Not technical enough: Really?

Meet my shadow. Her name is "Not technical enough" and she's been walking beside me for all of my working career.

It doesn't matter that I studied engineering at university
It doesn't matter that I learnt to program in my first role
It doesn't matter that I can comfortably analyse systems and identify failure modes
It doesn't matter that..., well you get the picture.

My shadow is partly created by my own insecurities, but also by where the sun sits on the horizon. When the sun is low, my shadow is long.

The sun tells me:
"We want someone really technical for this role"
"You only got that promotion because you're a woman"
"You're not one of us unless you code"

"Not One of us, Not one of us, Not one of us" they chant.

My shadow gets longer and darker.

Today, I change the message.

Today, you are one of me.

My shadow has a new name, it's "Irreducible" and she's there to remind me to view myself by what I am, rather than what I'm not.

To code or not to code is NOT the question;

How you show up is.