"They look sort of baffled when I explain that no, I want to write code, not manage coders."
Good for you. Sorry about all the jerks.
Since the studies apparently show that women are opting out because they prefer communication focused roles, others figure that all women are like that and would never want to be in the trenches writing code. And, indeed, many (or even all) of the women they have at that company may prefer those roles.
But even if many people are bad about stereotyping others based upon their past experiences, there are definitely places where people will be happy to see you program as long as you have the aptitude and the interest.
Unfortunately, one thing you will likely have to deal with throughout your career is programming departments dominated by male-centric attitudes and humor. (This can range from benign to outright offensive, depending on the people involved.) I don't really have any helpful advice for that. Then again, I spent a couple of years working in a very female-centric office, and that was a strange experience, too, so I guess that can work both ways. The last thing I want to do is to talk you out of programming, but you should go into it with your eyes open on this one.
I really enjoy coding, so I plan to stick with it. I am hoping that programming jobs will be similar to other jobs I've worked, in that where you work does make a difference as far as "corporate culture" goes. I've been researching internships, and I've found a couple of companies that might be a good fit. I'm sure I'll find somewhere to fit in doing what I want, but I also expect to have to look a bit harder for it than the average male CS major would. But hey, isn't that what internships are partly for?
Good for you. Sorry about all the jerks.
Since the studies apparently show that women are opting out because they prefer communication focused roles, others figure that all women are like that and would never want to be in the trenches writing code. And, indeed, many (or even all) of the women they have at that company may prefer those roles.
But even if many people are bad about stereotyping others based upon their past experiences, there are definitely places where people will be happy to see you program as long as you have the aptitude and the interest.
Unfortunately, one thing you will likely have to deal with throughout your career is programming departments dominated by male-centric attitudes and humor. (This can range from benign to outright offensive, depending on the people involved.) I don't really have any helpful advice for that. Then again, I spent a couple of years working in a very female-centric office, and that was a strange experience, too, so I guess that can work both ways. The last thing I want to do is to talk you out of programming, but you should go into it with your eyes open on this one.