The document summarizes what the author learned in their first year as a full-time programmer. Some of the key lessons included that programmers are not necessarily the most important people on a tech team, and that qualities like collaboration, quality work, and avoiding "rockstar" behaviors are more important for success than being a highly skilled coder. The author advocates learning where one's strengths lie to best contribute, such as through documentation, code reviews, or testing. Asking for help from others and tracking one's own growth through blogging or public speaking are also recommended. Diversity, inclusion, and avoiding tokenism are important both for the team and for building products for diverse users.

1. What I learned my
first year as a full-time
programmer

2. Hello! I’m Hilary Stohs-Krause.
Software developer, Ten Forward Consulting
Puns, tech and feminism at @hilarysk
2

3. Programmers != the most important people in tech.
1.

5. They’re bad for business.
✖ Overconfident
✖ More likely to break
rules
✖ More productive, but
lower quality work
✖ Negative behavior is
infectious
Forget rockstar-ninja-10x coders1
What actually brings success?
★ Don’t go rogue
★ Slow and steady
★ Collaborative, not
competitive
@hilarysk

6. “... converting [a superstar worker] to an
average worker enhances performance to a
much greater extent than replacing an
average worker with a superstar worker.1
”
@hilarysk

8. Quality
assurance
Project
manager
Product
manager
Data
architect
Salesperson
Visual
designer
UX designer

9. Learn where you are
★ Who writes the clearest documentation?
★ Who leaves the best feedback on PRs?
★ Who finds the most bugs during testing?
@hilarysk

11. Ways to contribute
★ Add to documentation
★ Pair on code reviews
★ Aid in researching potential frameworks or gems
★ Help with testing
@hilarysk

12. 12
@hilarysk
Fun Rails method #1

13. #squish

14. We are not our users.
2.

15. Who here ...
… has a name with a hyphen
or apostrophe?
15

16. @hilarysk

17. @hilarysk

18. @hilarysk

19. Who here ...
… is a woman?

20. @hilarysk
2

21. Who here ...
… is not white?

22. @hilarysk
3

23. How do we combat homogeneity?
★ Diverse staff
★ User testing
★ Cross-cultural checklists
★ Device labs & virtual machines
★ Accessibility testing
★ Localization
@hilarysk

24. 24
@hilarysk
Fun Rails method #2

25. #pluralize

26. You will never know everything.
3.

28. How to clear your head
★ Reframe your feelings5
★ Go for a walk7
★ Switch to paper8
★ Clean (or rearrange) your desk
★ Help someone else6
@hilarysk

30. How to ask for help4
1. What are you trying to do?
2. What have you already tried?
3. What else might work that you haven’t tried?
4. How, exactly, can the other person help you?
@hilarysk
https://tinyurl.com/railsconf-ask-help

31. 31

32. Track (and celebrate!) your growth
★ Keep a journal
★ Document successes on company or personal blog
★ Tutor or mentor
★ Speak at a local meetup
@hilarysk

33. 33
@hilarysk
Fun Rails method #3

34. #previous_changes

35. If you like wearing dresses to work,
go for it (even if everyone’s in t-shirts)
4.

36. My personal office style
@hilarysk

38. 38
@hilarysk
Your voice matters.

40. Anything you think could be better with ...
★ Office culture or environment?
★ Development process?
★ Documentation?
★ Bonding activities?
★ Workspace arrangement?
★ Company swag?
@hilarysk

41. 41
@hilarysk
Make it easy to say “Yes”
(Or hard to say “No”)

43. Don’t put up with bullshit.
★ 80,000 unfilled tech jobs through 2022 (U.S.)9
★ Work remotely
★ Every company is a tech company
★ Avoid tokenism, but use your advantages
@hilarysk

44. @hilarysk
Fun Rails method #4

45. #find_or_create_by

47. Citations
1. “Toxic Workers” (Harvard Business School)
2. “It’s Not You, It’s It: Voice Recognition Doesn’t Recognize Women” (Time)
3. “Amazon’s Face Recognition Disproportionately Matched Congressional Members
of Color With Mugshots” (The Root)
4. “A guide for junior devs: How to ask for help in 5 steps” (Ten Forward Consulting)
5. “How to Strategically Manage Frustration at Work” (Glassdoor)
6. “7 Science-Backed Methods To Get You Out Of Your Head” (Forbes)
7. “Give Your Ideas Some Legs: The Positive Effect of Walking on Creative Thinking”
(American Psychological Association)
8. “A Learning Secret: Don't Take Notes with a Laptop” (Scientific American)
9. “Study: U.S. Demand for Skilled Tech Workers Rises While Optimism for Finding
Talent Shrinks” (Consumer Technology Association)
@hilarysk

48. Thanks!
Any questions?
You can find me at:
@hilarysk
hilarysk@tenforward.consulting
@hilarysk