In the Orlando Sentinal - women are intimidated....

This article appeared on Jan. 1 in the Orlando Sentinal and I ran across it in the ASTD newsletter. It begins with the following information:

Fewer women are choosing professional computer science careers, and the number of women in computer science graduate programs has dropped to its lowest level in nearly a decade. Between 2000 and 2005, the number of women choosing computer science as an undergraduate major fell nearly 70 percent nationwide. "For most girls, it may indeed be intimidating to walk into a class of 40 people and see one other girl in the room," says University of Central Florida student Christie Lo. "I've had classes where I was the only woman in the room."

If all it takes to intimidate you is to be the only woman in a class of men, then contemplate how you might be getting in your own way of your success. What indeed are we missing here that causes some women to feel intimidated because of their gender? Instead consider this a gift and use an occasion such as this to learn from those who are so readily immersed in the industry. Get the insider secrets from them and appreciate the fact that something you have no control over, your gender, might just be a differentiating factor. If that doesn't work, practice being okay with being the minority in a situation - go to Europe and expereince being the only American in a room, go to parts of South Africa and expereince being the only white or black person for miles (depending on where you are), heck, go to the mall and experience being the only 30 something with ample hips in the limited. Being the only anything isn't a limitation or factor that should impede your confidence, it is what some marketers (i.e. Ries and Trout) would say is the key to business success.