Who she is: "I am a local developer and community philanthropist who is leading the charge for Omaha Coding Women as well as helping to organize and bring other tech programs to the local community such as Girls Who Code, Nebraska Javascript Conference, and NodeSchool Omaha."
Q: What is a regular work day like for you?
A: An ideal workday for me would include more code than meetings or project management, but it all comes with the territory. I am most productive when projects are set up for success so that I can rock out some code on a set of features, break to plan out next steps, then do more coding, building iteratively. Most projects are not ideal, so I try to constructively contribute to the process so that we work towards being able to accomplish more at a time.
Q: What do you love most about your career/major?
A: The impact that I can make on people’s work and lives by helping provide solutions to everyday and/or extraordinary problems.
Q: When did you become inspired to partake in tech? What was your inspiration?
A: When I got my own computer in 1996, the CD-ROM drive did not work. I was 17 years old. My parents didn’t know how to help me fix it, so I worked with tech support to resolve the problem. That experience gave me the confidence to try computer science when I went off to college the next year.
Q: What prepared you the best for your job/major today?
A: The opportunities that I had to explore my creative side helped me to be more open to finding solutions to problems and not get stuck.
Q: What is the biggest obstacle you’ve been faced with, and how are/did you overcoming/overcome it?
A: As a female developer, I have struggled with the feeling that my input isn’t valued and my voice isn’t being heard. I’ve often felt isolated and that I don’t have adequate support. When I encounter environments where I am having difficulty contributing, instead of feeling left out and alone, I look for a sponsor to help me organize my thoughts and get others to listen to my ideas or concerns.
Q: What non-tech skill do you find most helpful/important that’s for your career?
A: Communication, not just talking, but listening and seeing other’s perspectives.
Q: Where do you see yourself in ten years?
A: 10 years is a long time. I will probably be freelancing or working on my own company so that I can have more choice in the clients that I work with, the projects I work on, and the direction I want to take.
Q: What’s your favorite coding language?
A: JavaScript
Q: What are some of your interests outside tech?
A: Skating, music, camping, and my pets.
Q: What are your plans for future projects?
A: I would like to do more mobile development.
Q: What advice would you give a young person interested in tech now?
A: Find a passion project. Working on something that interests you outside of just the programming will give you more motivation to keep working on your goals..
