Day 4: Paradise — Disney or Duke?
The last day of the conference called for immense reflection and acknowledgement of how much my perspective on technology, diversity, privilege, and my future changed. Although I have only left the Duke bubble for 5 days, I feel like I am going back a changed person. I’m more confident but humbler, clearer but also more uncertain, reassured but terrified. The amount of learning, growth, and community that these few days have packed in is beyond what I thought was capable in such a short time.
Seeing so many women in technology gathered in one room, each with a brilliant skillset and diverse background has reinstated my previously wavering confidence as a woman in computer science. While there may be a significantly smaller percentage of women in technology-based careers in the industry today, GHC has shown me that the support system and community for women to thrive is actively present and only growing. The confidence I’ve gained from my conversations with recruiters and other attendees is likely to stick with me as I immerse myself back into the imposter syndrome ridden environment that comes with being a student at Duke.
At the same time, stepping into the real-world and seeing the people who are likely to be my colleagues a short while from now reinforced how privileged I am as a Duke student. Most attendees would line up from 5am to get a chance to speak to a recruiter from a company, desperate for any job would sponsor a visa and show interest in their candidacy. Going to Duke already gave me an edge in many conversations I had, irrespective of my objective qualifications for the role. Being able to afford a prestigious school like Duke, not requiring sponsorship, and having the privilege to even pursue my undergraduate degree in the USA (as someone who completed high school in India), is something which many attendees didn’t dare to dream of, leaving me immensely humbled.
Grace Hopper has given me direction for my career. I know what I want to pursue in the near future, what to expect in the process, and to a great extent, how to get there. But the uncertainty it has washed upon me is even larger. Do I have the technical skills to excel at a software engineering job in the future? Will I ever be able to compete with the influx of international students with heavily technical masters degrees once I leave my bubble? I have other skills that the top schools in the US inculcate within us, but how far can strong communication and leadership get me?
This conference has highlighted the extent to which my conversations and experiences with other students like me are not the norm in a world outside college — and I must make it a goal to occasionally step outside and reassociate myself with topics and ideas that other groups of people are having. It is so easy to join the race that every top school student has toward conventional success, but the world is so much bigger and the opportunities limitless. I know that I will soon be back in the comfort of my dorm, living in the paradise that Duke University often feels like, and forget to actively remind myself of reality but until then, I hope to go back and build upon this fresh perspective that the Grace Hopper Conference has gifted me.
