The educational, social, and familial influences that lead women to choose information technology (IT) careers were examined in an online survey. Of the 2,500 women who were employed in IT careers in 38 countries and who belonged to the IT professional organization, Systers, 275 responded to the online survey (11% response rate). The respondents ranged in age from 22 to 64 years (38 years mean age) and they had spent a mean of 10.5 years in the IT field. School experiences were an important influence on the respondents. Many respondents were first introduced to computers in school, and they took seriously the encouragement or discouragement of their teachers in high school and college. A significant number of respondents cited male friends and colleagues as powerful influences in their career decisions. Only half the successful IT women had majored in traditional technical fields as undergraduates. Nearly one-third of the women entered the "IT pipeline" directly by majoring in computer science or information systems as an undergraduate; however, nearly one-third had majored in the arts, social sciences, or humanities and entered the IT field in "little increments" through on-the-job experiences and encouragement from mentors or close male friends. Others switched to computer science at the graduate level. (Contains 26 references.) (MN)