My Future Story

More progress on giving students good access to career insight and training.

Trade union partnerships hold promise for high school students In several states, trade union leaders have partnered with career and technical high school programs, efforts that may help determine the long-term health of both CTE high schools and the trades themselves.

I am fascinated by lego. I could spend endless hours with it. It stimulates the imagination, the desire to design, and a bit of engineering. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_b_0-Ls5HA/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/02/business/video/trade-jobs-influencers-social-media-digvid

Meet the influencers making blue-collar jobs cool | CNN Business Through viral social media posts and how-to videos, influencers are inspiring a new generation to consider a career in the trades. Their content highlights an alternative path to success, especially as the demand for skilled workers grows and the cost of a traditional four-year college degree skyroc...

For decades, women were leaders in computer science but then, in 1984, their representation in the field dropped dramatically -- in a way unseen in any other scientific or technical field. In recognition of Computer Science Week, we're looking at the reasons behind this dramatic drop and current efforts to reverse this trend. What Caitlin Kenney and Steve Henn discover in this excellent segment on NPR's Planet Money offers valuable insight on how gender stereotypes, especially as they pertain to children's toys and marketing, can have far-reaching and unforeseen effects.

The 15-minute podcast is a must hear to truly understand what happened during this period but, in a nutshell, the Planet Money team determined that it was in the early 1980s that the narrative first emerged that computers are for boys. The first personal computers weren't much more than toys and they were marketed almost exclusively to boys and men. Computer geek culture also began to emerge during this period and TV shows, movies, and video games all reaffirmed that computers were the domain of boys.

By 1984, the first generation of students who could have had a home computer entered college. Research at the time found parents were much more likely to buy computers for boys than girls and many more boys had experience programming prior to entering college. As a result, many young women discovered that they were already significantly behind their male peers from day one and, often facing discouragement from their fellow students and professors alike, women left computer science programs in droves.

Interestingly, prior to the introduction of the home computer and the gendered marketing of it as a 'boy' device, women were very active in the field and saw a sharp increase in their numbers between 1970 and 1984. Their representation in the field peaked in 1984 when 37% of computer science degrees were awarded to women; by 2011, according to the Computing Research Association, that number fell to 12%.

The segment also explores successful efforts at several elite computer sciences programs, such as those at Carnegie Mellon University and Harvey Mudd College, to combat sexism in the field and to turn this trend around. While such initiatives are encouraging, there is still significant progress that needs to be made: a study in 2016 by the Institution for Engineering and Technology found that toys with a technology, science, or math focus are still three times more likely to be targeted at boys than girls even today. To listen to "When Women Stopped Coding" on NPR, visit http://n.pr/1rOiDB6

For adult readers who would like to learn more about the unsung female heroes who built the internet, we highly recommend "Broad Band" at https://www.amightygirl.com/broad-band

To introduce kids to the brilliant women who programmed the world's first all-electronic computer, we recommend the chapter book "Women Who Launched The Computer Age" for ages 6 to 8 (https://www.amightygirl.com/women-launched-computer-age) and the picture book "How a Team of Women Coded the Future" for ages 5 to 9 (https://www.amightygirl.com/instructions-not-included)

For an inspiring book about pioneering women in technology - which includes a variety of hands-on STEM projects that kids can try at home - we highly recommend "Gutsy Girls Go for Science: Programmers" for ages 8 to 11 at https://www.amightygirl.com/gutsy-girls-programmers

For an excellent picture book about the pioneering computer scientist Grace Hopper, we highly recommend “Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code” for ages 5 to 9 at https://www.amightygirl.com/hopper-queen-of-code

For fun ways to spark your Mighty Girl's interest in programming, we recommend Coding Critters: Dipper the Narwhal (https://www.amightygirl.com/narwhal-coding-toy), Space Rover Coding Activity Set (https://www.amightygirl.com/space-rover-coding-set), and and Code & Go Robot Mouse Kits (https://www.amightygirl.com/code-go-mouse-kit), all for ages 4 and up

For coding kits for kids of all ages, visit the ‘Coding & Robotics' section of our 2023 Holiday Gift Guide at https://www.amightygirl.com/holiday-guide

Great way to stir up interest in post-high school education. Don't forget to include not University options too.

Lois sent you a Pin! Discover even more ideas for you

Important considerations are included in this podcast. I'm looking for a stat I heard recently about the portability of trade careers. There is a lot of talk about desk jobs that give people the work-from-anywhere flexibility. What often gets ignored is the need-everywhere of so many trade careers.
https://www.hrhappyhour.net/episodes/making-the-grade-navigating-pros-and-cons-of-college-vs-trade-school-for-gen-z/

Great Post from HR Happy Hour

Making the Grade: Navigating Pros and Cons of College vs Trade School for Gen Z - HR Happy Hour You can listen to the latest shows here, or you can subscribe by searching for 'HR Happy Hour' on Apple Podcast, Stitcher Radio, Google Podcast, or your favorite podcast app

This podcast is designed for female students and young professionals curious about engineering careers. Two young women talk about their lives as new engineer professionals. This episode includes an interview of our My Future Story's founder Lois Melbourne. She discusses her new sci-fi novel, Moral Code, women in STEM represented in entertainment, and artificial intelligence.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7cD5Ngkpw5RDyWsvciZGts?si=Yvnkmc3fQ5uzhBVLyo32AA&nd=1

45. Ethical AI, Moral Code, and Continuous Learning in Technical Careers with Lois Melbourne Listen to this episode from My Best Friend’s an Engineer on Spotify. What would you do if you could create AI that could do anything? How would we possibly create the ethics around artificial intelligence when people don't always agree on what is moral and what isn't? On this weeks episode, Lexi a...

Fun resource to engage with your kids

TheDadLab by Sergei Urban: 9780525542698 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books The ultimate collection of DIY activities to do with your kids to teach STEM basics and beyond, from a wildly popular online dad. With more than 3 million fans, TheDadLab has become an online sensation,...

Love this podcast The Fem-STEM Mythbusters by Suhani Agrawal. This episode w/

illustrates combining your interests towards your career choices. Also discussed how STEM careerist can help society.

The Fem-STEM Mythbusters - Can I Combine My Interests? | RSS.com In today's episode me and guest Afua Bruce tackle the myth that girls have no STEM interest. Ms. Bruce is New America's Director of Engineering for Public Interest Technology. We talk about the possibility of combining one's non=STEM and STEM interests.

These students are bringing diversity into the discussion about career possibilities for themselves and their peers. They see the enrichment of engaging a wide sampling of people pursuing careers. Its much easier to pursue a path when you have seen people in it, especially people you can relate to.

Great Women In STEM podcast link here too.

These High School Students Are Shaping The Future Of Diversity, Equity And Inclusion Recent surveys have shown that young people are interested in companies that support diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). This blog highlights four high school students who have created initiatives that will help ensure greater DEI in the workplace of the future.

This World of Work curriculum for career exploration in schools looks impressive and broad.

The World of Work Exposure to Career Options at Early Age World of Work tackles problems seen in the education system head-on. Every student who passes through the World of Work will be armed with career options which they have learned about, received hands-on experiences with, met a professional in the career, and h...

Photo journalism covers a very wide style of working. Here are insider tips about these careers

7 Tips for an Aspiring Photojournalist What does it take to become a photojournalist? Here are some helpful pointers on how to take photos worth a thousand words.