#Yeswecode chat #12: So you learned to code, now what?

#Yeswecode chat #12: So you learned to code, now what?

by | Dec 28, 2014 | Blog

During this chat we’ll  discuss how to go from being a code/tech newbie to landing a job or taking things to the next level.

So, you learned to code but maybe you don’t know what comes next. Becoming a web developer is about the tools you use, the connections you make, the clients you engage with and building a supportive community.

During this chat, we’ll discuss the following questions:

  • After learning to code, what’s the best way to get a job in tech?
  • How can I go from a newbie in tech to a junior or senior level person?
  • What’s my online presence got to do with finding a tech related job?
  • Are there smarter (and faster) ways to go from being a newbie to a junior or senior developer?
  • What are some great online tools I should be using?

And more!

So you learned how to code, now what? Join the #yeswecode chat Sun 12/28 at 8pmCT. #tech #startup

Click To Tweet

 

Join us on Sunday 12/28/14 at 8pmCT.

For more info on how to participate, check out the chat guidelines.

 

Thanks and see you soon!

Uchechi

#Yeswecode chat #9: Does Impostor Syndrome affect your success in tech?

#Yeswecode chat #9: Does Impostor Syndrome affect your success in tech?

by | Nov 14, 2014 | Blog

Hope you can join the next #yeswecode chat this Sunday (11/16/14) at 8pmCT. We’ll be discussing fear, it’s impact on our work and how we can move forward anyway.

The fear of being wrong can affect your success

This week, I was in the Bay Area for the WedTech conference, and while there I visited a long time friend of mine. We sat in a great Oakland coffee shop, sipped lattes and spoke about our hopes, our work, the lives of two very creative women.

Towards the end of our conversation, she mentioned that she’s often afraid of being wrong, and how that gets in the way of her success. I immediately thought about how at some point in all our lives, we all deal with insecurity. But, what happens when it stops us from becoming successful.

Imposter Syndrome is a real issue

At some point in our lives, the fear of being “found out” aka Impostor Syndrome, is a real issue. I want to bring this conversation to the tech space because I believe all of us are capable of being more than just good. We’re actually capable of being great, and doing so has nothing to do As we talk about tech diversity, it’s important to remember that we all show up with some insecurity. Are you worried that you’re not good enough, smart enough, savvy enough, capable enough? How does this worry affect your work?

#Yeswecode chat #9 questions to think about:

  • How does the fear of being “wrong” get in the way of your success?
  • If you could let it go, what would that look like?
  • What are some unique ways you deal with/work through feelings of Imposter Syndrome?
  • Once you get that dream job in tech, what’s your plan on how to make the most of it in the face of your fears?

Why is this conversation important? 

#Impostorsyndrome in #tech is real, but failure because of it doesn’t have to be. 11/16 8pmCT

Click To Tweet

I hope you can join the conversation. Before joining the chat please review the guidelines, which will answer some questions and help you know how to best participate. It’s important to the tech inclusion dialogue, especially because I really do believe that while access to tech skills is an important piece of tech diversity, there’s also a need to address the internal challenges that get in the way of our success.

#Yeswecode chat #7: The power of social capital

#Yeswecode chat #7: The power of social capital

by | Oct 10, 2014 | Blog

Topic: Can social capital support diverse  tech entrepreneurship?

Date: Sunday October 12,2014 8pmCT

Thank you for showing up, for trusting and for engaging in these conversations. The next diversity in tech #yeswecode twitter chat happens on Sunday September 28th at 8pm Central Time. Please connect with me on Twitter to stay updated. I am so inspired by all of you.

If you’re reading this, I hope you can join us for the next one. If you missed the first chats, you can read more about them here. Before participating, please read the guidelines so you know what to expect and how to best participate.

During the last chat, we talked about VC funding and how it can be a barrier to tech entreprenurship. But lately I’ve been wondering, does it have to be? What if they there were creative ways we could all support diverse tech startups, including bootstrapping companies. Does lack of VC funding have to mean the end? What if social capital could help bootstrap tech entrepreneurs until we all got the venture capital resources we all need to go big.

Think about it! Remember the last time you smiled to yourself after your blog post got retweeted, favorited, liked or shared? It felt pretty awesome now didn’t it?

Finding backing for your project, idea or blog post is essential because it validates what you are already doing and gives you the momentum to keep going.

The truth is, we’re not all VCs and we might not all find VC funding to help us get to market. But, we all have social capital–the ability to invest in ideas with our social media networks and connections. So, what if we could use it and leverage it to support diversity in technology?

For the next chat, here are some questions to think of:

  • How can social capital help bootstrapping startups get to market before receiving VC capital?
  • Are there specific ways to leverage social capital towards generating more users and sales?
  • How can we leverage social capital in positive ways, without it becoming more of a popularity contest?
Can social capital support diverse #startups? Join the convo 10/12

Click To Tweet

Bring your thoughts and your great ideas. This conversation needs you!

