The Women in Tech Canadian Chapter was formed, as fate would have it, in the first week that Canada’s COVD19 social distancing guidelines were enacted. This meant that women working in tech across the country were asked by their local government, employers, and loved ones, to work remotely.

And so our first meetup as a Canadian Chapter, building a community of practice and support for women in a profession already dominated by online activities, was to be an online activity. We decided to make this virtual call as unofficial and informal as possible. With everyone working or studying from home, constant zoom calls could feel draining after a few days. This first, virtual meetup of ours was going to be energizing, and make us feel warm and connected.

It was a very simple check-in, to share experience, lessons, and questions. Developers, recruiters and marketing professionals all joined the call. We introduced ourselves and talked about our backgrounds, and found we had so much in common. All from Toronto, all worried about jobs, all totally confused as to what we should be thinking or feeling at this time. We shared advice about job hunting (thank you recruiters!), our ideas on what helps in such uncertain times, and we shared a few laughs. If you would like to join Women in Tech – Global Movement – join our slack group here.