My SWE Experience
“SWE has become a home to me. It’s a brilliant platform full of brilliant people and amazing energy.”
How did you get involved with SWE?
It goes back to 2019. I was introduced to SWE through a friend in another organization and straight away landed at the WE Local conference in Bengaluru where I was presenting a poster. That was my first encounter with SWE, and the vibe and energy that the conference had hooked me and I’m still glued to that.
Geetu Garg
Job Title & Company: Senior Application Architect, IBM
Location: Pune, India
Academic Background: B.E. Medical Electronics
Years in SWE: since 2019
What would you say to a STEM professional wondering if SWE would be valuable to them?
SWE will give them the right exposure to STEM and it will give them a platform that will not only expand them, it will also help them connect with different people across industries. It will enhance their personality and their awareness. SWE will also help them evangelize STEM as a career and many, many opportunities to excel and grow. It’s a wonderful platform for the experienced STEM professional.
How is SWE helping to bridge the gender gap in STEM in India?
We know that women make up 57% of college graduates, but only 14.8% of the engineering team is women. So, what SWE has done is launch programs like SWENext where we target girls at the K-12 level, because that is your first exposure to STEM careers. And that really has an impactful influence for change. Through the SWENext Program, we talk to the girls under 18 and encourage them to pursue engineering. We explain about scholarship opportunities, camps, and competitions. We do webinars and bring experienced professionals to talk to them and give them guidance and mentoring. I think SWE has played a major role in helping to bridge this gender gap, and I think we’ve made progress on that as well.
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