Last year, Tracy Boggiano (blog | LinkedIn) and I were excited to announce the formation of WITspiration, a women in tech mentoring circle.
So where are we a year later? We’re still going and have started our next cohort!
We definitely learned a lot from last year. I think the biggest lesson has been how hard it is to get started. Some circles were able to connect quickly while others kept having problems, with simple things like emails constantly hitting spam filters or life in general getting in the way. By the time we were able to step in, it made the timeline that much longer which made it even harder to help at that point.
One of the things we’re most excited about this upcoming year is that we’re going to do more to help fix some of these issues. Tracy and I are now admins of the SQLWIT Community Slack, which will enable us to resolve some of the email issues by creating a better way for circles to communicate with each other. Not only that, but it’s allowed us to create channels to have virtual circles where members can chat rather than try to find a time to meet. Another advantage is the ability to have a general channel to allow us to have larger group conversations and connections.
(As a side note, Tracy and I would love to see the SQLWIT Slack be used for more than just WITspiration, like it was when it was first started. Maybe we’ll tackle that in year 3, so stay tuned for what comes next.)
We also introduced monthly drop-in meetings, where anyone can join if they’re able. There are two times for these meetings so all time zones can have at least one that they can make.
Another change that we are making is allowing people to sign up at any point rather than once a year. While it means it may take a while to add people to a circle, no one has to wait to join for any of the other online conversations or drop-in meet ups that occur.
What’s been the best part of this first year? Hearing about the connections that some people have made in their circles. It sounds cheesy but making these connections and being able to share issues we face at work in a space designed to help each other figure out these problems. It’s what makes us want to keep this going and build upon the successes.
If you’re a woman in tech and this sounds like something you’re interested in, you can fill out the form here: bit.ly/witspirationsignup. And help us spread the word.
Deb the DBA 
