Sadie St Lawrence
Women in Data started with a need for community and a vision for a more inclusive future. At the time I was in my second year of my master’s in data science, and I was also working full time as an analytics engineer. I noticed there was only one other woman in my master’s program along with only one female teacher. This didn’t make any sense to me since data science was coined “The Sexiest Job of the 21st Century” by Harvard Business. Therefore, seeing so few women represented in the early days of this new career path, I knew there was a problem that needed to be quickly solved. With very few resources, I decided to host a networking event in my local city in Sacramento, California as an effort to connect my community and rally behind a cause.
A few minutes before the first meeting the RSVP started to drop until finally, I was left with only one person RSVP’d, yet no one was there at the start of the meeting. To say I was disappointed was an understatement. I felt like a crazy person for starting something new, and the one thing I wanted to do which was create community, did not exist. However, I decided to wait 15 minutes just in case the one last person who had RSVP’d decided to show up. Much to my avail, within the next 15 minutes not only did the last RSVP show up, but she also brought two other people with her. Without that one person showing up and her willingness to bring two friends, it’s hard to say if Women in Data would have never been born.
- What are the products/services you offer to your customers?
Today Women in Data offers a variety of programs and services that support our members by helping them get their first job or advance in a data career. We do this through our three pillars of awareness, education, and advancement. Within each of these pillars we have a variety of programs, for awareness we host weekly global webinars, monthly networking events and local chapter events. In our education pillar, we host study groups, career track programs through DataCamp, and our residency program. Finally, through our advancement pillar, we support our members through life coaching, mentorship, and hiring support.
- Kindly mention some of the notable recognitions and accreditations received by your organisation?
Women in Data was name the #1 Community for Women in Tech and AI in 2021 by The Good AI.
- The pandemic has changed the global economy, consumer behaviour has altered significantly. What are challenges/obstacles you faced along the way?
If anything, the pandemic has only accelerated our growth and need for our services. In 2019 we had a strategy to create more of an online presence community, so when the pandemic hit we were well positioned to change. In addition, since everyone was connecting virtually it allowed for greater connection between our chapters across the globe. The only challenge we now face is finding a time zone that is optimal for everyone.
However, the true growth in the pandemic came from the need for people to shift to a more technical career that is pandemic resilient. Women were most effected by COVID in the workplace with nearly 1.8 million women having dropped out of the workforce according to Politico. Now we are seeing even a larger number of individuals looking to quit their job or change careers. Given that we provide programs and service to support individuals enter their first data career, we have the opportunity to meet at big need.
- As a woman, how important do you think it is to find a balance between your life at home and the one at work?
Personally, I feel it is essential for every individual to find balance in their life regardless of gender. I also tend to not think of it as work/life balance and rather just life balance since the lines between work and life get more blurred every day. Finding what makes you truly happy, living by your values, and giving to others is what makes life so meaningful and is the only way to achieve lasting success.
- We live in a world that is dominated by masculinity. What is your advice to women entrepreneurs across the world?
Get clear on who you are, what you want out of life, and focus on being the best version of yourself every day. There will also be people we can compare ourselves too, but at the end of the day it’s all about being your authentic self and living out your personal mission.
