Behind LA’s rising digital tech scene are some amazing developers building great products and driving growth. Since only 10 to 12 percent of developers in LA are women developers, Built In LA is giving them some well-deserved attention in this series. In the first installment, a few incredible women shared their stories about how they got started and who is pushing them to succeed now.To recommend a female developer for a future installment, email [email protected].
Katharine Jarmul, PyLadies founder
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WHAT'S YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE ON A DAILY BASIS?
As with any management role, the biggest challenge I see myself facing is properly leading a team by allowing its members to grow.
HOW DID YOU BECOME A DEVELOPER?
I was always interested in computers, but first became a developer as a profession because a manager at Washington Post saw promise in me and took the time to mentor me.
WHO ARE YOUR MENTORS?
I always had highly academic female role models in my mother and stepmom. My stepmom has a Master’s in math and several technical patents, and my mother led an entire West Coast sales team in technical research. In my house, it was not unfamiliar to do your math and science homework with a female.
WHY DID YOU START PYLADIES AND WHAT LESSONS HAVE YOU LEARNED?
PyLadies started with a group of women who frequented the LA Python community meetups. We aimed to promote diversity of all kinds within the Python community and open source world as a whole. What we found when we began to put on our own workshops and meetups is that the diversity in attendance immediately reflected our goals. And by having women as leaders within the community and women at the front of the classroom immediately created a equal headcount and learning experience.
WHY IS COMMUNITY OUTREACH IMPORTANT TO YOU?
I think that as a diverse member of the tech community it is essential to spend some time giving back given that I was first introduced to all this through my own "menteeship.” Also, I think that anybody who is involved in open source and refuses to participate in the overall community is essentially a drain on a system based on give and take.
DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR WOMEN STARTING OUT IN THE TECH WORLD?
Find a good mentor and have tenacity.
WHAT'S THE BEST ADVICE YOU'VE EVER RECIEVED?
Embrace imperfection.
Connect with Katharine on Twitter @kjam.
