Write/Speak/Code

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Volunteer and Attend for Free!

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A year ago March, I volunteered/attended the 2015 Write/Speak/Code conference in New York City.

Two days after the conference ended, I had a phone interview with my now-CEO. I was able to communicate confidently and candidly about who I am, and I landed my first dev job.

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The talks, of course, were inspiring. The exercises were enlightening. But the thing that really, profoundly hit home, was how amazing it was to talk to the other attendees.

The people I spoke with understood me. They could relate to many of my experiences and empathized with the rest.

A more tangible thing that I got out of those three days, though, was the opportunity to talk to people about my experience, and being coaxed into reframing it from “utter lack of experience” (and therefore lack of competence, I felt at the time), to an opportunity to demonstrate my capacity for growth.

The whole point of telling you this, of course, is to convince you to come experience the four most inspiring days you’ve ever had.

There are regular-price tickets, and there are scholarships. But I hope that some of you will consider volunteering.

I found it a great opportunity as a newb-to-the-industry (I now co-organize the NYC chapter of Write/Speak/Code), and it’s a great way to attend for free. Not to mention the fact that it’s a good time, and you’ll meet some awesome people and leave with a sense of your own competence and how to share it and help others.

I’ll be there. I hope to see you there too!

APPLY TO VOLUNTEER

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Ramadan: 2016 Conference Accommodations

Ramadan: 2016 Conference Accommodations

On the first day of the Write/Speak/Code conference this year, sunset will be at 8:28pm

You might be thinking, that’s nice to know, but so what? Well, it happens to be that the 2016 conference falls in the middle of the month of Ramadan, the ninth month in the Islamic calendar, where Muslims around the world fast (no food or water) from dawn till sunset. The Islamic calendar is lunar, so Ramadan falls on different months of the standard solar calendar over the years.

I have been fasting Ramadan for as long as I remember. It’s a month which allows me to reflect and empathize with people who live on less than $2 a day, a practice in gratitude. However, the last 3 years have been the most challenging, where Ramadan has coincided with the very long days of summer. Living in Chicago, it is also taxing to be surrounded by food and people eating throughout day – think about how many meetings and events you attend before 8:28pm that involve food. Yep, it definitely doesn’t make it easier.

As a co-organizer of Write/Speak/Code, I am proud to be part of an organization that is proactive at accommodating members’ needs. From the start, Write/Speak/Code has made it a priority to offer childcare, as well as accommodating the needs of mothers and caregivers. This year, with the conference coinciding with Ramadan, we will be providing the following for attendees observing Ramadan:

  • Meal/voucher for halal dinner
  • Private prayer room
  • Break room away from food

By making it an accessible, welcoming environment at the conference, we can focus on empowering each other and on our mission to increase the visibility and leadership of woman software developers.

Attending the conference & observing Ramadan? Is there something we missed? Please let us know by emailing info@writespeakcode.com.

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Yes – We Want to Hear from you!

We’re excited to announce that the Write/Speak/Code Call for Proposals is now open through April 9th 2016! This year our CFP is for keynote speakers who will be opening and closing each day of the conference. All speakers will receive a ticket to the conference and a $500 honorarium. Travel assistance is available by request.

Submit a Proposal

As a conference for women software engineers our attendees are looking for stories that can help them find their voices and expertise as thought leaders. Our conference gives attendees hands-on experience to workshop their ideas into tangible talks, blog pieces, and open source code contributions. Your talk should reflect how you came to find your own expertise, be it in writing, speaking, or open source, and what your journey has been. We are passionate about stories that speak to the diversity of women in tech! After all, our community includes women coders from multiple programming languages, ages, geographic origins, and more.

In order to help you get started we’ve compiled a list of a few resources to help you get started:

Still stuck or want more assistance? Do not hesitate to reach out to the Speaker Outreach team at 2016speakers@writespeakcode.com.

If you think you would like to participate but perhaps not as a keynote speaker we have other opportunities including being a panelist or a speaking mentor.