0:00:16.529,0:00:18.480
KINSEY ANN DURHAM: OK, I'm gonna go ahead[br]and start.

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How's everybody doing today?

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AUDIENCE: We're good.

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K.A.D.: Good? Having a good conference? Thank[br]you all

0:00:24.739,0:00:28.559
for coming. I'm Kinsey. I'm an apprentice[br]at ThoughtBot

0:00:28.559,0:00:32.418
in the new Denver office, and today I'm going

0:00:32.418,0:00:35.729
to be talking about becoming a software engineer:[br]inspiring

0:00:35.729,0:00:38.489
a new generation of developers.

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So if you were to tell me even a

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year ago that I would be standing up here

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speaking at RubyConf, I would have told you[br]that

0:00:45.570,0:00:48.949
you were crazy. I never dreamt or even thought

0:00:48.949,0:00:51.710
it was possible to find such a yearning passion

0:00:51.710,0:00:55.399
for writing code. I thought I wasn't smart[br]enough,

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and I honestly build up building ba- grew[br]up

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building Barbie's dreamhouse and not computers.

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I have been working in ad agencies since I

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was sixteen. I was an advertising major and[br]I

0:01:06.860,0:01:08.250
was good at it. And the thought of being

0:01:08.250,0:01:11.670
a software engineer never crossed my mind.[br]It honestly

0:01:11.670,0:01:15.500
looked really boring and intimidating. My[br]step-brother is a

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really awesome developer, and any time I heard[br]him

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talk, it sounded like he was talking in an

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alien language. I never understood anything[br]that he was

0:01:23.610,0:01:24.130
saying.

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People are shocked and sometimes even blatantly[br]negative when

0:01:26.909,0:01:29.020
they hear about my new dreams of becoming[br]a

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developer. Friends' jaws literally dropped[br]when I told them

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that I was learning how to write code. I've

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also received comments that I'm too sociable[br]and I'm

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the last person on Earth they thought would[br]want

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to write code. That I should be in sales

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and also I don't think in a way that

0:01:45.229,0:01:47.450
a developer should.

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I don't ever want to let these comments discourage

0:01:49.680,0:01:53.020
me, although it's definitely easier said than[br]done. There

0:01:53.020,0:01:54.420
are definitely times when I want to give up

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and throw my computer out the door and go

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back to some of the mindless work I did

0:01:58.250,0:02:00.750
in advertising.

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So the path to becoming a software engineer,[br]in

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my mind, was straightforward and well-defined.[br]You needed a

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computer, you needed a computer science degree,[br]to have

0:02:10.060,0:02:12.640
dropped out of your computer science degree[br]to work

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for a company writing code, or have been a

0:02:15.850,0:02:18.829
self-taught programmer who loon- learned to[br]code at a

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very young age.

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Recently, the community has seen a rise in[br]non-traditional

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paths to becoming a software engineer. These[br]paths are

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the future to building a diverse community[br]and training

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the next generation of developers. So today[br]I'm here

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to argue that outreach programs, mentorship[br]and apprentice programs

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are legitimate paths to becoming a software[br]engineer.

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This path is begin, has been the beginning[br]of

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my journey, making me see that what I thought

0:02:46.420,0:02:50.629
was impossible was actually possible. So I[br]first want

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to talk about outreach programs. Railsbridge[br]is a great

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example of an outreach program that is working.

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So how many people have heard of Railsbridge?[br]Wow.

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That's a lot. A lot. Awesome. How many people

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have volunteered, sponsored, or participated[br]in a Railsbridge? Awesome.

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I can honestly tell you that a Railsbridge[br]workshop

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changed my life. Railsbridge, for those of[br]you who

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don't know even though most of you raised[br]your

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hands, is an outreach program that puts on[br]free

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weekend workshops where people learn from[br]experienced Rails volunteers.

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So these workshop attract, workshops attract[br]a lot of

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beginners, and in one day you get to build

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a basic Rails app and deploy it on Heroku.

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It planted a seed to a career that I

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had always dreamed of but hadn't yet realized.[br]I

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not only met Jesse McAdam who would become[br]one

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of my greatest mentors and influencers, but[br]discovered a

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passion for writing Rails that I never would[br]have

0:03:46.810,0:03:47.879
discovered on my own.

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This is a Tweet that I Tweeted when I

0:03:50.319,0:03:53.269
was at Railsbridge. I was so excited.

0:03:53.269,0:03:55.569
Railsbridge taught me that writing code wasn't[br]scary and

0:03:55.569,0:03:58.000
in a few hours I deployed my first application

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to Heroku. I literally remember it like it[br]was

0:04:00.849,0:04:02.909
yesterday. I was yelling at my best friend[br]who

0:04:02.909,0:04:04.470
also was in the workshop at the top of

0:04:04.470,0:04:06.459
my lungs that I was going to write code

0:04:06.459,0:04:09.450
from now on. And Railsbridge was the beginning[br]of

0:04:09.450,0:04:11.329
my journey, where I learned that I could actually

0:04:11.329,0:04:14.920
have a passion for writing code.

