In the Bay Area? Look out for #ILookLikeAnEngineer

If you’re from the Bay Area, you may have noticed the Name.com logo on a series of very special billboards. We are proud to say that we are a sponsor of the #ILookLikeAnEngineer movement!

The brainchild of Isis Wenger, #ILookLikeAnEngineer started as a way to combat the discrimination that Wenger faced from not fitting the stereotype of what an engineer should look like. The movement quickly took off as more engineers shared their own stories about facing discrimination in the technology industry. Now, supporters are taking action by sharing their message in a big way: A series of billboards that address gender and racial stereotyping are popping up in the Bay Area to share the message that made #ILookLikeAnEngineer go viral. The billboards will appear at the Bay Bridge, along the 880 in Oakland, at the 101 in Palo Alto, and in Santa Clara and San Jose.

As members of the tech industry, we wholeheartedly believe in encouraging diversity in the workplace. And although the hashtag and billboards are a great way to start raising awareness of this issue, companies need to embrace and encourage diversity before change can actually happen.

Encouraging a more diverse workplace

Studies show that employees and job hunters alike show a strong desire for a diverse work environment. According to a Glassdoor survey,

• 57% of people think that companies should be doing more to encourage diversity,
• 67% of people believe that diversity is an important consideration when job hunting and evaluating job offers,
• 41% of people do not think their company has a diverse executive team,
• and only 31% are aware of diversity initiatives in their workplace.

Companies that make the effort to create an environment that welcomes diversity will be much more successful in hiring and retaining employees of all backgrounds. One way Name.com is doing our part to encourage diversity in technology is though Hack the Dot, an event where coding students, developers, designers, and others in the tech industry come together to create a web-based project. These events take place across the country multiple times a year and are open to anyone who wants to participate. It doesn’t matter if you come in knowing absolutely nothing about coding—all you need is a sense of humor and a whole lot of creativity!

If you’re interested in participating, head over to the Hack the Dot website to find a location near you. Also, keep an eye out for #ILookLikeAnEngineer billboards in the Bay Area! Feel free to Tweet sightings of it to us at @namedotcom. (It would make us ridiculously happy.)

To learn more about #ILookLikeAnEngineer, visit www.diversity.engineer.