What made you decide to work in the tech industry? Initially, I was pursuing a career in accounting. I declared it my major at college. After an accounting internship, I decided it was not for me, but I had done it for so long I couldn’t see myself doing anything else. So, I decided to do a second internship, with the hope of getting a full-time offer. It didn’t happen. I was devastated at the time and had no idea what I was going to do next. I was counting
What made you decide to work in tech? My two older brothers introduced me to engineering. They’re both engineers and I grew up watching, and eventually joining, them take apart household appliances. When I got to high school, I had a series of amazing teachers who helped a group of us start a FIRST Robotics Competition team and who introduced me to programming. I decided to go into the tech industry because I love putting things together and this was a place where it was possible to create something tangible
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do? My name is Karla Mickens, and I’m a product designer at Facebook. Originally born and raised in North Carolina, and went to college at Virginia Commonwealth University. After that, I moved to New York where I pretty much started my career in design. I gradually got into more of the tech side of it, and haven’t a looked back since, now for six-seven years I think, maybe more. How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t know what
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do? My name is Fadumo. I’m going to be a third-year student at NYU, New York University. I study computer science and politics. This past summer I was at Facebook working with a product marketing manager as well as a civic engagement team. What I eventually want to do is work at the intersection of programming and government, making government more efficient. What interested you in technology as a [vehicle] for you wanted to do? I started college two years
Congratulations on getting into YC and being the first non-profit. Yeah. We’re about one of 15 non-profits, so I think USA Today called us out as the first diversity non-profit. It’s still a very early program for non-profits in there, they’re still adjusting to it. Why did you start /dev/color? And what has it been like thus far? I started it just seeing my friends and people that I had been connected to, as I discovered tips and secrets that were novel to me, I would share them with people
I recently took the opportunity to head down to NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California to see the arrival of Juno from behind the scenes. I was there as a social media ambassador with a group of other thought leaders to share in NASA’s next big moment of space exploration. While I was there, I met people I would not otherwise meet; the scientists who had an active part in designing the instruments on Juno, the project managers who drove the mission forward and even the Assistant Director for
One of my favorite movies is Ratatouille because of it parallels to what it’s like being a minorty entrepreneur. One of the quotes from the film describes Anton Ego’s epiphany “Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist *can* come from *anywhere*.” The quote is empowering because it puts everyone on an equal playing field. It doesn’t matter if you didn’t go to a top school, came from a poor background or what gender you are, anyone can have a great idea for business. Running a startup
Everyone loves hearing origin stories. How did you first get into tech? My father works in technology at a state university. I used to sit in his lap like a baby and play a typing game he’d pull up on his screen. As I got older, he never stopped encouraging my inner tinkerer, and so I was constantly building things and taking apart computers. Weirdly, I didn’t consider a career in tech. I was into everything: writing, chemistry, physics, art; you name it. Your background is originally in Social Entrepreneurship.
Co-Founder & CEO of ScanBite What made you decide to work in tech/get involved in tech? I’ve also wanted to run a business, and I’ve always loved health & fitness. As I learned more about business and successful entrepreneurs, I learned that staying ahead of the times is key. I also want to create something substantial or something much bigger than myself that can impact millions of lives. I knew it had to be tech and so that was that, I decided I wanted to become tech founder. What was an obstacle
I would argue that ‘diversity in tech’ is the most discussed topic within the tech industry (if we are not counting when the tech bubble will pop of course). Articles discussing diversity pipelines, company’s diversity percentages, and the newest “director of diversity” infiltrate our timeline every day. As the jobs available in the tech industry continue to soar it is imperative, that those roles are filled people of a diverse background. The benefits of a diverse workforce are no secret. Multiple perspectives, more feedback that is indicative of the general
