To lead or not to lead.

About a year ago, I was elected to be on the committee of the Women In Computer Science Society at UCT. Last Wednesday, I oversaw the election of the next committee. This post is about what happened in between.

I was once talking to a potential sponsor and he asked, 'Why this society? As a student, it must take a lot of your time, It must mean a lot to you.' My response was and still is, 'yes it does'. I have written a lot about why we have few women in technology and why we we need to more to solve the problem. I have experienced first hand being what its like to be one of two girls in the class, or the only female developer in an office, or to be told I should be study something suitable for girls like Commerce and the list goes on. Its definitely not fun and is a big contributor to Impostor Syndrome. After going to Grace Hopper 2014 and seeing how much it is a global problem, I decided to be part of the solution. Now that we have covered the whys, lets get to the hows.

I was promoted to Chair Person after the previous Chair Person resigned. I can definitely tell you that I wasn't ready. Leading a society requires a lot of time, commitment and sometimes experience, especially because it was a young society that had just been reinstated as an official society. There was no alternative so I took up the challenge. Gradually the society, became my baby. I found myself using a lot of my time sending emails, writing announcements, thinking, organizing and planning. I was always thinking of what I could have done better or differently.It sometimes felt like a job that I wasn't getting paid for. Now I realize the immaterial rewards far outweigh the material ones.

Over the course of the year, I have had the platform to implement whatever crazy ideas I had, I have connected with lots of interesting people from members to sponsors and supporters,I have received feedback from members about how happy the society makes them feel, (Damn I live for those emails), I have received good feedback from the Department of Computer Science, I have learnt the art of fundraising and following up. I haven't saved the world yet but leading  helped me as much as the community.
If you are a student considering getting involved on campus, my advice is 'Go for it, and have fun while at it'. It is true that it will take a lot of your time, (time that you are now wasting on social media by the way), but its a good use of your time if personal growth is your priority. Happy leading!

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Have a great weekend!