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How A 17-Year-Old Girl Won a Hackathon

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Re: How A 17-Year-Old Girl Won a Hackathon

#51

Post by guylhem »

stmchn wrote: post #31
Jun8 wrote: post #18

Let me tell you a story: The FIRST Robotics Competition high school team (Mechanicats, from Chicago) and I were testing our robot late one night this February. While we were munching pizza, exhausted, a girl from the team came to me and asked if I enjoyed what I do (I'm the software mentor for the team). The reason for the question, she said, was that she was torn about what to study in college. She told me that her…

I'm still not sure how I feel to be getting these advantages though. I feel like, the more advantages like this are offered, the more it dilutes my actual accomplishments. I feel like there's a subtext of resentment and doubt saying "Well, she only accomplished that because she received certain privileges." I recently won a competition, which is great and all, but I always wonder in the back of my mind if I won it be…

Don't listen to the dummies who love to hate.

This is a slick idea, something I personally felt I would need - I watch WWE RAW with a delay, and sometimes they post news to their facebook feed, which unfortunately spoils part of the fun.

However, I haven't implemented it. I didn't know of anything like it. You did it, great hack. It's something that I would personally use.

Let the naysayers saying you got an award just because of some characteristic that does not define a "hacker" prove you wrong by creating stuff instead of posting stuff that only prove they are the dummies.

Creating stuff is what really defines a hacker.

Re: How A 17-Year-Old Girl Won a Hackathon

#52

Post by guylhem »

pizza wrote: post #38
stmchn wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm still not sure how I feel to be getting these advantages though. I feel like, the more advantages like this are offered, the more it dilutes my actual accomplishments. I feel like there's a subtext of resentment and doubt saying "Well, she only accomplished that because she received certain privileges." I recently won a competition, which is great and all, but I always wonder in the back of my mind if I won it be…

> the more advantages like this are offered, the more it dilutes my actual accomplishments plight of all assisted minorities, gender-wise or racial

> plight of all assisted minorities, gender-wise or racial

Is that supposed to be ironic????

What's worse in your opinion, a competition that's hard to enter, or a competition that hard to enter AND where, in rare the case you succeed, you will be denied having won on your own, by your talent alone?

That's the reason I'm somehow against all the "levelling the field" initiatives and outreach programs. I don't care about losers, the one who can't get in the competition.

I care about the winners, and making sure they get the glory they deserve.

Re: How A 17-Year-Old Girl Won a Hackathon

#53

Post by shirro »

greatquux wrote: post #23

I was pretty flabbergasted to hear she's learned more at hackathons than her AP Computer Science class. What the hell are we doing in our educational system then? Is any of it actually worth anything if it's not resulting in real learning?

Different sorts of lessons. A lot of formal education is limited by the need to produce moderately competent fodder for cubical farms. It isn't always about producing the best individuals but satisfying the needs of society. Society needs many more Java burger flippers than it needs Turing award winners. There are obviously academic pathways within formal education to pursue individual excellence but they don't suit everyone, especially if they are more practically minded. Competitive activities like hackathons or participating in open source projects seem like a great place to pursue individual excellence. Even better if you are fortunate enough to work in a challenging area. I think our expectations of formal education are often unreasonable. It is a foundation, not the complete answer.

Re: How A 17-Year-Old Girl Won a Hackathon

#54

Post by vacri »

biot wrote: post #30
greatquux wrote: post #23

I was pretty flabbergasted to hear she's learned more at hackathons than her AP Computer Science class. What the hell are we doing in our educational system then? Is any of it actually worth anything if it's not resulting in real learning?

I'm not surprised. I can imagine a doctor saying they learned more from doing a few surgeries than from years of education on anatomy and surgical techniques. It says that hands-on practical experience provides far more information than theoretical concepts in a classroom. I don't think it would be wise to have doctors skip their education, however, as the education provides the framework of understanding which enabl…

I was also of the understanding that CS courses were more about the "why things are this way" than the vocational "this is how you make the magic happen". In the doctor example, you can train a paramedic and a doctor to do the same emergency procedures, but when you come to an edge case, it's the doctor that you turn to for an opinion formed from deeper understanding.

Re: How A 17-Year-Old Girl Won a Hackathon

#55

Post by danilocampos »

jorgenev wrote: post #44
mnicole wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No one's saying women need to be coddled; the problem is that people recognize that the current state of the industry/the internet are jerks . You can only tell people to ignore bullying so long, especially when those doing the bullying aren't being punished, but those that are being victimized by it are being told to instead change this perceived weakness about themselves . People should not have to worry about bein…

> The consensus on HN was that there was nothing wrong with her code, but that she was being picked on solely for being a girl False. They did not know she was a woman when they made fun of the code. And that was not the consensus. [1] In fact, if they had known that she was a woman, they would have known better than to criticize. Us men in tech are well aware by now that you have to shelter women from the real world…

> Your delusions of persecution are staggering.

