Skills Work!® for Women – Sheila Brown, Computer Tamer

Sheila Brown’s career path looks something like a patchwork quilt.  She worked in nursing for many years, then in volunteer management within Ontario hospitals, then onto retail management with a large department store chain.  After becoming disabled in 1986, Sheila adjusted her work so that she could work sitting down.  And that’s where she got her first introduction to computers.

The company she worked for at the time was Canada’s first company to connect the public to the Internet.  Immediately, she saw a need for skills development with computers, particularly among women.   

Around the same time, her son was becoming interested in computers through school.  As a widowed single mother, Sheila felt that it was important to gain a good understanding of what he was getting into, so she went out and purchased her first computer in 1984 and took to it immediately. 

In 1994, before most of us even knew the Internet was a thing, Sheila had already designed her first web page.  She created a business out of her passion for computers, which started part time in 1999, and flourished into a full-time gig in 2004.

“I train many women and seniors, as well as helping younger people, to learn how to use their computers, and how to be safe online. I also train people in how to create or maintain their own websites, and am pleased when they can do so on their own, or with little guidance and help.”

One of the biggest skills Sheila uses on a daily basis is patience.  Sometimes she has to explain a process or task several times before a client understands.  She also has to stay ahead of the curve on new technologies.

A significant barrier to Sheila starting her career was “male attitudes to females in technology.”  She remembers that she wasn't given good service when buying her first computers, and was not always taken seriously in discussions with male tech support personnel.  She is happy to see these attitudes changing, but can still be a challenge for women, even today, despite the prevalence of computers in our society.

“Women are capable, women are strong, and women can do whatever they want to, despite the problems and challenges we encounter,” is her advice to young women seeking work in technologies.  With such a positive attitude, she is sure to see her business expand in the coming years!

Sheila is a returning mentor to our Networking Dinner program.  She mentored at the Ottawa “Skills Work!® for Women” Networking Dinner on April 12, 2011.