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Programming

Fullstack Launches Coding School For Women (sdtimes.com) 373

An anonymous reader writes: Fullstack is tackling technology's diversity problem in its latest venture. The coding schooling has announced a new coding school dedicated to women. Named after computer science pioneer Grace Hopper, the Grace Hopper academy aims to provide women with high-quality coding education, and won't ask for tuition until the student finds a job post-graduation. "Technology has become intrinsic in our daily routines, regardless of gender, but the tech industry remains exceedingly male-dominated," said David Yang, cofounder of Fullstack Academy. "We have always been inspired by innovation and it seems peculiar that an industry revolutionized by a pioneer like Grace Hopper would remain so divided along gender lines."
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Fullstack Launches Coding School For Women

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  • by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 17, 2015 @02:32AM (#50748525)

    It's make dominated because males are more interested in the introverted nature of coding. An all-woman school doesn't solve that problem. Women have to want to code, has nothing to do with the culture.

    • by Time_Ngler ( 564671 ) on Saturday October 17, 2015 @02:45AM (#50748541)
      ant, gradle and maven are hardly designed for women, either. Stop picking on make!
    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      If your hypothesis is correct this school will be a huge failure and struggle to get students. Let's see what happens.

      • by Mashiki ( 184564 ) <mashiki&gmail,com> on Saturday October 17, 2015 @11:01AM (#50749507) Homepage

        It'll be a huge failure. Sweden, Denmark, and Norway have already proven that with the "women only" technology related schools including programming only schools and classes.

    • by jblues ( 1703158 ) on Saturday October 17, 2015 @08:25AM (#50749097)

      When I was a kid my Dad would bring home an Apple IIe in the school holidays. My sister and I loved playing on that thing together. Then around about the age of 12, transitioning from a child-hood self image into the teenage years, my sister didn't want to play on it any more. I have no idea if that was because of the influence of other girls & women or men & boys are just inherent nature.

  • Again?! (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Citizen of Earth ( 569446 ) on Saturday October 17, 2015 @02:38AM (#50748533)
    Haven't we had enough of this SJW crap for the month?
    • Re:Again?! (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 17, 2015 @02:49AM (#50748555)

      I'm not sure this is really social justice. Imagine if there were schools just for african-americans. This is more like segregation.

        • The page says "white colleges" but aren't they regular colleges that accept all ethnicities vs. the black colleges that produce more black graduates and higher degrees?
      • This is what "social justice" has always been about: segregation, discrimination, and eugenics were key policies of the progressive movement a century ago, and in modified form, they are still today. The reason is that progressives deep down believe that women and blacks are inferior and weak, and hence require government assistance in order to achieve equal outcomes.

    • But apparently never enough Social Injustice Warrior crap to satisfy.

    • Re:Again?! (Score:4, Interesting)

      by Dutch Gun ( 899105 ) on Saturday October 17, 2015 @06:44AM (#50748935)

      While I agree that posting this stuff on Slashdot time and time again is damn near trolling (maybe we should be able to moderate the summary?), I don't see why anyone should have a problem with this. I think it's fine if some people wish to set up women-only schools. It's not like there aren't a million other options for male students. There are probably some women who would feel more comfortable going to school in an all-female environment, especially given the likely male/female ratios in programming classes.

      Of course, one question I have is, how will they react to jumping into an environment with 90% or more men straight from all-female classes? My fear is it could cause a bit of culture shock - sort of like an adult who has never built up an immunity as a child gets hit rather hard by typical childhood diseases. Damn, I just compared men to diseases. You know what I mean, though.

      Anyhow, more power to them. I'd personally love to see more female programmers, but only if it's what they want to do, and if they get the jobs because they're qualified, not because of any particular internal plumbing. My fear is that if this program bombs due to lack of participation, some people will still manage to point an accusing finger at the industry and say "See? Your workplaces are so poisonous that women don't even want to take a chance on a computer science degree!" I'm a little tired of being collectively accused of misogyny when I've never seen female programmers I've worked with treated any differently than anyone else.

  • by Shadow of Eternity ( 795165 ) on Saturday October 17, 2015 @02:45AM (#50748539)

    Homelessness, suicide, prison, and all of the worst and most dangerous jobs.

    Yknow what isn't male dominated?

    Education, start to finish and top to bottom. Nearly 2/3rds of college graduates are women and women dominate virtually every single aspect of the education system from pre-K through college.

    • Grade school teacher seems more like a caretaking job, along with nurse, secretary, therapist, flight attendant....you'd almost swear their minds are wired more towards those roles...

      • by tomhath ( 637240 )

        Grade school teacher seems more like a caretaking job

        Unfortunately, many grade school teachers think that. But it shouldn't be.

      • Except we used to have plenty of male schoolteachers... until a certain group of people started raising such a moral panic about how men were all sexual predators that they were driven out.