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So SarahMay and Sarah Allen started Railsbridge[br]in 2009

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when the San Francisco Ruby community was[br]98% male

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and 2% female. Since the program lowered the[br]barrier

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to entry, they saw an increase of women attending

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the workshops. In one year, the Sarahs saw[br]the

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female ratio increase from 2 to 18% thanks[br]to

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Railsbridge efforts.

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And I am - yeah.

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So I am definitely not the only one who

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has pursued a career in web development thanks[br]to

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Railsbridge. I want to share with you guys[br]a

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few of the testimonials from various women[br]who have

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attended the workshop and who are now full-time[br]software

0:04:57.560,0:04:59.740
engineers.

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So Rachel Meyers who is now a developer at

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GitHub said this about her experience at Railsbridge.[br]I'm

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gonna let you guys read this, cause I don't

0:05:06.740,0:05:13.740
want to just read off the slide.

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Laura Steadman, who is now a developer at[br]QuickLab,

0:05:19.460,0:05:22.880
said that attending Railsbridge was inspiring[br]because of what

0:05:22.880,0:05:25.660
she built that day. Or not because of what

0:05:25.660,0:05:28.590
she built that day, but rather the sincere[br]enthusiasm

0:05:28.590,0:05:31.300
of the volunteers. She was amazed that people[br]were

0:05:31.300,0:05:35.949
giving up their weekends to volunteer at a[br]workshop.

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Rita Vatshi who is now a developer outright[br]stated

0:05:39.069,0:05:44.030
this.

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So Railsbridge is not the only outreach program[br]that

0:05:51.970,0:05:54.370
is out there that has been successful. Rails[br]Girls,

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Women who Code, Black Girls who Code are other

0:05:56.610,0:06:00.370
great programs, all of which need sponsors,[br]teachers, and

0:06:00.370,0:06:04.100
volunteers on an ongoing basis. I'm currently[br]the coordinator

0:06:04.100,0:06:05.940
for the Denver women who code group, and it

0:06:05.940,0:06:08.729
is truly amazing to see the impact that the

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group has had in the community in one year.

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The most popular meetups are typically ones[br]that are

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geared towards beginners, so in them we have[br]more

0:06:16.860,0:06:20.039
experienced females develop- female developers[br]come in to speak

0:06:20.039,0:06:23.289
about how they got into programming, what[br]resources are

0:06:23.289,0:06:27.729
out there and advice to becoming a developer.

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So now that I've talked about outreach programs,[br]I

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want to talk about mentorship. Mentorship[br]is another important

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aspect to train the next generation of developers.[br]Mentorship

0:06:37.349,0:06:39.819
is beneficial to me because I look to my

0:06:39.819,0:06:42.669
mentors not only for technical skills but[br]for soft

0:06:42.669,0:06:45.610
skills and support. Because, to go from attending[br]a

0:06:45.610,0:06:49.050
Railsbridge workshop to becoming a full-time[br]software engineer is

0:06:49.050,0:06:52.199
way more work than I ever expected.

0:06:52.199,0:06:53.660
There are days when I come home in tears

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and I feel stupid and frustrated for not understanding

0:06:56.470,0:06:59.630
basic concepts still. I'm not only learning[br]how to

0:06:59.630,0:07:03.199
write Ruby, Rails, testing frameworks, use[br]get, but a

0:07:03.199,0:07:06.310
completely new way of thinking.

0:07:06.310,0:07:08.020
So Jesse who I mentioned earlier is one of

0:07:08.020,0:07:10.199
my greatest mentors has opened doors to me[br]that

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I didn't even know existed. She's truly humble[br]about

0:07:14.060,0:07:16.520
all the work that she's doing and bringing[br]diversity

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into the industry, but she really is making[br]a

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difference. She works tirelessly on top of[br]her job

0:07:21.610,0:07:23.970
and managing her family to reach out through[br]organizations.

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It's like Dev Chicks and Railsbridge.

0:07:26.210,0:07:28.289
And I even hear her talking about how she

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wants to open a beginning to code school in

0:07:30.139,0:07:33.580
her house on the weekend. Jesse and one other

0:07:33.580,0:07:36.069
mentor in particular have been there for me,[br]to

0:07:36.069,0:07:38.289
pick me back up when I'm feeling frustrated[br]and

0:07:38.289,0:07:40.639
that I cannot continue, and they remind me[br]of

0:07:40.639,0:07:42.080
how far I've come in a year and how

0:07:42.080,0:07:44.599
hard it truly is to understand this stuff.

0:07:44.599,0:07:47.169
no matter how busy they are, they are always

0:07:47.169,0:07:48.930
there to listen to me and help me when

0:07:48.930,0:07:51.440
I get stuck on a problem and am floundering.

0:07:51.440,0:07:53.379
So they give me the encouragement that I sometimes

0:07:53.379,0:07:56.460
desperately need.

