Men may still outnumber women in the tech field, but that’s something the amazing women profiled below are changing. In their own words, read stories from women on the front-line of coding in Colorado. Learn how they are forging their way, making great products, impacting the lives of those around them and get their take on entering the field.
Cara Jo Miller, Girl Develop It and Simple Energy
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What was your first job in technology?
My first job real job in technology was as the senior designer and front-end developer for the Detroit Free Press. I went to school for photography and double-majored in web design/development. I realized when I graduated from college, photography would be a hobby not a career. I landed a job at the Detroit Free Press and moved there on a whim. My first day, they transferred the entire team to a different department so it was just me. I had a crash course in PHP and Drupal week one and I loved it.
That was my first ‘real' job in technology. But before that, I worked on a lot of websites for many different departments in college. I got to learn about brand consistency, accessibility guidelines and all those things you don’t really learn in school right away that are super helpful to know.
Shannon McCoy, GNIP
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What got you interested in technology?
I graduated from CU in 2012 with a degree with Spanish language and literature, which at the time didn't seem like the fast track to technology. Throughout college, I often worked out of a coffee shop where I met developers who were making things with code. I remember watching some of them get really frustrated with the final pixel placements-- they were into what they were creating and they were seeking perfection. I needed more context to understand most of the concepts they were throwing around, so I started to ask questions.
I had a mentor early on who said I should try this thing called Ruby on Rails. I moved onto actually building and creating things and loved getting into that problem solving headspace.
Continue Reading about Shannon
Kate Bierbaum, Girl Develop It
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What was your first job in technology?
Technically, I suppose it was a lab monitor/tutor for Computer Science in college. However, I'd actually count my first internship, which transitioned into my first post-collegiate job, at a start-up in Maryland, called Kajeet. We built and maintained a web application for parents to configure and manage their children's cell phone usage.
Joanne Cheng, thoughtbot
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How did you get interested in technology?
When I was in middle school, I learned HTML/CSS to make websites for myself. Eventually I took a few programming classes in high school and thought they were fun, but I couldn't imagine myself working as a programmer for the rest of my life. I kept programming a little on the side and taking classes here and there in college, until one day I sort of fell in love with it.
Rachel Vecchitto, GNIP
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I read that you got interested in technology after making websites in high school. What is it that has kept you interested in technology?
Being able to build something that people can use immediately is a ton of fun and really satisfying. Whether you're building a quick toy project that a handful of your friends use, or working on a website that millions of people use, it's a blast to just to be able to build things and get them out there.
Find Denver and Boulder web developer jobs here: http://www.builtincolorado.com/jobs/category/78
