Hi, I’m Kamal Janardhan, I work for the Microsoft Corporation and I love what I do building software. When I sat down to write a few words to “encourage young women to study Math/Computer Science” I was flummoxed. What could I say to myself ten years ago that could convince me I’d enjoy studying and working in the area of Computer Science?

There are a lot of things I couldn’t see then that I can now. For example, a lot of young people I know decide not to study Math/Computer Science either because they don’t think they’d be good at it or because they don’t think they’d like it. And the reasons are often nothing to do with ability or desire, but caused by bad teachers, poor curriculum, low self-esteem or self-discipline, never even considering it etc.

I think anyone can be good at these subjects at the high school or undergraduate college level. It may be uphill in the beginning but only till you get the hang of it. It’s like language, there are people who aren’t good at verbalizing but they have to do it all the time (it's hard to get around if you can’t ask someone to get off your foot on the bus) so they get good at it. Math and science are the same way, you learn the basics and then you practice until it comes easily.

The rewards on the other hand are amazing - you get the chance to do all sorts of amazing things like studying the planet, building on it, and most importantly leaving it a better place.