0:07:56.460,0:07:59.300
So mentoring is also beneficial to my mentors.[br]My

0:07:59.300,0:08:02.440
mentors constantly tell me how mentoring ultimately[br]makes them

0:08:02.440,0:08:05.330
a better developer, because it solidifies[br]an understanding of

0:08:05.330,0:08:08.270
the content being taught. John Fully, who's[br]a developer

0:08:08.270,0:08:11.520
at Pivotal Labs told me that mentoring elevates[br]you

0:08:11.520,0:08:14.430
from thinking you know to actually knowing[br]you know

0:08:14.430,0:08:16.620
or not knowing at all.

0:08:16.620,0:08:19.199
Mentoring not only provides countless and[br]necessary benefits to

0:08:19.199,0:08:22.319
the mentee, but to the mentor perspectively.[br]So even

0:08:22.319,0:08:24.930
advanced developers can learn new things by[br]having to

0:08:24.930,0:08:26.830
explain it in a way that a beginner can

0:08:26.830,0:08:28.750
understand it.

0:08:28.750,0:08:31.289
So I recently came for- full-circle in the[br]Railsbridge

0:08:31.289,0:08:32.919
community and was a TA for one of the

0:08:32.919,0:08:37.000
workshops in Colorado, and teaching basic[br]Ruby conference- concepts

0:08:37.000,0:08:39.919
was really frightening because I kept questioning[br]myself, and

0:08:39.919,0:08:41.458
I went back, you know, and did more research

0:08:41.458,0:08:44.059
and made sure that I actually understood what[br]I

0:08:44.059,0:08:45.550
was telling people.

0:08:45.550,0:08:47.870
So I really did learn a lot that day.

0:08:47.870,0:08:49.280
Maybe even more than when I was doing the

0:08:49.280,0:08:52.650
Railsbridge workshop.

0:08:52.650,0:08:54.530
So I really think that mentorship is worth[br]your

0:08:54.530,0:08:56.980
time. How many people here have been mentored[br]by

0:08:56.980,0:08:57.660
somebody?

0:08:57.660,0:09:00.400
Quite a few. And did it help you in

0:09:00.400,0:09:05.069
advancing your career? Yes. Cool.

0:09:05.069,0:09:06.780
And how many people here have been a mentor

0:09:06.780,0:09:10.280
to somebody? Wow. That's a lot of hands. That's

0:09:10.280,0:09:12.549
awesome. I want to encourage everyone to be[br]a

0:09:12.549,0:09:16.220
mentor if you have time, resources, and the[br]patience

0:09:16.220,0:09:18.420
to do so. Mentoring is a really hard thing

0:09:18.420,0:09:20.980
to do and it definitely isn't for everyone.[br]It

0:09:20.980,0:09:23.230
requires a lot of time and patience.

0:09:23.230,0:09:25.880
I'm really inspired because I've met a lot[br]of

0:09:25.880,0:09:29.030
people here this weekend who are mentors and,[br]or,

0:09:29.030,0:09:31.309
or making the effort to become a great mentor.

0:09:31.309,0:09:32.819
So thanks to all of you who I've talked

0:09:32.819,0:09:34.959
to you about this and your efforts are truly

0:09:34.959,0:09:36.530
making a difference.

0:09:36.530,0:09:39.100
Now I want to switch gears and talk about

0:09:39.100,0:09:40.980
what it means to be a great mentor. I've

0:09:40.980,0:09:43.770
had so many great mentors this past year and

0:09:43.770,0:09:45.010
would love to share with you some of the

0:09:45.010,0:09:48.020
qualities that I thought they all shared.[br]Ally talked

0:09:48.020,0:09:49.920
about this in her lightning talk yesterday[br]and she

0:09:49.920,0:09:52.730
gave a lot of great advice as well.

0:09:52.730,0:09:56.329
So if you were gifted in explaining concepts,[br]complex

0:09:56.329,0:09:59.829
concepts simply, you would be a great mentor.[br]The

0:09:59.829,0:10:01.900
greatest mentors that I have had were able[br]to

0:10:01.900,0:10:04.530
take an abstract concept and make it really[br]concrete

0:10:04.530,0:10:08.170
to me. Emily Saffo, who presented yesterday,[br]she gave

0:10:08.170,0:10:11.179
an awesome talk in Paris at a conference about

0:10:11.179,0:10:13.730
concurrency in Ruby. And she gave a really[br]simple

0:10:13.730,0:10:17.339
analogy to explain threading, and it, she[br]compared it

0:10:17.339,0:10:18.799
with an orchestra, and I thought it was a

0:10:18.799,0:10:21.939
really awesome metaphor, and she took this[br]complex thing

0:10:21.939,0:10:23.790
and really broke it down into something simple[br]that

0:10:23.790,0:10:25.150
I could understand.

0:10:25.150,0:10:28.720
Last night, Steve Harms who presented here[br]at RubyConf

0:10:28.720,0:10:32.189
yesterday gave us a Star Wars example that[br]was,

0:10:32.189,0:10:33.650
that made it easy for us to understand the

0:10:33.650,0:10:36.589
topic he was talking about in regards to object-oriented

0:10:36.589,0:10:38.319
programming.

