IT Careers: Too ‘Geeky’ for Women

Some important people think IT careers need a makeover.

Microsoft is touting them to young women, as is the European Union, which earlier this year announced plans to make IT careers more appealing to women. According to eWeek.com:

The second annual DigiGirlz event, held on March 26 in Islandia, N.Y., was
attended by more than 150 11th grade girls from seven schools on Long
Island. Presenters from all walks of IT gave presentations on career
planning and job roles in areas from law to health care, the public
sector and security companies. Women at the top of the field doled out
unconventional career advice to girls in the hopes of dispelling the
notion that one must be a geek to work with technology.

By squashing IT's 'geeky' image and giving it a sexier sheen, the logic
goes, more women will be drawn to it, helping stave off a shortage of
workers.

According to the National Center for Women & Information Technology,
1 million computer and information-related jobs are expected to be
added to the U.S. workforce by 2014, but U.S. universities will only
graduate enough candidates with computer science bachelor’s degrees to
fill 50 percent of those jobs.

Where are the rest of the qualified candidates going to come from?
Since women only account for 26 percent of tech workers, according to
NCWIT, could the untapped female population help meet the projected
shortfall of workers?