Computer Science
Interview with Stefanie Schmidt
INTERVIEW WITH
Stefanie Schmidt
Stefanie Schmidt, a 1981 graduate from Bowling Green State University of Ohio has been generous enough to share her thoughts with us. The following questions were asked of her regarding her current status with a CS degree, her childhood background, and her general views about women in computer science.
Q. Could you explain a little bit about what got you interested in computers as a child, and what kept you motivated throughout high school and college.
A. Computers were not prevalent when I was a child. There was no such thing as a PC back then. I did not take my first computer course until college. I was looking for a major and found Information Technology. I knew it was a good field for finding a job and it looked interesting, so I stuck with it.
Q. Did you ever view the computer science field as a "man's field"? Were there a lot of other women in the program when you were taking your classes?
I did not really consider whether it was a man’s field in college. When I was out in the working world I got involved in database administration which definitely was a man’s world, but it did not bother me. During college, classes were about 70/30 in favor of men.
Q. Did you choose your classes based on the gender of the professor?
A. No, they were all men back then.
Q. Was the computer science program at BGSU well publicized and recruited?
A. Not really back then. It was starting to be, but that was not the reason I chose the college that I went to. Back then, most students did not have a good feel for their major as a starting freshman.
Q. What is one possible reason that you think women may shy away from the computer programming scene?
A. It is a very demanding field. If you want a family, too, it might be hard to do both. However, with telecommuting becoming more and more accepted by companies, that may not be as much of a factor.
Q. Many women are afraid that an occupation in this field will cause computers to become their life. How have you found a successful balance between your job and personal life?
A. My home life was way too busy to be involved with computers much at home. I like to stay in communication, so email is a big thing for me. Other than that, I would only do work at home if I was behind or I got called.