0:10:38.319,0:10:40.420
It's really important to try and explain these[br]things

0:10:40.420,0:10:42.880
in a simple manner that anyone can understand,[br]at

0:10:42.880,0:10:44.799
least at first, to get the concept through.[br]And

0:10:44.799,0:10:47.850
you know some con- some concepts are complex[br]and

0:10:47.850,0:10:50.500
can't really be boiled down to something simple.

0:10:50.500,0:10:52.880
But one technique that one of my mentors does

0:10:52.880,0:10:54.799
with me is ask me, if I had no

0:10:54.799,0:10:57.140
idea what any of this was, how would you

0:10:57.140,0:10:59.350
explain to me what I was doing? It was

0:10:59.350,0:11:02.640
really challenging and hard for me to do that.

0:11:02.640,0:11:05.010
It is, once again, beneficial to the mentor[br]to

0:11:05.010,0:11:08.949
have to explain things in a simple way.

0:11:08.949,0:11:14.470
Awareness. Awareness of both yourself and[br]your mentee. Mentors

0:11:14.470,0:11:15.920
who are unaware of the fact that they are

0:11:15.920,0:11:19.949
coming off as discouraging could ruin or completely[br]dissuade

0:11:19.949,0:11:22.720
a beginners' passion for the craft. It is[br]important

0:11:22.720,0:11:25.380
to be aware of signs of frustration, language[br]that

0:11:25.380,0:11:28.079
is discouraging, and body language when mentoring[br]an apprentice

0:11:28.079,0:11:29.880
developer.

0:11:29.880,0:11:32.780
Great mentors that I have had have also been

0:11:32.780,0:11:35.819
very aware of my learning styles. The same[br]mentor

0:11:35.819,0:11:37.990
that would, that would ask me to explain things

0:11:37.990,0:11:40.100
back to him asked me on the first day

0:11:40.100,0:11:42.880
of being my mentor what my learning style[br]was.

0:11:42.880,0:11:44.689
I wasn't even aware of the best ways that

0:11:44.689,0:11:46.929
I learned, but we were able to up, discover

0:11:46.929,0:11:50.929
that together, and use those, and practice[br]how I

0:11:50.929,0:11:52.260
learned best.

0:11:52.260,0:11:54.730
I really excelled during my apprenticeship[br]with this mentor

0:11:54.730,0:11:57.480
because we were both aware of my learning[br]habits,

0:11:57.480,0:12:01.209
my way of thinking and learning. I learned[br]that

0:12:01.209,0:12:03.290
drawing things on the white board, drawing[br]them out

0:12:03.290,0:12:06.400
was really helpful to me. And I also discovered

0:12:06.400,0:12:07.819
a lot of the time I need to sle-

0:12:07.819,0:12:09.549
I needed to sleep on what I had learned.

0:12:09.549,0:12:11.329
Then the next day I was able to get

0:12:11.329,0:12:13.329
it.

0:12:13.329,0:12:15.169
Also on this note, getting to know your mentee

0:12:15.169,0:12:18.010
is invaluable. Knowing what makes them tick,[br]how they

0:12:18.010,0:12:20.660
learn, how they think, and how they approach[br]problems

0:12:20.660,0:12:23.750
can make for a more productive mentorship.

0:12:23.750,0:12:27.850
Patience is also very important. It's also,[br]it's important

0:12:27.850,0:12:30.559
for the mentor and the mentee. If you're an

0:12:30.559,0:12:32.740
impatient person, it might not be best for[br]you

0:12:32.740,0:12:34.600
to be a mentor. When a beginner is learning

0:12:34.600,0:12:37.199
to code, you may have to explain things multiple

0:12:37.199,0:12:39.480
times until they get it. Things move at a

0:12:39.480,0:12:41.610
slow pace, and it is important to make sure

0:12:41.610,0:12:44.100
that you're being patient and understanding[br]when working with

0:12:44.100,0:12:46.020
your mentee.

0:12:46.020,0:12:47.429
Patience is also a skill that I have to

0:12:47.429,0:12:49.250
learn. One of the things that I struggle with

0:12:49.250,0:12:50.829
is when I see an error message or there's

0:12:50.829,0:12:53.809
a bug, I angrily switch from the failing test

0:12:53.809,0:12:55.990
back to them without taking my time to read

0:12:55.990,0:12:58.770
the error message. So writing code and mentoring[br]are

0:12:58.770,0:13:01.410
similar. Heh. I see people nodding.

0:13:01.410,0:13:03.150
Writing code and mentoring are similar in[br]that it

0:13:03.150,0:13:05.140
ta- requires a lot of patience. So I've learned

0:13:05.140,0:13:07.630
a lot in that aspect as well.

0:13:07.630,0:13:10.370
Weekly retrospectives are also very important[br]in a formal

0:13:10.370,0:13:13.390
mentorship. Once a week, take time and sit[br]down

0:13:13.390,0:13:16.640
with your mentee. Discuss what went well,[br]what didn't

0:13:16.640,0:13:19.049
go well, and what to improve on. These meetings

0:13:19.049,0:13:21.150
were invaluable to me because I was able to

0:13:21.150,0:13:24.130
focus on softer skills as well, and overall[br]skills.

