Girl's Day - a day of opportunities

Is a woman in the IT sector some kind of a magical creature? A unicorn maybe?

No, of course not. However, the IT sector is still among those that seems to have far fewer women than it could… or should. It’s an industry that offers excellent opportunities and various advantages, so why is it that so few girls consider pursuing STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) studies?

One possible reason could be that girls hold different perceptions and biases of what they’d be able to do, what roles are available, or that they simply lack any perception of the industry at all. This is why it’s crucial to educate girls from a young age, and show them all the opportunities this world can have – as the opportunities are endless.

Hotovo is a company that has always supported women on their paths, be it in technical or non-technical roles. We value diversity, as it expands our perspectives, fuels innovation and provides different viewpoints in all aspects of our lives.

“Girl's Day”, as it’s known in Slovakia, is a significant day and one in which we’re always excited to participate. It’s on the fourth Thursday of the fourth month each year, and celebrates women in STEM. On this day – also known as “International Girls in ICT Day”, universities and IT companies worldwide welcome girls aged 14–19 into their offices or campuses to give them a glimpse into careers in the digital world.

This year, the event was even more special as we were able to welcome girls to the Hotovo office in person once again, after the Covid-19 pandemic. And yeah, we made the most of it and enjoyed every moment!

The program was well organized, with many of our colleagues participating to make it exciting and interesting for the girls. And who knows? Maybe we’ll have changed their lives…

We began by watching a video of Petra Kotuliaková, the Founder & Director at AjTyvIT – an organization that has been involved in Girl’s Day for a decade, and which is doing its best to ensure that the IT world does not miss out on a single woman that might be suited to the industry. This was followed by our country´s president, Zuzana Čaputová, delivering a motivating speech that encouraged girls to be brave and engage in the world of innovation and technology.

With our in-office group, Hotovo women then shared their inspiring stories and explained the advantages and disadvantages of working in IT. We presented our way of working and the values we stand for.

During our Tour de Office, our college Peter demonstrated how Chia farming works (no, we don´t actually grow chia seeds 🙂 … it's a greener form of crypto mining) and we showed them Hotovo’s working life and atmosphere.

Our main program consisted of four presentations, plus a surprise:

Majka explained what software testing means, and how Test Automation can help speed up e.g. finding your favorite celebrity´s account on TikTok.

Katka, our graphic designer, showcased the creative aspects of this industry and highlighted the complexity of this role, which includes design, branding and communication.

Erik was a big hit with his mastery of video mapping, which included interactive elements and hand-made 3D glasses that showed off Erik´s dancing skills 🙂.

And Stanley described how we’ve contributed to preserving our planet for future generations through our project in wastewater treatment.

After the main program, we then took the girls to our basement where we had a surprise in store for them – a laser string and a digital theremin (a “touchless” digital instrument). In complete darkness, our colleague Pali demonstrated how to play tones and create music using these gadgets, and it was the cherry on top!

Overall, we felt the day was a great success, and the feedback from the girls confirmed our feelings.

They all agreed that they gained a deeper understanding of the IT sector, its diverse roles and the opportunities it offers. More than one third of them stated that based on Girl´s Day, they are now considering studying STEM subjects at university. Half of them want to think it over further.

To sum it up… the day was simply amazing. A wonderful experience – also for Hotovians, who could proudly share what they do and why they do it.

Will we see you at Girl's Day next year? 🙂