Happy Tech Talk Tuesday!
Today is my official codeversary! Two years ago on this day, I completed my web development boot camp at Tech Talent South that basically changed my life for the better. Prior to starting my courses I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do with my new skills. I was definitely overwhelmed in the beginning especially being the only black girl in my cohort. Sometimes when no one in your class resembles you, it can become slightly intimidating however I refused to allow it to hinder me. In fact, I had more fire and determination to build whatever project I was working on no matter if I had never coded anything before. Over the past two years, I have immersed myself so much in the tech world and couldn’t be any happier. Now more than ever, I’m beginning to notice more and more women of color entering the tech space and it’s such a beautiful thing to witness. I’ll admit sometimes I do still feel like the Elle Woods of tech, you know the scene where she walks into her law orientation at Harvard and all the men look at her as if she stumbled into the wrong room. Awkwardly, I felt like that last week at a Python meet up but the feeling only lasted for 5 minutes. I realized it wasn’t people who intimidated me, I was basically psyching myself out and knew learning how to adapt would make me feel more like Beyonce’ when I walk into a male dominated hack-athon and not the shy girl from when I first started. Being a black woman who codes is not only empowering, it helps me set higher standards for myself in ways I never thought I could. As a creative, coding has also helped me understand the dynamics of the fashion and technology industry merging . Moral of the story is, get out there and learn how to code whether you take a basic course, online tutorial or immersive boot camp. It will change your life for the better, especially as a woman of color.