0:13:24.130,0:13:27.360
I became aware of my impatience habit and[br]areas

0:13:27.360,0:13:28.860
that I needed to focus on the most, so

0:13:28.860,0:13:30.829
that really helped me out.

0:13:30.829,0:13:34.280
Pairing. I think pairing with my mentors has[br]been

0:13:34.280,0:13:37.209
the best thing for me from a technical standpoint.

0:13:37.209,0:13:40.049
So it was definitely where I learned the most.

0:13:40.049,0:13:41.819
Pairing on actual client projects and even[br]on my

0:13:41.819,0:13:45.679
own breakable toy was extremely helpful. Pairing[br]is also

0:13:45.679,0:13:50.150
great because you can speak remotely with[br]a mentor.

0:13:50.150,0:13:52.799
I was able to learn so much fun, more

0:13:52.799,0:13:54.990
in a pairing situation than when trying to[br]read

0:13:54.990,0:13:57.880
the Ruby pickaxe book. I was able to constantly

0:13:57.880,0:14:01.069
ask questions, drive, and really dive into[br]learning the

0:14:01.069,0:14:03.169
Ruby language and Rails framework.

0:14:03.169,0:14:06.299
But the most important piece of advice that[br]I

0:14:06.299,0:14:09.140
can give to mentors is to have empathy. It

0:14:09.140,0:14:11.699
is extremely discouraging to be told that[br]this is

0:14:11.699,0:14:14.049
easy and you should be getting this. It's[br]really

0:14:14.049,0:14:16.429
not easy, especially for someone who has never[br]done

0:14:16.429,0:14:18.290
this before. You know, how long have you been

0:14:18.290,0:14:20.959
writing code? Something that was easy, that[br]is easy

0:14:20.959,0:14:22.760
to you now, is not gonna be easy for

0:14:22.760,0:14:23.760
a beginner.

0:14:23.760,0:14:26.910
Also, remember that your mentee might have[br]a completely

0:14:26.910,0:14:29.650
different way of thinking. It's important[br]to put yourself

0:14:29.650,0:14:31.630
in their shoes and remember what it was like

0:14:31.630,0:14:34.919
to learn how to write code.

0:14:34.919,0:14:37.549
So my incredible mentors and my experience[br]Railsbridge has

0:14:37.549,0:14:40.309
not only changed my life, but changed others[br]around

0:14:40.309,0:14:42.910
me in an almost verbal effect. These are my

0:14:42.910,0:14:45.140
two best friends at another Railsbridge event[br]that we

0:14:45.140,0:14:48.370
did in Denver. We were all three advertising[br]majors

0:14:48.370,0:14:49.270
at CU.

0:14:49.270,0:14:52.449
Emma, the blond one, she's now doing front-end[br]development

0:14:52.449,0:14:56.290
in San Francisco, and Terra, just, got accepted[br]into

0:14:56.290,0:14:58.640
an intense Ruby on Rails program in New York

0:14:58.640,0:15:01.030
City. So Terra had a really great job and

0:15:01.030,0:15:04.699
decided to quit her career to pursue a career

0:15:04.699,0:15:08.040
as a developer, which I think is really cool.

0:15:08.040,0:15:11.100
So intense Ruby on Rails training programs[br]like GSchool,

0:15:11.100,0:15:14.579
Dev BootCamp, are other great examples of[br]alternative education

0:15:14.579,0:15:16.549
options that I unfortunately don't have a[br]lot of

0:15:16.549,0:15:18.760
time to discuss today. I get to spend a

0:15:18.760,0:15:21.000
lot of time around the G Schoolers and Galvanized

0:15:21.000,0:15:24.059
because we work in the same place. It's amazing

0:15:24.059,0:15:25.699
to see the applications that they build in[br]a

0:15:25.699,0:15:27.130
short amount of time.

0:15:27.130,0:15:29.419
We can also relate to the struggles of learning

0:15:29.419,0:15:33.350
Ruby together. I've also gotten to meet a,[br]so

0:15:33.350,0:15:36.100
many wonderful developers this weekend, who[br]have come out

0:15:36.100,0:15:38.740
programs like Flat Iron School, Bit Maker[br]and Dev

0:15:38.740,0:15:40.150
Boot Camp.

0:15:40.150,0:15:41.919
Talking with all of them about their experiences[br]has

0:15:41.919,0:15:45.470
made me realize how these programs can really[br]open

0:15:45.470,0:15:47.539
doors for people who never thought it was[br]possible

0:15:47.539,0:15:50.250
to become a developer. And it is truly inspiring

0:15:50.250,0:15:52.319
to see how passionate they are about the community

0:15:52.319,0:15:55.520
and the craft of writing code.

