Web chat - Felicity Wohltman

Welcome to the Financial Times live web chat with Felicity Wohltman who features in our Ten Questions Q&A.

Felicity Wohltman, vice president of solutions at Mindjet and MBA graduate of the University of California Anderson School of Management will answer your questions on Thursday, 28 June 2012, between 12.00-13.00 BST.

Post your questions now to ask@ft.com and they will be answered on the day on this page.

——————————————————————————

Why did you choose to do your MBA at UCLA?

Felicity: Because UCLA has always had a very strong programme and it was affordable, because I was a resident of California. My parents paid for my college education but I paid for my MBA myself, so cost was an important consideration.

What is it like working in Silicon Valley? What do you enjoy the most and what has been the biggest challenge?

Felicity: Working in Silicon Valley is always interesting because people are working on (and talking about) new technology all the time. I really enjoy being around people who are passionate about what they do. The biggest challenge is trying to keep up to date on new developments.

I am an arts graduate but interested in transitioning to the IT industry as I think there are more employment opportunities there, what tips would you give to someone in my position?

Felicity: I’d recommend talking to anyone you know who works in IT to see if they can introduce you to people they work with and then ask those people if you can schedule an “informational interview” with them. The more you can get a sense for what type of role you might be interested in, the better. That will help you figure out where you can best take advantage of the skills you already have. If you have good writing skills, for example, those are always in demand in IT marketing departments.

What are your thoughts on existing campaigns to have more women on boards? What do you think is the best way forward in achieving gender equality in the workplace?

Felicity: Of course I think there should be more women on boards and I see the recent appointment of Sheryl Sandberg to the Facebook board as a big step. It’s discouraging that it’s not more routine to see equal numbers of women on boards and in senior management positions.

What it will take to achieve gender equality is a tough question – I’ve been very interested to read Anne-Marie Slaughter’s article in The Atlantic, entitled Why Women Still Can’t Have It All and to watch the debate that’s ensued. There’s definitely no easy answer.