And they say this community's intolerant!

Re: How A 17-Year-Old Girl Won a Hackathon

#56

Post by helen842000 »

Jun8 wrote: post #18

Let me tell you a story: The FIRST Robotics Competition high school team (Mechanicats, from Chicago) and I were testing our robot late one night this February. While we were munching pizza, exhausted, a girl from the team came to me and asked if I enjoyed what I do (I'm the software mentor for the team). The reason for the question, she said, was that she was torn about what to study in college. She told me that her…

It's great you encouraged her, however I don't think "better odds at getting a good job" is a decent enough reason to hand out to girls. It just doesn't feel...enough.

When she does go on to get a job, does she tell herself "I got this because I was the only girl" or because she has confidence in her abilities to be the best overall candidate? We need to remind girls they have the potential to be the best, not just the best female.

We need to hear what kind of life learning a technical skill will open up to us. Seeing someone else have the passion for their work in tech is the biggest inspiration. This is shown by how the father of the hackathon winner told stories of his latest hack and made his enthusiasm contagious. This is how I was influenced in my childhood.

Focusing on the 'huge opportunity' is akin to saying "Quick! There's a gap, get in now while you're a unicorn, you'll regret it once ratios are more equal & you actually have to be talented to get hired".

Also by getting girls into tech on the sole basis of the advantages of being the 'token female' could develop a dynamic a few years down the line where women feel their worth within a team deminish with every further female hire. This is why I feel talent and enjoyment should be emphasised from the start.

Please emphasise WHY you love what you do, ask where her interests lie. Don't recommend it to every girl. Yes there is a gap but surely we should be saying to girls, gap or no gap - if you feel a sense of connection to creativity & technology & see your future in it, go for it regardless!

Re: How A 17-Year-Old Girl Won a Hackathon

#57

Post by noonespecial »

gradstudent wrote: post #29
noonespecial wrote: post #3

However, she points out that “women in tech” stories are also simply “tech stories.” Good point. As I always whisper to my own daughter, "the computer can't tell you're a girl."

I get what you're trying to do, or at least I think I do, but I also simultaneously think there's something not-quite-right with your statement. I think you need to be careful that you're not reinforcing to your daughter that being a girl is a kind of disability. One that she doesn't have to try and hide from the computer, only people.

One of the joys of family is built in context, a refuge from having to vet every possible meaning of the words you choose for fear of being misunderstood. I have nearly two decades to get my point across.

Re: How A 17-Year-Old Girl Won a Hackathon

#58

Post by jholman »

noonespecial wrote: post #3

However, she points out that “women in tech” stories are also simply “tech stories.” Good point. As I always whisper to my own daughter, "the computer can't tell you're a girl."

Oh, thanks... I missed that line in TFA.

In the world we live in today, the word "girl" in the title is relevant to the story. I eagerly await the day when that story would be no-less-interesting with that word left out.

Re: How A 17-Year-Old Girl Won a Hackathon

#59

Post by ahoyhere »

Jun8 wrote: post #18

Let me tell you a story: The FIRST Robotics Competition high school team (Mechanicats, from Chicago) and I were testing our robot late one night this February. While we were munching pizza, exhausted, a girl from the team came to me and asked if I enjoyed what I do (I'm the software mentor for the team). The reason for the question, she said, was that she was torn about what to study in college. She told me that her…

This is not a success story unless she loves it. It's far too early to celebrate… she's just enrolled in a class.

Re: How A 17-Year-Old Girl Won a Hackathon

#60

Post by ahoyhere »

stmchn wrote: post #31
Jun8 wrote: post #18

Let me tell you a story: The FIRST Robotics Competition high school team (Mechanicats, from Chicago) and I were testing our robot late one night this February. While we were munching pizza, exhausted, a girl from the team came to me and asked if I enjoyed what I do (I'm the software mentor for the team). The reason for the question, she said, was that she was torn about what to study in college. She told me that her…

I'm still not sure how I feel to be getting these advantages though. I feel like, the more advantages like this are offered, the more it dilutes my actual accomplishments. I feel like there's a subtext of resentment and doubt saying "Well, she only accomplished that because she received certain privileges." I recently won a competition, which is great and all, but I always wonder in the back of my mind if I won it be…

Nobody's opinion matters but yours. If you doubt you won on merit, you need to decide whether you would have granted yourself the prize, all things being equal. If you are unable to accurately assess your work, you'll always be at the whims of other people's opinions. On the other hand, know your own worth -- even if it means admitting to yourself "this was a gimme, I need more work" -- and you will always be the one in power of your destiny. Which will put you way, way, ahead of just about every other person, including 99% of men.

Aside from that, this is why contests are stupid. And most things in life are contests. What's great about selling products, instead of being employed or consulting, is that you win if you solve the customer's problems, not if they think they should give you a break.

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