I continue to code because...

The Bureau of Labor reported in 2016 that women made up only 25 percent of computing-related occupations. And when looking at women of color like myself, the numbers become even more ridiculously dismal with Latinas and Black women holding only 1% and 3% of computing jobs, respectively.

So what can one conclude from all this?

Well, first, let me provide some context.

A unicorn is a startup company valued at over $1 billion. The term was coined because the chances of a startup becoming a unicorn are very statistically rare (about 1.28% likely to happen).

This means that according to those standards, I'm quite literally a "unicorn" in the sense that I'm part of the 1% of Latinas that considers herself a die-hard software engineer.

Now I became aware of this isolation a long time ago and have since developed a strong desire to want to motivate and aid those who want to enter the tech field but may not feel like they'll fit in.

But to truly break down this stereotype, we need to have more Latinas pursuing tech careers.

We must lead by example and inspire others who look like us to show them that yes, Latinas can indeed code and lead in the tech industry.

In any industry, really.

And THAT is why I continue to code.

Image courtesy of Miguel Á. Padriñán on Pexels