It’s no secret that women are underrepresented in tech: Women made up only 26.7% of the technical workforce in 2021, according to a survey from AnitaB.org, a global organization for women technologists.
But social media tells a different story. Women programmers dominate TikTok “for you” pages or Instagram feeds, often sharing everything from career advice and job interview strategies to hands-on coding advice and desk set-ups.
In honor of Women’s History Month, here are some of the best women programmers to follow on social media, whether you’re seeking career advice or just want to lol about life as a woman in tech.
Ijemma Onwuzulike

Ijemma Onwuzulike is a front-end software engineer at Squarespace who makes YouTube tutorials about JavaScript and front-end development.
Why you should follow: Ijemma’s bite-sized videos are useful if you need someone to clearly walk you through how to do something in JavaScript, like how to delete object properties with one command or how to create a Promise. Ijemma also has an inspiring side hustle: In 2021, she launched Nkọwa okwu, a free and open-source Igbo-English dictionary, and she often makes videos about the process of launching an app.
Follow Ijemma on YouTube and Twitter
Bukola Ayodele

Bukola Ayodele is a software developer advocate at Google who hosts a popular YouTube channel called “The Come Up,” where she shares advice for people entering the tech industry.
Why you should follow: From vlogs about a week in the life of someone working at Google to tips for knowing your worth and negotiating, Bukola pulls back the curtain on what it’s like to work at a FAANG company. Bukola often interviews other folks who work at FAANG companies, like a software engineer at Netflix and a recruiter at Google.
Follow Bukola on YouTube
Femke

Femke started making instructional YouTube videos about product design and user research while working at Uber, because she was inspired to teach “the next generation of designers,” she says on her website. These days, she’s a senior product designer at Wealthsimple.
Why you should follow: Femke’s friendly videos touch on common pain points that designers might experience during the job application process, like how to talk about the impact of your designs in interviews and how to make your portfolio stand out. She also offers one-on-one mentoring sessions, community events, and even has a job board for product designers.
Follow Femke on YouTube
Cassidy Williams

Come to Cassidy Williams’ feeds for the software jokes and memes, stay for the practical developer advice. Cassidy also has a newsletter called Rendezvous with Cassidoo, which includes a weekly interview question for you to practice your skills.
Why you should follow: Cassidy is a wealth of knowledge and consistently amplifies other developers’ voices on her feed. She hosts regular co-working Twitch streams and often speaks on podcasts or other events. (Plus, she’s hilarious.)
I love being a woman on the internet pic.twitter.com/5YqOuDmVAa
— Cassidy (@cassidoo) July 17, 2020
Follow Cassidy on Twitter and TikTok
Mattaniah Aytenfsu

Mattaniah Aytensfu’s jaw-dropping artwork — like a painting that she coded into a musical instrument or an immersive LED installation — is impossible to scroll past on your TikTok “for you” page. The 24-year-old artist and engineer’s day job is as a UX engineer at YouTube.
Why you should follow: Mattaniah is STEAM in action, and her work will open your mind to the magic that happens when coding and the arts combine.
@muhtanya Reply to @haleyivers painted this back in dec 2020 and FINALLY connected it a year later lol #artist #synthtok #coding #artistsoftiktok #fyp
Follow Mattaniah on TikTok
Katia

This software engineer at Microsoft has an inspiring and non-traditional path to coding: Katia was a full-time baker who went to a bootcamp before getting a job as a software developer, and then eventually becoming a software engineer — and she did it without a college degree. She recently built a smart beauty mirror called Alura. Also, if you’re wading into Web3, she created a Notion guide for developers.
Why you should follow: People who are entering the tech industry for the first time will really appreciate Katia’s candid advice. Not to mention, she has an enviable desk set-up that she frequently posts about.
Follow Katia on Instagram
Laura Medalia

You might know full-stack developer Laura Medalia as “coder girl” on Instagram.
Laura’s advice for women in tech: “Something that’s really important is to understand that it’s okay to fail along the way and make mistakes. It’s common,” she said in an interview with Blueprint. “We all have to face a bug or have had a problem that stumped us. It’s about taking time to be thoughtful and understanding the processes that help you solve the problem and just learning from it. You can learn from bugs and it doesn’t mean that you don’t belong. Make them a learning opportunity!”
Why you should follow: You’ll feel validated by her extremely on-point Reels, like this one about relying on Stack Overflow whenever you start a new project.
Follow Laura on Instagram
Naya

When the pandemic hit, Naya was about to graduate from college with a degree in finance and decided on a whim to learn how to code. That small decision paid off: Naya fell in love with coding and six months later got a job as a software engineer. Naya goes by the moniker “The BlackFemale Engineer,” and her mission is “to grow the number of minority groups in software engineering and other technical positions.”
Why you should follow: Coding newbies and career-switchers, Naya is here for you because she’s been there. For example, peep her video about dealing with imposter syndrome when starting her first job in commerce cloud development for some affirmation and sage wisdom.
@theblackfemaleengineer Welp #codinghumor #techjokes #programminghumor #programmingmemes #aintthatfunny
Follow Naya on TikTok and YouTube
Ivy Barley

Ivy Barley is the co-founder of Developers In Vogue, an organization that provides training, mentorship, job placement, and business incubation for African women in tech. Her day job is working at Microsoft as a technical program manager and data scientist.
Why you should follow: Ivy hosts Twitter Spaces, where you can tune in to listen to her talk through common job search issues, like coping with rejection or tech interview tips.
This Tuesday, we're going to be sharing CV tips, best practices for application tracking systems, and advice for job seekers.
We'll also do a live CV review.
Set your reminder, retweet and come along with a friend.https://t.co/JB1xprrLEW #SpaceswithIvy
— Ivy Barley (@ivybarley) February 7, 2022
Follow Ivy on Twitter
Farah Sharghi

As the lead technical recruiter at The New York Times, Farah has some job search tips up her sleeves, which she generously doles out on TikTok. Before joining The Times, she worked in Silicon Valley (at Google, TikTok, Uber, and Lyft) for over a decade.
Why you should follow: Watching Farah’s videos will make you feel like you have the cheat codes for job interviews.
@farahsharghi Reply to @xuanzhuluo #mindset #shift #interviews
Follow Farah on TikTok
Sasha Tran

Sasha Tran is a web developer and UI/UX engineer based in Las Vegas, who’s into gaming, NFTs, and mechanical keyboards.
Why you should follow: If you like aesthetically-pleasing desk setups (complete with color-coordinated LED lights) and mechanical keyboard reviews, you’ll appreciate Sasha’s Insta feed. Beyond the pretty photos, Sasha doesn’t sugar-coat the realities of being a developer, like dealing with a creative block or anxiety.
Follow Sasha on Instagram and YouTube
Maya Bello

Maya Bello makes relatable and motivating videos about maintaining work-life balance, drawing boundaries, and learning to code. Plus, she shares details about how she landed her job as a full-stack engineer at Slack.
Why you should follow: Let’s just say you’re going to want to hear the multi-part story about what happened when Maya threw up during a job interview (spoiler alert: she got the job).
@maya_loves_code 👩🏿💻 #softwaredeveloper #softwaredeveloper #blackcoders #girlswhocode
Follow Maya on TikTok and YouTube
