Why I’m yet another woman leaving the tech industry | by Chelsey Glasson

With the continued hardships I know I’d encounter, especially as a mother, remaining in tech is too financially and emotionally risky.

In my twenties, I thought I would someday become a lawyer. Having interned for U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell and then working as a public policy analyst for the Nevada state legislature, a career in law seemed likely. That all changed when I met a family friend of my husband’s named Jennifer.

Jennifer was a highly successful executive at Microsoft. Meeting her was a revelation and encouraged me to pursue a career path in tech like hers. Something about Jennifer being a woman and looking like me helped me visualize my being there. If Jennifer could do it, I could, too. That thought spurred me to pursue a Master of Science in Human-Centered Design and Engineering from the University of Washington.

Eventually, I landed a job in the Bay Area, the place to be as an ambitious, young tech worker. Red flags started appearing almost immediately, but I dismissed them, distracted by the lavish perks and high paychecks that came with working in Big Tech. I also believed my employers were primarily driven by a desire to change the world for the better, as I was so often told. How could such altruistic organizations be engaging in nefarious acts?

Over a decade flew by, and with time, it became harder to ignore the issues: instances of gender-based pay and leveling discrepancies, sexual harassment, pregnancy discrimination, and parental discrimination were adding up and severely impacting my career trajectory. The exhaustion of trying to constantly walk on what felt like a tightrope in navigating being a woman in tech was also wearing on me. I was somehow always too assertive yet not assertive enough, too casual in my appearance or not presentable enough, too emotional and yet somehow not attuned enough to the emotions of my coworkers. The list goes on.

I thought for a period of time that surely no other woman could have experienced so many workplace hardships. From the countless people who have reached out following my story going public — involving me being pushed out of…