Dear Coders: A Heartfelt Letter from an Intel Engineer

We had the pleasure of interviewing Yap Kah Yean, an Automation Engineer from Intel and were given a preview into her thoughts about women in code as well as some great advice for the people out there who are about unsure of a career path in coding or those who are ready to embark on this journey of programming. The following essay describes her journey as a programmer.

"A women who codes is overrated."

I get many questions from people about how I feel as a women who codes, and I do get a lot of praises when strangers found out that I’m from this field. While I’m flattered that they find that amusing, I’m slightly offended that it’s like they somehow expected less from me. I just want to be treated the same. I’m tired of the “Wow, you’re a girl who dance and studies computer” or “Why did you choose computer science?” (In a tone that sounded like they’re targeting my gender). I’m pretty sure us women who codes are getting too much attention in comparison to men who codes.

Don’t get me wrong but personally, I would appreciate being commended for the quality of my work instead of the fact that I have a different reproductive system. I’m blessed to be honed of my programming skills in an environment that doesn’t categorise us by gender, and I’m really thankful to those who’s in that journey of growth with me.

"This field is not male dominated"

I’m aware that there are girls struggling to express their interest in this field due to maybe their parents, or their perception that they’re lonely in this field, etc. To clear up some misconception, this field is not male dominated, the overall working industry is just no longer as male dominated as centuries ago. I just want whoever who’s reading this and perhaps feel this way, to know that, it’s 2020, we’re all growing and we can be whoever we want as long as we’re willing to put effort into building who we are. You’re not alone, this industry does not belong to any gender, we can all equally contribute to a better tomorrow. That sounded really cliche but yeah, don’t be afraid of embracing who you are!

Yap Kah Yean

This was truly, a beautifully written essay by Kah Yean! Everyone should not be afraid of taking up coding due to the stereotypes and perceptions of others. We should just believe in ourselves and go for it!

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