Episode 10 – A’nita Evans
Clayton State University – BA in Legal Studies
UX/UI Designer and Front End Developer
What made you decide to work in tech?
I knew that being in law was not really for me. I prefer the challenge of creating products that people can use. Tech allows me to be more of myself and more expressive in ways that law did not allow me to be.
What was an obstacle you faced and how did you overcome that obstacle?
Just being able to get into tech was an obstacle for me. There was not much information about user experience and how to get into it floating around on the internet at the time. It was hard to find meetups because UX/UI was considered a “new” keyword and for a newbie to the tech industry, I wasn’t sure where to look. I overcame it by taking any opportunity that would get me closer to being in that area. I was lucky that I ended up networking and was able to get an internship with Blavity to start me on my journey.
What is your experience being a POC in Tech?
It’s interesting because I fall into the intersectional side of tech being a person of color, a woman, and being disabled. I often see the way tech and businesses can capitalize off of what’s trending and popular in the Black community , i.e. Black Twitter, Black Tumblr, “on fleek” and “Netflix and Chill” while not being open to giving credit where it’s due or hiring “us” beyond filling a quota. My experience has been bittersweet in the sense that I get to create and work on really amazing projects while also seeing how companies that get started by us aren’t as funded, acknowledged or supported as others.
What was your perception about the tech industry before entering it? What is your perception now?
My perception at the beginning was that it’s all about coding and that I needed a computer science degree with a 4.0 GPA and great references before I can even get into it. Now, my perception is that the tech industry is pretty open in the sense that there is no set skill that you absolutely have to have in order to have a career that you love.
What advice would you give to a young person who wanted to enter tech?
- Go. For. It.
- Ask Questions– In tech, people love to share ideas, talk about the latest topic on tech crunch and what they’re working on. There is no such thing as a stupid question when it comes from a genuine curiosity.
- Work hard – Try something new and don’t be afraid to fail. Tech is constantly evolving and what may be right today can be very wrong tomorrow.
