Starting steps for computer science

After a round of getting to know each other, our developer Monika shared how she trained for her profession. She told the girls what subject matter should be expected when studying computer science and what job possibilities exist afterwards. She then answered questions regarding choosing a profession and everyday life on the job.

Workshop: How email protocols works

Afterwards, there was a more detailed look into working as a developer. Our team explained to the students what protocols are, what role they have in the global exchange of information – and how the SMTP protocol (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is used for transferring emails.

Finally, it was the girls’ turn: With help from Anne, a team leader from our technical support, they could communicate with an email server using SMTP protocol, enter commands and deliver emails from the command line.

Choosing a field of study or profession without gender stereotypes

Our Girls’Day Team enjoyed the day very much. “The girls were awesome and it was nice to see how motivated they are”, said Posteo developer Monika. “It was not just important for us to give them insight into software development. As women working in IT, we also wanted to show that they are not bound by antiquated gender roles. We hope that they had just as much fun as we did and that they have become even more confident about their potential career choices.”

Girls’Day is a day of action for career guidance in Germany. On this day, girls in the 5th grade and higher can gain more insight into jobs that are primarily chosen by men.
This includes software development. Posteo’s development team has a balanced ratio between men and women. Many of our features were programmed by women: for example the Posteo migration service, our mobile user interface, the attachment browser with photo stream – and also our new dark mode. But it’s not like that everywhere: In computer science studies and in the technology sector, women in Germany are still strongly under-represented.