0:15:55.520,0:15:57.130
So now that I've talked about outreach programs[br]and

0:15:57.130,0:16:00.530
mentorship I want to talk about apprentice[br]programs. Apprentice

0:16:00.530,0:16:03.130
programs are intense training that you would[br]not receive

0:16:03.130,0:16:05.770
at a university, and apprentice programs can[br]take a

0:16:05.770,0:16:09.299
passionate learner and turn them into competent,[br]reliable software

0:16:09.299,0:16:10.669
engineers.

0:16:10.669,0:16:14.169
I'm really, really fortunate because ThoughtBot[br]accepted me into

0:16:14.169,0:16:17.669
their apprentice program this past year. It[br]is one

0:16:17.669,0:16:20.289
of the most challenging things that I've ever[br]done,

0:16:20.289,0:16:21.809
but the amount that I have learned during[br]my

0:16:21.809,0:16:24.860
apprenticeship has been incredible.

0:16:24.860,0:16:26.000
For those of you who don't know what ThoughtBot

0:16:26.000,0:16:29.179
is, it's a consulting company that builds[br]and designs

0:16:29.179,0:16:31.980
web and mobile application. And they have[br]a program

0:16:31.980,0:16:36.559
specifically for apprentices called apprentice[br]io. ThoughtBot's really passionate

0:16:36.559,0:16:38.600
about the learning space and has a learn program

0:16:38.600,0:16:43.100
where workshops are frequently taught. And[br]twenty-five percent of

0:16:43.100,0:16:45.720
the employees at ThoughtBot were apprentices[br]at one time

0:16:45.720,0:16:48.120
in the company. So a quarter of the company

0:16:48.120,0:16:49.939
actually came through the apprentice program.

0:16:49.939,0:16:52.429
And it is proved to, to be a great

0:16:52.429,0:16:57.660
way for ThoughtBot to train and maintain budding[br]talent.

0:16:57.660,0:17:00.669
So Dan the CMO describes why the program was

0:17:00.669,0:17:02.610
created in this quote, and once again I'm[br]gonna

0:17:02.610,0:17:08.689
let you guys read this.

0:17:08.689,0:17:15.689
Chad, the CEO, stated, that everyone in the[br]program

0:17:16.369,0:17:19.039
who has been eligible to get a job afterward

0:17:19.039,0:17:22.449
has gotten a job, with ThoughtBot or another[br]employer.

0:17:22.449,0:17:27.500
That's pretty impressive. ThoughtBot's apprentice[br]program has given me

0:17:27.500,0:17:30.900
the biggest push in achieving my dream. They[br]believe

0:17:30.900,0:17:32.650
that I can do it, they support me, and

0:17:32.650,0:17:34.760
even are taking the time and money that it

0:17:34.760,0:17:36.360
takes to train me.

0:17:36.360,0:17:39.850
ThoughtBot rewards and supports its employees[br]for engaging in

0:17:39.850,0:17:42.950
mentoring programs and for participating in[br]programs like Railsbridge.

0:17:42.950,0:17:45.760
This is something that I think all companies[br]should

0:17:45.760,0:17:47.100
be doing.

0:17:47.100,0:17:48.770
So the U.S. Department of Labor did a study

0:17:48.770,0:17:51.260
on apprentice programs in the U.S., and apprentice[br]program

0:17:51.260,0:17:54.640
graduates have much higher earnings than those[br]who did

0:17:54.640,0:17:57.790
not. The study also showed that the social[br]and

0:17:57.790,0:18:00.880
overall benefits to the company that maintain[br]these programs

0:18:00.880,0:18:03.430
appear to be much larger than the cost. So

0:18:03.430,0:18:06.040
over the career of an apprentice, the estimated[br]benefits

0:18:06.040,0:18:08.500
to the company exceeded the initial cost by[br]more

0:18:08.500,0:18:10.920
than $49,000.

0:18:10.920,0:18:13.380
So apprentice programs are not only a legitimate[br]path

0:18:13.380,0:18:15.940
to becoming a developer, but it's a bridge[br]for

0:18:15.940,0:18:18.240
people coming out of these outreach programs[br]that I

0:18:18.240,0:18:21.670
spoke about earlier. Even after doing multiple[br]Railsbridges and

0:18:21.670,0:18:24.980
working tirelessly with many mentors, I wasn't[br]ready to

0:18:24.980,0:18:28.110
become a full-time software engineer managing[br]large web applications.

0:18:28.110,0:18:30.650
I needed something like the apprentice program[br]to really

0:18:30.650,0:18:33.990
jump off the deep-end into writing code. And[br]apprentice

0:18:33.990,0:18:36.220
programs create a structured environment where[br]I can continue

0:18:36.220,0:18:38.630
to learn best practices and become a developer[br]that

0:18:38.630,0:18:42.980
produces reliable and maintainable software.

0:18:42.980,0:18:45.230
So there are many benefits to companies creating[br]a

0:18:45.230,0:18:50.450
formal or mentorship, formal apprentice or[br]mentorship program. So

0:18:50.450,0:18:53.210
if companies invest in apprentice and mentorship[br]programs, there

0:18:53.210,0:18:56.480
will be more highly-trained and prepared candidates[br]out there.