    • wtf, you just equated coding with homelessness, suicide and prison.

      On second thought, there's some merit to the comparison. I've done all four of the above.

      • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

        by Anonymous Coward

        ... suicide....

        On second thought, there's some merit to the comparison. I've done all four of the above.

        So does that make you a ghost writer?

    • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      I could have had my university fees paid if I had gone into teaching, because there are big incentives for men to enter that profession. The one i was offered was from a feminist group concerned about the lack of male teachers for young children. I wasn't interested though, so I didn't.

      Sorry, what was your point again?

    • Teachers are paid like crap and treated worse. It's like how nerds view Game Programming. Every little girl wants to do it so the employees can be abused. It doesn't help that if you're a college bound kid fresh out of high school with no idea what to do in life it seems like a great idea. You cling to what you already know so you want to stay in school forever.

      When I worked in call centers there were tons of elementary & junior high teachers (with degrees) looking for work. Many with years of exper
    • Honest question:

      Have you ever or do you currently volunteer or work as part of a program aimed at helping men escape homelessness, offer suicide prevention, or help men avoid incarceration?

      Follow-up: do you work in education, especially elementary education? If not, why not?

      I ask because clearly these issues are important enough to you to come in here and complain about, so one would hope you've actually tried to do something to address them.

      And now for the part where I burn my karma:

      What's amazing to me is

  • Not Helping (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 17, 2015 @02:47AM (#50748551)

    "We have always been inspired by innovation and it seems peculiar that an industry revolutionized by a pioneer like Grace Hopper would remain so divided along gender lines."

    They say as they further divide the industry along gender lines. It's the new separate but equal.

  • by SensitiveMale ( 155605 ) on Saturday October 17, 2015 @02:50AM (#50748559)

    Women generally don't want to code. That's why every SWJ brings up Grace Hopper as THE icon. Yeah, I know about the pic of the woman that coded the lunar landing and the code that's stacked taller than see is. So that's two.

    Look people, most women don't want to code. It's ok. Nothing wrong with that. Stop forcing things because you think a 50/50 split is the only "fair" way.

    Oh, and asking someone to pay afterwards only if she gets a job is a FANTASTIC economic plan.

  • by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 17, 2015 @03:01AM (#50748581)

    I wonder what would happen if someone started a school specifically for men for a female dominated trade? For example hairdressing or nail painting?

    How long would it take for someone to yell sexist at them and say that it is wrong and should not be allowed?

    Double standards much?

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      It's amazing how people get so outraged at something that's never happened.

      • by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 17, 2015 @07:26AM (#50749001)

        Where do you get the idea that is something that has never happened?

        When men form men-only institutions, they are forced to allow women in. When women form women-only institutions, men are told they can't participate, because they are dangerous. I may have the scouting organizations incorrect here, but not long ago, there was a girl who demanded to be part of the boy scouts and they were eventually forced to let her in.

        Meanwhile, there was a boy who wanted to be in the girl scouts. He was refused on the basis that he was a risk to their "safe space".

    • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      Most people are capable of evaluating things like this intelligently, instead of applying simple rules that they made up. So they see that there is a problem, see that there is a solution which doesn't disadvantage anyone and merely seeks to correct the problem with no malicious intent, and are fine with it.

  • by mark-t ( 151149 ) <markt.nerdflat@com> on Saturday October 17, 2015 @03:11AM (#50748603) Journal

    For fuck's sake, you can't create gender equality out of thin air by just adding more gender segregation.... I mean, I get what they are trying to do... trying to "balance" the imbalance by adding more imbalance in what might superficially appear to be the opposite direction, but at the end of the day still amounts to people either being treated differently or feeling treated differently on account of some aspect of their person that should in actuality be entirely irrelevant to the subject at hand.

    Whether a person is a man or woman should have absolutely no bearing on whether they are interested in computer programming or how competent at it they might be, and there should be absolutely no reason that a person's gender should *EVER* factor into what kind of computer science education options are available to them.

    However idealistic the intentions might be behind this, I perceive that they are ultimately counterproductive to the long-term goal of gender equality.

    • by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 17, 2015 @03:18AM (#50748625)

      No you'd don't create gender equality that way.

      This isn't aimed at equality. None of these programs are.

      And remember: all the shit jobs are occupied by men. "equality" is all about giving special hand ups for women into jobs that no-one has ever stopped them going into. Even women who are wealthy and privileged still claim to be victims - see the recent Hollywood whining.

      Frankly it's long past due when men started exercising their democratic right and pulling their votes completely from any party that supports this nonsense. It's the only way it'll begin to put the brakes on it.

    • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      So what is your solution? You have laid out the principals, but not the way to address the things preventing them from being enacted.

