December 2008, saw Microsoft and the not-for-profit job advice website, BigAmbition, collaborate on the BigAmbition Event – Girls in IT. Aimed at inspiring young ladies into a career in IT, the event has a mission to raise the profile of computer based professions, whilst dispelling the popular myth that IT is only for geeks. And it worked: When asked at the beginning of the event ‘would you consider a career using technology?’ 33% of the girls responded with a yes when first asked, however when they were asked at the end of the event 81% responded yes.

An impressive line-up of female speakers included Anouska Wilson of IBM, Naomi Climer of Sony, Cary Marsh of MYDEO, Helen Cook of SEEDA, Gina Fegan of SE Media Network and Hermione Way of Newspepper. The event began with a panel discussion in which the women explained what made IT fascinating for them, the paths they had taken and the decisions that had led them there.

In an attempt to immerse the students into the creativity of the profession, the girls were later set the task of designing and marketing what they saw to be ‘the next big thing’ in technology. Ideas, which included wireless headphones, virtual shopping and an online personal shopper, were presented to the panel who chose a winning team who was awarded iPod Nanos.

It was noted the girls did not seem instantly aware of what a career in IT really meant, nor did they think it was an easy path to follow. With the glaring presence of IT in every day life, however, it was promising to find that few girls still considered the profession to be solely for the hyper-intelligent geek amongst us. With a paltry 24% of the IT workforce represented by women, a 50% drop in university applications over the last 5 years and a need for 140,000 new people each year, merely to sustain the industry, it is apparent the profession has its work cut out in recruiting either sex into the industry.

Here, Rogan Berkeley interviews students and career professionals alike as she covers the BigAmbition event for Newspepper.