0:18:56.480,0:18:59.890
These companies can help other companies find,[br]et cetera,

0:18:59.890,0:19:04.340
find highly, find high quality candidates.

0:19:04.340,0:19:07.670
CSR is also really important in our society.[br]A

0:19:07.670,0:19:10.310
study showed that 94% of consumers would be[br]more

0:19:10.310,0:19:13.450
loyal to the company if they have CSR initiative.

0:19:13.450,0:19:15.900
96% of people said that they would have a

0:19:15.900,0:19:18.870
more positive image of the company. So CSR[br]is

0:19:18.870,0:19:21.530
clearly important and an all-around great[br]way to give

0:19:21.530,0:19:24.080
back to the community.

0:19:24.080,0:19:26.240
So this is more specific to consulting companies,[br]but

0:19:26.240,0:19:28.250
a lot of times projects are lost due to

0:19:28.250,0:19:30.330
a large price tag, and if companies take in

0:19:30.330,0:19:32.500
an apprentices, they will be able to bill[br]them

0:19:32.500,0:19:34.890
at lower rates to projects that have a strict

0:19:34.890,0:19:38.270
budget and not so much of a strict timeline.

0:19:38.270,0:19:40.270
So there are also a lot of engineers that

0:19:40.270,0:19:41.760
I have met that are out there who would

0:19:41.760,0:19:44.060
love the opportunity to become a mentor and[br]are

0:19:44.060,0:19:47.300
not sure the right way to get involved. This

0:19:47.300,0:19:50.030
would create an opportunity for interested[br]parties to teach

0:19:50.030,0:19:52.820
and mentor in a more formal environment.

0:19:52.820,0:19:55.280
So, I mean, look at me. I'm up here

0:19:55.280,0:19:58.090
genuinely talking about ThoughtBot and, because[br]they took a

0:19:58.090,0:19:59.940
risk on me. SO the message and good will

0:19:59.940,0:20:02.540
of your company will spread throughout the[br]students that

0:20:02.540,0:20:05.870
you take risks on and train.

0:20:05.870,0:20:07.410
But why is all of this important? Why is

0:20:07.410,0:20:11.200
it important to have educational alternatives[br]to training the

0:20:11.200,0:20:15.170
next generation of developers? I have three[br]reasons.

0:20:15.170,0:20:20.380
Diversity, a massive lack of, of supply of[br]engineer,

0:20:20.380,0:20:23.800
and traditional education that isn't providing[br]with the amount

0:20:23.800,0:20:28.910
of people that we need. So mentorship Railsbridge[br]programs

0:20:28.910,0:20:31.550
and apprentice programs are absolutely key[br]in getting more

0:20:31.550,0:20:34.660
diversity into not only the web development[br]world but

0:20:34.660,0:20:36.490
the tech world as a whole.

0:20:36.490,0:20:39.480
As you can see, NCWiT thinks it's crucial[br]for

0:20:39.480,0:20:41.800
advancing underrepresented employees.

0:20:41.800,0:20:46.480
So access to the internet is a privilege.[br]White

0:20:46.480,0:20:48.970
males specifically have access at an earlier[br]age and

0:20:48.970,0:20:51.880
a much higher rate than females. And people[br]of

0:20:51.880,0:20:55.120
different ethnic backgrounds. Statistics show[br]that boys get their

0:20:55.120,0:20:58.770
first computers at fourteen, while girls at[br]age eleven.

0:20:58.770,0:21:00.980
It's even later for people of color, who tend

0:21:00.980,0:21:03.100
to have a much higher adoption rate of smart

0:21:03.100,0:21:06.000
phones, and I can't imagine trying to write[br]code

0:21:06.000,0:21:08.250
in a smart phone.

0:21:08.250,0:21:10.490
So females make up more than half of undergrad

0:21:10.490,0:21:13.910
graduates but only 18% of computer science[br]graduates. There's

0:21:13.910,0:21:17.550
a really high barrier via the traditional[br]computer science

0:21:17.550,0:21:21.770
route in university.

0:21:21.770,0:21:25.440
Financial access, discrimination, lack of[br]role models, lack of

0:21:25.440,0:21:29.040
encouragement in general are creating this[br]large gap of

0:21:29.040,0:21:31.730
the lack of diversity. These are all barriers[br]that

0:21:31.730,0:21:34.100
are hard to overcome. So we want to create

0:21:34.100,0:21:36.800
diversity within the industry, education has[br]to come from

0:21:36.800,0:21:38.540
elsewhere.

0:21:38.540,0:21:41.670
outreach programs, mentorship and apprentice[br]programs are all alternatives

0:21:41.670,0:21:44.970
to a traditional education that lower these[br]barriers. This

0:21:44.970,0:21:47.770
is key in creating a diverse community. And[br]I

0:21:47.770,0:21:49.590
really want to emphasize that this is lowering[br]the

0:21:49.590,0:21:52.610
barriers and not the standards.

