Occupation: Co-founder of mycity.dog and Kick Punch Creative.
Who she is: "I'm an entrepreneur, designer and developer that loves: finding new problems to solve, pushing myself outside my comfort zone and good coffee."
Q: What is a regular work day like for you?
A: It's different everyday! Sometimes I meet clients at coffee shops, but mostly I work from my home office and take regular breaks to play with my dogs.
Q: What do you love most about your career/major?
A: I'm my own boss, the flexibility, the ability to push myself and learn more from people in the community.
Q: When did you become inspired to partake in tech? What was your inspiration?
A: I had a lot of inspiration from my dad who is a computer programmer, so I started keying DOS commands before I could walk. I would play in MS paint for hours making new designs and manipulating pixels. I also had an obsession with the movie Pirates of the Silicon Valley, which I think my mom thought was strange, haha.
Q: What prepared you the best for your job/major today?
A: My thirst for knowledge and how things work was a catalyst to push myself to learn new things. I self taught myself most design and Omaha Code School was a huge contributor to my knowledge of development.
Q: What is the biggest obstacle you've been faced with, and how are/did you overcoming/overcome it?
A: I think my biggest obstacle is myself most of the time. I often feel like I am not talented enough, or not good enough to succeed. Those voices in your head often weigh you down. Other people's feedback helps to overcome that, but it really doesn't solve the problem. Being confident in my work and always pushing to be better helps overcome those self-doubts.
Q: What non-tech skill do you find most helpful/important that's for your career?
A: Communication skills! I'm taking an improv class now that is helping me better communication not only in public speaking, but also is helping me become a better communicator for my clients and connections.
Q: Where do you see yourself in ten years?
A: My businesses may change, but I really see myself in the same position as now: doing something I am passionate about.
Q: What's your favorite coding language?
A: CSS - I love being able to manipulate something simple into something extraordinary and also being challenged by solving a problem. The best part in CSS is there are multiple ways to solve a problem.
Q: What are some of your interests outside tech?
A: Food! The outdoors, spending time with good company, movies, music and of course, Game of Thrones.
Q: What are your plans for future projects?
A: We're expanding mycity.dog nationally to new cities, so that is keeping us pretty busy. I'm also working with startups in other cities to help build their websites.
Q: What advice would you give a young person interested in tech now?
A: If you find that a coding language or a design program gives you ideas on how to make the world better, you're in the right career. If you're spending 10 hours a day working on a side project for pure fun or for yourself, you've probably found your passion.
