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For our second community spotlight, we have Elaine joining us. I'll let her introduce herself a little bit. We became acquainted over the years through our work in development and Go Code Colorado.
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Hi, I'm so excited to be here! I don’t get to talk to developers very much anymore. In fact, I wore my developer converse with my fancy dress just for this event. My name is Elaine Marino, and I transitioned from a career in advertising to become a Ruby and Ruby on Rails developer seven years ago. Back then, Jeff was still at Jumpstart Labs, and DC Galvanize didn't exist yet. I was in one of the very first classes here in Colorado, and I got an internship, doing software development full-time for two years.
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During that time, I experienced many barriers to entry that are now frequently discussed in the news. From those experiences, I ended up starting my own business in the tech events space. This was somewhat by accident; I began organizing women in tech events, like Lady Coders out of Boulder, Colorado. From there, I secured a contract with the state of Colorado to put on Go Code Colorado, which I managed for four years. Now, I feel like the industry has finally caught up with all that I experienced, and I have launched a diversity and inclusion consulting company called Equili. I conduct trainings and workshops based on my experiences and a great deal of research.
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I’m here today to discuss how people can use research effectively. I'd like to ask a couple of questions and focus on bringing the discussion back to Colorado. Most folks here are in the local tech industry. Through various initiatives, I've connected with many different communities and even those around the state, beyond just Denver and Boulder, which often receive the bulk of our attention.
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What kinds of trends are you noticing, especially as the tech industry grows across the state? New communities are popping up, which is phenomenal. I got to travel all around the state through Go Code Colorado, which was fantastic. Grand Junction boasts a really strong community, along with an amazing co-working space called Factory. Montrose has a similar setup called Proximity Space, where one can connect with great local talent.
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If you want to be a big fish in a small pond, Montrose or Grand Junction is the place to go. They're doing incredible work in both cities. Durango is also somewhat of a hidden gem, known for having the best mountain biking in the world. There is a company called Van TIF, which is actually the largest payment processing company in the world and has a huge presence in Durango. Additionally, Solar City has a developer group there as well for handling payments, indicating that some really exciting things are happening throughout the state.
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Coming here at the tail end of Denver Startup Week, there has often been a push to suggest that Colorado is the next Silicon Valley. However, this raises the question: do we even want that? There are many aspects of Silicon Valley that I don’t prefer. It’s important to consider the growth of the Denver/Boulder tech scene in relation to establishing its own unique character, rather than simply imitating Silicon Valley. Colorado tends to be kinder and nicer. After living on both coasts and experiencing the corporate culture there, I can attest that the people in Colorado are just generally friendlier.
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As we allow Silicon Valley-proven practices to take root here, it’s crucial to maintain that spirit of friendliness. The influx of venture capital tends to bring an aggressive growth mindset, leading to many companies being pushed to scale faster than they are built to handle.
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This rapid expansion often leads to problems, and the influx of cash also brings along undesirable behavior. Thus, our task in Colorado is to remain true to our roots of work-life balance and kindness. I wonder if being in Colorado could negatively impact someone’s career.
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While Colorado is seen as a secondary market in tech, is being here restricting us in terms of salary or prestige, or is it possible to be content with a career in this environment? It really depends on what you want. Silicon Valley may have certain advantages, such as an older ecosystem where things are larger and can be accomplished faster. However, I believe successful careers can be built here, based on individual definitions of success.
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A wise definition of success I follow is that it's about living anywhere you want. If you can decide where you live, then you have created your own definition of success.
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It’s essential to acknowledge the privilege that comes with this industry. We often forget about the main advantage of moving freely within our careers while also considering the challenges it brings. We should remind ourselves to stay aware of this privilege and take advantage of the opportunities it provides.
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For those unfamiliar, Go Code Colorado is a competition initiated by the state of Colorado, and it's the first of its kind at the state level. The state makes its data available for developers and entrepreneurs, providing them an opportunity to build apps. The format resembles that of a hackathon where, at the end of the weekend, projects often stall due to lack of momentum. Go Code Colorado was created to maintain that momentum.
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It's an all-weekend hackathon held in five locations around the state, including Durango, Grand Junction, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, and Denver, typically taking place in April. Two finalists from each location make it to a mentor weekend designed to provide guidance for their application development.
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In the final round, the top three teams receive $25,000 each to help continue their projects or for any resources they feel necessary. Numerous innovative projects utilizing public data have emerged from this initiative.
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In my role with Equili, I believe strongly that issues like racism primarily affect the white community, just as sexism is generally a men's problem. If I, as a male software developer, am aware of these problems, how can I actively contribute to a more inclusive culture while avoiding common pitfalls?
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Tech places have two problems: a pipeline issue and a leaky faucet issue. The leaky faucet issue sees minority and female talent leaving after brief tenures. They tend to be the odd duck, and while they can manage for the first few years, a decade in, being the only minority can be disheartening.
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It's essential for companies to hire at least three or four diverse candidates as a critical mass to prevent these individuals from feeling isolated. Hiring practices tend to be influenced by personal networks, which often lack diversity, leading to the perpetuation of these issues within tech companies.
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Creating a positive culture involves being thoughtful and inclusive of the diverse experiences and needs of all employees. This means maintaining existing employee engagement strategies while also recognizing the importance of adapting to a more inclusive workplace.
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Thank you very much.