0:21:52.610,0:21:55.390
Alternative education needs to be high quality[br]in caliber

0:21:55.390,0:21:58.680
in order to maintain the standard in the industry.

0:21:58.680,0:22:01.270
So we all know that diversity is important.[br]Not

0:22:01.270,0:22:04.060
only does it drive economic growth, it's been[br]scientifically

0:22:04.060,0:22:07.360
proven that diversity fosters innovation and[br]enhances abilities to

0:22:07.360,0:22:10.990
solve problems. And approaching tricky programming[br]problems from many

0:22:10.990,0:22:15.120
perspectives proves to be successful in this[br]industry.

0:22:15.120,0:22:16.400
So another thing to be aware of is a

0:22:16.400,0:22:18.730
lot of these outreach programs and alternative[br]paths are

0:22:18.730,0:22:21.970
in predominately white areas for people of[br]average or

0:22:21.970,0:22:25.800
even high socioeconomic statuses. So it would[br]be awesome

0:22:25.800,0:22:29.210
to see mentorship apprentice programs and[br]outreach programs happening

0:22:29.210,0:22:32.450
in rural areas that have a low socioeconomic[br]status

0:22:32.450,0:22:34.520
and ethnic diversity.

0:22:34.520,0:22:38.620
So secondly, there's a massive lack of quality[br]engineers.

0:22:38.620,0:22:40.850
How many people here, or their company, is[br]hiring

0:22:40.850,0:22:44.490
on an ongoing basis? Yeah, and is it hard

0:22:44.490,0:22:48.250
to find quality engineers? Yeah.

0:22:48.250,0:22:52.630
So companies continually struggle with this.[br]According to NCWIT

0:22:52.630,0:22:56.250
research, if current trends continue by 2018,[br]the information

0:22:56.250,0:22:59.030
technology industry will only be able to fill[br]half

0:22:59.030,0:23:01.850
of its available jobs. There are people who[br]never

0:23:01.850,0:23:05.720
considered software engineering as a viable[br]career option because

0:23:05.720,0:23:07.780
they were discouraged from it, never thought[br]they were

0:23:07.780,0:23:10.450
smart enough, never grew up with a computer[br]or

0:23:10.450,0:23:12.680
were intimidated by people who had been programming[br]for

0:23:12.680,0:23:14.530
most of their lives.

0:23:14.530,0:23:16.440
These people can discover their passion and[br]take an

0:23:16.440,0:23:19.740
alternative approach such as the ones I discussed[br]earlier

0:23:19.740,0:23:24.350
and programs like GSchool and Flat Iron School.

0:23:24.350,0:23:27.270
So thirdly, the traditional science, computer[br]science degree isn't

0:23:27.270,0:23:30.550
providing the industry with the developers[br]that it needs.

0:23:30.550,0:23:32.400
Most people coming out of college are not[br]ready

0:23:32.400,0:23:35.730
for full-time engineering jobs. It takes four[br]or more

0:23:35.730,0:23:38.150
years to recieve a degree and not to mention

0:23:38.150,0:23:41.670
the hefty price tag.

0:23:41.670,0:23:44.790
So thanks to programs like Railsbridge, my[br]amazing mentors,

0:23:44.790,0:23:47.650
and ThoughtBot's apprentice program, I am[br]here today to

0:23:47.650,0:23:50.850
speak about the importance of alternative[br]education paths in

0:23:50.850,0:23:53.670
software development. I am almost done with[br]my apprenticeship

0:23:53.670,0:23:55.400
and I'm excited for what my next step will

0:23:55.400,0:23:57.880
be on this path, and I would be lying

0:23:57.880,0:24:00.120
if I told you that the path, my path

0:24:00.120,0:24:02.580
to becoming a software engineer has been easy[br]and

0:24:02.580,0:24:04.000
constantly rewarding.

0:24:04.000,0:24:06.380
There are times when I'm really close to quitting

0:24:06.380,0:24:08.450
and there are times when I cry from feeling

0:24:08.450,0:24:11.630
so frustrated and incompetent when the test[br]suite won't

0:24:11.630,0:24:14.260
turn green. But I know that I love what

0:24:14.260,0:24:16.040
I'm doing and I won't quit and I know

0:24:16.040,0:24:19.070
that it's because sometimes I literally get[br]chills when

0:24:19.070,0:24:21.100
I manage to get through it, refactor it, and

0:24:21.100,0:24:22.510
produce some beautiful code.

0:24:22.510,0:24:25.140
It literally moves me and makes me feel like

0:24:25.140,0:24:28.230
I can do anything. My goal is that other

0:24:28.230,0:24:30.670
people who never thought that becoming a software[br]engineer

0:24:30.670,0:24:33.670
was possible will become inspired by one of[br]these

0:24:33.670,0:24:38.190
alternative education programs or by an influential[br]mentor and

0:24:38.190,0:24:40.400
discover that they not only can be a great

0:24:40.400,0:24:43.420
developer but find a passion for it.

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Thank you for your time today and you can

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contact me through email or Twitter if you[br]have

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any questions. And here are some of my works'

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cited.