The latest articles on DEV Community by Alanna Risse (@alannarisse). https://dev.to/alannarisse https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F61350%2Fe8d86754-c24c-464b-a26b-0abbc14ade15.jpeg https://dev.to/alannarisse en Alanna Risse Thu, 08 Mar 2018 00:54:34 +0000 https://dev.to/alannarisse/nevertheless-alanna-risse-coded--5bbn https://dev.to/alannarisse/nevertheless-alanna-risse-coded--5bbn <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fthepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fi%2Fdcxtzsyl537j91c35813.jpg" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fthepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fi%2Fdcxtzsyl537j91c35813.jpg" width="800" height="480"></a></p> <h2> About me </h2> <p>I'm a 47-year-old web developer. My road of life has included jobs at Apple, Liquid Audio, Yahoo!, Gap, Inc., Guru.com, Williams-Sonoma, Singlebound Creative, and a million other start-ups and small to medium website projects. I started as a QA Engineer, then began developing websites around 1998. I thought I wanted to quit developing so I went back to school and earned a Masters of Fine Art degree so I could teach art. I figured out I'm an engineer at heart and all I want to do is make big things for people, and wouldn't you know it, that's what websites are great for. I also figured out that statistically, women leave the tech industry mid-career twice as often as men do. I stubbornly refuse to contribute to that statistic.</p> <h2> I returned to code because... </h2> <p>I realized after leaving a great career in web developing that it was the circumstances, not the work that made me want to change careers. I'm back! I owe a great deal to all the women and men over the years who've supported me. I've come back into the web-dev game to mentor and support others.</p> <h2> I recently overcame... </h2> <p>I worked with a terrible human being. He was a liar, took credit for my work, and was passive-aggressive. I realized that although I couldn't fix the situation, I could choose to refuse to tolerate his behavior. I left and quickly found a better job.</p> <h2> I want to brag about... </h2> <ul> <li><p>Twenty years of web developing and I'm learning new tricks faster than ever.</p></li> <li><p>I’m proud I wrote this article about <a href="https://austinstartups.com/the-tech-gender-gap-a-2016-progress-report-on-women-coders-c704a2d6039c?source=linkShare-e5af1688c74a-1520475709" rel="noopener noreferrer">the Tech Gender Gap</a></p></li> </ul> <h2> My advice for allies to support women and non-binary folks who code is.... </h2> <ul> <li>Check your subconscious gender biases.</li> <li>Understand women's and non-binary people's struggles. </li> <li>Demand authenticity from everyone you work with. We can't fix the gender gap if we don't talk about it.</li> <li>Encourage your kids to code and pursue their interested in STEAM. Make sure your kids -- especially your boys -- know coding is for everyone.</li> </ul> wecoded