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CS Journey to Success

Computer Science Professionals in Residence Prepare Students for Careers in Tech

Still, there are times when it will get overwhelming—all four panelists agreed on this. Paige Lowe '14 encouraged sustainable approaches to dealing with self-doubt. "One of my tendencies is to beat myself up about a mistake I made, and then beat myself up about beating myself up," she said. "It actually goes better for me if I just let myself take the time to feel bad, but then move on from it."

The advice is particularly salient for minorities who may experience imposter syndrome, or a sense that one is not qualified and an ensuing guilt or shame. "If you’re worrying about how your manager is seeing you as a woman and carrying the weight of every woman programmer on your back, you’re not going to be able to carry that," said Lowe. "Let yourself make mistakes, because you’re human."

Belman reminded students that their differences are not just hurdles to overcome—difference is a tool that opens doors to greater accessibility. "At Google we appreciate diversity because our employees have to reflect our users—which is everyone," says Belman. "If you’re a woman, embrace your voice, your power."

The series closed out with ten tips from Lowe for achieving success in a high-profile, Silicon Valley-based tech company. Through her presentation, Lowe demonstrated how students can remain lifelong learners, find the right opportunities for them, and take care of themselves.

For Lowe, her Knox experience made a difference without her even knowing. "There are a lot of ways that the non-programming parts of the liberal arts education come together to do the parts of programming that we don't talk about," she said, recalling times when her skills in organization, communication, and problem solving made a crucial difference—skills that she picked up from editing The Knox Student and working the help desk at ITS.

Gaige Spencer '18 spoke to the importance of understanding that problems of representation are relevant to everyone. "I think there’s a skill set to being an ally… education and attending events like this help bring attention to these problems." Spencer also sees his time at Knox as helping to prepare him to work with people from all walks of life. "Here on campus I haven’t worked with too many homogenous groups, which is great. I think it’s been a good setup for my future career."