Leesa Barnes asked us to reflect on the day(s) that we almost quit
technology. She shared her experience in 2004 at the last full-time
job she ever had. “Never again,” she said.

She quit because her job had challenged her integrity. “For five years
I worked at a technology company, working on a piece of software that
was crap. And we all knew it. And we worked with our clients, with
this piece of software, everyone fully knowing that it was a piece of
crap. Yet we still had to implement it, put on a brave face, and once
it went live… disappear.”

Oftentimes, our work challenges our integrity. That's one of the
barriers we face as women in technology. Not just crude jokes and
administrative tasks, and everyday situations where our integrity is
challenged. That's why Leesa considered quitting technology altogether.

Leesa also called attention to how horrible a job women do supporting
each other. Five women in a team of 200, and they didn't even feel
comfortable having lunch with each other for fear that their managers
would misconstrue it.

She fell in love with technology again when she discovered podcasting,
and has been passionate about it ever since. She's chosen not to focus
on the negative stuff that she encounters in the industry, and instead
has chosen to surround herself with positive experiences and
individuals. That's her strategy, and it's worked really well so far.

Leesa ended her speech with a call to support each other and to look
at solutions instead of just focusing on problems. And she's right: a
positive outlook breeds positive outcomes!