How To Not Get Dizzy: Five Things Figure Skating Taught Me About Debugging My Life and Career

Five years ago when I sat down with my computer to play with Codecademy I would have never imagined I’d be working at my dream job, that I’d have the opportunity to speak at conferences and share my programming experiences with other developers, or that I’d join the very podcast I loved listening to each week! I was just a girl with a communications degree who spent her life on the ice and got really excited about programming in her 20’s! In this talk, I’m going to share the highs and lows, all the decisions and small steps I made along the way while bringing attention to just how fortunate I was to have been provided so many incredible opportunities along the way! "Suck it up buttercup"... "get comfortable being uncomfortable", these aren't just catchy phrases, they're keys I've lived by on my journey!

Over the past five years, I’ve gone from teaching myself the basics to becoming a full stack JavaScript developer, helping build out applications and infrastructure for companies like npm Inc, Warner Bros, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. My passion and energy have been recognized by people outside of work, opening up opportunities for me to become a panelist on the JavaScript Jabber and Angular Air podcasts. I’m incredibly blessed but also work extremely hard, and I’m passionate about sharing the steps I’ve taken in hopes of empowering others.