glorify the financial security that working in Tech careers offered. I have since changed my approach and talk about it proactively. I would encourage others to do the same because it has an impact.