General FAQs

How was "Learn IT, Girl" born?

This program was born as the project of the Romanian and Polish recipients of the Google Anita Borg Scholarship in 2014 as a way to help realize Anita Borg's vision of 50% women in computing by 2020. After the success of the first edition, "Learn IT, Girl" has grown from an international team for the second edition.

Can I be a mentor and a scholar at the same time?

No, we would like to encourage you to choose only one role and focus on it. Because each mentor is assigned to exactly one scholar, we need to know prior to the scholar selection how many mentors we have. However, you can apply for the other role for next edition :)

Will I receive a diploma at the end of the program?

Yes, both mentors and scholars will receive diplomas upon successful completion of the program.

How long does it take to apply?

As a prospective mentor or mentee, we want to know a little bit about your experience and goals. Therefore, you can expect the application process to take around 15-20 minutes.

Is the program free?

Yes. All the organizers, developers and mentors at "Learn IT, Girl" are volunteers, which allows us to have the program for free.

I have a question and I didn't find the answer in the FAQ section, what do I do?

If you didn't find the answer in the description of the program or in the FAQ below, you can mail us at: [email protected]. We will answer as soon as we can.

Scholar FAQs

How are we going to do this?

Easy! Each scholar will have her own mentor - from a different country than her own in most cases. We are building long bridges and we trust that you will get far with us! You can even choose the programming language that you want to learn (provided that we have a mentor who knows it at the time you apply).

Can I be a scholar if I am not a woman?

No, the program's aim is to help women learn a programming language.

Do you accept gender-diverse people?

Yes, if they identify as a woman.

Can I apply if I already know how to code?

Yes, but you should choose a new programming language or explain which new things you want to learn.

What are the minimum and maximum ages for a scholar?

There are no age restrictions.

Who owns the rights to the projects?

The projects will be open source, owned by the people who actively work on it.

Can I change the language I am using in the middle of the program?

No. We have paired you up with a skilled mentor in the programming language of your choice. Therefore, you cannot change the language you chose once you are paired up. You can always change a new programming language during next edition.

Mentor FAQs

How much experience do I need to be a mentor?

You should only apply to mentor programming languages you know well and you have experience with. You should have done some projects in the language, either at school, on your own or professionally and feel confident about answering questions and helping someone learn this language.

What are the responsibilities of a mentor?

As a mentor, you will be guiding your mentee through the learning process by answering her questions and helping her choose which resources to read and how to apply what she learns. You will help her in making a weekly plan and support her when making decisions. You will communicate with her weekly by Skype or Hangouts to check on her progress. You will review her code and help her with her doubts so she can make the most of the program and learn as much as possible while working on her project.

Can I be a mentor if I am not a woman?

Yes, we have no gender restrictions on our mentors.