Female software engineers start getting with the program

Potential

Chen Piao studied computer science at Wenzhou Kean University from 2013 to 2017.

The 25-year-old, who works for an online education company in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, said she has been interested in computers since childhood and chose the major without hesitation.

"In my eyes, there was a big world behind the small, cube-like computers (at that time). I was curious about how computers and the internet worked and wanted to find out more," she said.

Li Xiaodie, who graduated in software engineering from Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications in 2016, said she only opted for the major because one of her cousins told her that it was easier for IT-related graduates to land a good job.

Having worked as a programmer for four years, she knows that her cousin was right.

Unlike many college graduates who have to make great efforts to find work, Li never worries about receiving employment offers as she knows programmers are always in demand.

"Also, with my current salary, I suppose my parents could retire earlier than they had expected," she said with a laugh.

What she didn't expect was that the job, not a choice made out of passion or interest, is fun and brings a sense of achievement.

"Whenever I develop a website or an app and it is put into use, the elation lasts quite a few days," she said. "In addition, the industry changes really quickly and I have to learn about the latest news, knowledge and techniques to keep up. This work-learning cycle keeps me busy, but fulfilled."

Li's colleague Zhou Qian has reached the same destination, but via a completely different route.

Six years ago, the e-commerce graduate landed her first job, as a member of the customer service department at an internet company in Chengdu.

She quickly realized that the job was not ideal for her and wanted to look for a new one.

As she was interested in the internet and computers, and knowing that incomes in the industry were competitive, she signed up for a six-month training course to learn programming skills.

The training helped her cross over from being a customer service employee to a programmer.

Now earning an average of 10,000 yuan ($1,500) a month, almost double her previous salary, the 28-year-old feels reasonably content.

"The high income is just one factor. What is more meaningful is that every time I encounter a problem at work and figure it out after days of effort, I feel proud of myself," she said.

"Being a programmer makes me feel that my potential is being fully tapped and my talent is being brought into full play."