#Yeswecode chat #6: Creating a diverse VC pool to support tech entrepreneurship

#Yeswecode chat #6: Creating a diverse VC pool to support tech entrepreneurship

by | Sep 25, 2014 | Blog

Creating a diverse VC pool to support diverse tech entrepreneurship
Sunday September 28th at 8pm
Guests: Rob Lalka, J. Anthony Miguez & Hank Torbert

Thank you for showing up, for trusting and for engaging in these conversations. The next diversity in tech #yeswecode twitter chat happens on Sunday September 28th at 8pm Central Time. Please connect with me on Twitter to stay updated. I am so inspired by all of you.

If you’re reading this, I hope you can join us for the next one. If you missed the first chats, you can read more about them here. Before participating, please read the guidelines so you know what to expect and how to best participate.

 

Creating a diverse VC pool to support diverse tech entrepreneurship

These days, it’s hard to talk about the startup tech space without also talking about diversity and efforts to help bridge the digital divide.

From initiatives like Google’s Made With Code to Van Jones’ Yes We Code, more and more organizations are using tech education to bring more diversity to technology.

But, what about those of us in the tech space whose needs are more related to startup funding than tech education? As a tech startup co-founder, I definitely have a personal stake in the subject.

In 2013, 2% of VC funding went to women-led startups, while the majority of the funding went to white male led companies.

Here’s the thing: To me, diversity in technology has never been about a numbers game. It’s been more connected to opportunity and access for all tech entrepreneurs, especially if you don’t fit the stereotype of the 20 year old Stanford CS major.

  • It’s about older tech entrepreneurs who are interested in starting companies, but wondering if there’s space for them.
  • It’s about anyone who never went to college, who wonders how much a degree matters.
  • It’s about non coders who want to bring their UX Design or Information Architecture skills to the table, but aren’t sure if there’s space for them in the startup world, especially as non coders.
  • It’s about saying that all of us, yes all of us, need to be creators & users of technology products if we are to be at the forefront of tech innovation.

In order for us to get there, I believe we need access to tech skills AND startup capital – including a diverse pool of Angels and VCs – to support an equally diverse pool of entrepreneurs.

How can we create a diverse  VC pool to support diverse #startups? Join the convo 9/28

Click To Tweet

During this chat, we’ll discuss unique ways we can find financial support for tech entrepreneurship. We’ll be joined by VCs and startup mentors, so you don’t want to miss this one.

Bring your thoughts and your great ideas. This conversation needs you!

Hello 36!

Hello 36!

by | Aug 14, 2014 | Blog

In honor of turning 36, I’m sharing a letter I wrote to myself last year on my 35th birthday.

Birthdays mean so much to me, and here’s why:

It is the morning of August 14th, 2013 and today is my 35th birthday. It is barely sunrise and I want to get this all down before my day starts. We are spending our summer in Barcelona, and so my husband has planned a get away to the Girona, Spain, a lakeside town an hour away. I am sure we will eat somewhere lovely for dinner, and of course there will be delicious Spanish food and a white wine because it is summer and I love white wine in the summertime.

Today is also my twin sister’s birthday. We don’t look anything alike, but sharing a birthday with someone is a not so easy to describe yet concrete set of emotions, especially when that person is someone I have not spoken to for almost two years now.

There is a heartbreaking yet extremely delicate sliver of absence that washes over me on mornings like this. These are days I experience just a few times a year, when I crave, no actually when I hunger for home and what that means.

Since my younger brother died 13 years ago, I started seeing birthdays as my personal new year’s celebrations.

When August rolls around, I start thinking about what I want my year to look like until my next birthday, what I want to let go of, keep near and the risks I want to take.

When I turned 32, I had only one resolution: I wanted to be alive to celebrate my 33rd birthday. 33 is the year my older brother died, just a few years after my younger brother died, so I wanted to know what it was like to live longer than both of them ever did. Now I know.

The truth is, I don’t really know exactly what to say or write on my 35th birthday. There is nothing specific or necessary to explain to the people I love. But there is something important for me to be able to express, and that is this: More than anything my dear life (so far) has been a full and rich one. And, this birthday means something of so much significance to me for so many reasons, especially because this is the year I’m thinking of having children, the year I start a company, the year I learn how to say CEO as if it belongs comfortably on my tongue, the year I believe more and more in not only my right to be in this world but my purpose for being here.

Today I am 35 years old, married to a man I dearly love, in business with this same man, co-founding our start up company, publishing my second book, thinking about starting a family and deeply in love with the family that has become my own by experience and by a depth of love and acceptance I am so lucky to have in my life.

A few weeks ago I talked to my god mother, who reminded me of what I have accomplished in my life. I was having a tough day and she reminded me that I should go “read my resume” and that this would help me feel better. I have read that resume over and over again and I am beyond proud of the woman I am. I am in awe. If I read my story in the newspaper I would be in awe, so why not give that same acknowledgment to a story that is true and that belongs to me.

Today is my New Year’s Day. For the next year, my resolutions look something like this:

 

  • be braver
  • listen more
  • love the most when you don’t feel like it
  • bet on yourself first
  • forgive yourself easily & often
  • read your resume more often
  • when you don’t feel like being brave, ask someone else to help you
  • know that your life has always had a purpose & that each moment add to that

And so, Happy New Birthday Year to myself and the ones  I love.

xoxo,

Uchechi