      • by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 17, 2015 @11:09AM (#50749535)

        Solution to what? That implies there is a problem, but women not wanting programming jobs is not a problem, unless you desperately need more programmers so that you can pay them less. Women don't want to work in mines, on oil rigs or behind the wheel of a truck either. And that is not a problem either. You SJWs are not fighting for women. You are fighting against men and hurting women at the same time. You are creating hostility and segregation in our place of work. So FUCK OFF.

        • by mark-t ( 151149 )

          That implies there is a problem, but women not wanting programming jobs is not a problem, unless you desperately need more programmers so that you can pay them less. Women don't want to work in mines, on oil rigs or behind the wheel of a truck either. And that is not a problem either. You SJWs are not fighting for women. You are fighting against men and hurting women at the same time. You are creating hostility and segregation in our place of work. So FUCK OFF.

          This.

          So much this.

          Thank you, AC.

          Let's as

  • by theodp ( 442580 ) on Saturday October 17, 2015 @03:20AM (#50748627)

    Grace Hopper | Code of Conduct [anitaborg.org]: "The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing Conference (GHC) believes our community should be truly open for everyone. As such, we are committed to providing a friendly, safe and welcoming environment for all participants free from discrimination for any reason including on the basis of gender...."

  • by kuzb ( 724081 ) on Saturday October 17, 2015 @04:18AM (#50748715)

    Yes, what a fantastic idea. Let's educate women in a way which doesn't prepare them for diversity in the workplace. Lets coddle them and treat them like they're special. Like they're victims. This is a disservice to everyone, and does more harm than good.

  • What's "woman-y" about it? (insert misogynist "does it have" + $sterotypical_female_attributes_and_behaviour sentences here)

    Isn't that the wrong message? I mean, would you feel comfortable going to a school that was specifically made for you because you're, to use the current euphemism for retarded, "special"? You need a special school, you're so special...

    And how would a prospective employer look at it? "Ohhhh, you graduated from "special" school... yeeeeah.... you know, no need to call us, we'll call you"

  • I have totally had it with this nu-sexism. As of this month it's apparently totally hip since reports of such incidents now end up on my timeline on a daily basis. Is the world is trying to become some sort of reverse Saudi Arabia or something?!

  • This attempt to fix the perceived problem is quite flawed, because it skips the very, very important of determining why they don't want or can code in first place, and if it is an issue at all.

  • by drinkypoo ( 153816 ) <drink@hyperlogos.org> on Saturday October 17, 2015 @08:30AM (#50749103) Homepage Journal

    It doesn't matter if you have a penis or not, going into tech right now is a fool's game. They do their best to outsource all of those jobs. The only reason the industry wants women to get into tech is that they want more humans to get into tech to keep the supply high and the wages low.

  • by JustAnotherOldGuy ( 4145623 ) on Saturday October 17, 2015 @09:57AM (#50749307) Journal

    Seriously, stop treating women like special-needs children who are helpless and confused and in dire need of "adult" guidance.

    This kind of thing (ostensibly done with the best of intentions) treats them as if they don't have the intelligence to make their own choices and decisions concerning their career path.

    What these "women only" courses and programs are saying essentially is that women are too fragile or delicate or sensitive to survive in the usual job/school environment, which is kind of insulting if you think about it at all.

    The vast majority of women I know are intelligent, capable people who would do just fine if special interest groups would just stop treating them like not-too-bright babies in a room full of sharp objects.

    • > What these "women only" courses and programs are saying essentially is that women are too fragile or delicate or sensitive to survive in the usual job/school environment, which is kind of insulting if you think about it at all.

      From experience and various literature: there are many problems. A notable and well documented difference is the willingness of men to speak up more then women in mixed gender courses. Even a casual search shows plenty of references:

      • by Shados ( 741919 )

        And then if they go through "special" schools, they just get destroyed once they hit the real world, where things aren't so nice.

        Then everyone is like "see see?! I told you women weren't as good!"

        And you just made things worse.

  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • and won't ask for tuition until the student finds a job post-graduation

    What does this mean? Is it a disguised student loan?
    Putting aside the gender issues, are there more details about this? Depending on the fine print, this can be very bad. Maybe I am a bit paranoid but if there is a clause like "if you refuse some job offer, then you need to pay", that's bordering slavery.

  • I mean, coding is coding. You do it right, or wrong. I'm a little unclear about how gender relates here.

  • Special classes, schools, etc, for women. Lots of interest for a year or two, then it just peters out and is cancelled for lack of interest. Don't see this being any different.

  • it seems peculiar that an industry revolutionized by a pioneer like Grace Hopper would remain so divided along gender lines

    Does it seem peculiar that a branch of physics revolutionized by a pioneer like Marie Curie would remain so divided along gender lines?

    What an utter load of bollocks. Or if you prefer, in the spirit of inclusivity, gonads.

  • There are laws against discrimination based on gender among other things, right, passed by these same idiots? Not that I think this _should_ be illegal. But it is, AFAIK, and the laws should be used aggressively against the people who asked for them.

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