RefactorRVA

Releasing the Imposter: Crossing the Confidence Gap from the Non-Technical World

Do you feel like a fraud? Not tech "enough"? Do you constantly compare yourself to others? Maybe you put on a front like you’ve got it all figured out, but you’re secretly scared that your "fake it 'til you make it” strategy wouldn’t be good enough if people found out. Here’s the truth: you’re not alone. Imposter Syndrome happens when we feel inadequate, even when we’re shown evidence that we’re worthy. It’s an epidemic in the tech community, especially for those of us who come from non-technical backgrounds.

In this talk, Andrea Goulet, Co-Founder and CEO of Corgibytes, a dev shop that focuses on modernizing codebases, will walk you through her sales-to-software career. You’ll learn specific strategies for owning your accomplishments, claiming your technical prowess, and propelling your journey into the technical world.

Andrea Goulet is the CEO of Corgibytes, a software development shop dedicated to modernizing codebases. Don’t be fooled by her decade of marketing experience, though. Andrea is known for slinging some solid code. She has a knack for solving complex business problems with simple solutions and is passionate about user experience. Since coming on board in 2009, she has been instrumental to Corgibytes’ growth and culture.

Outside of Corgibytes, Andrea is passionate about helping others learn how to code. She speaks frequently about the challenges that come with being a woman in the software industry and enjoys hosting FreeCodeCamp events at her local co-working space. She loves watching her kids explore the world and is a sucker for a good physics documentary. You can recognize her by the JavaScript tattoo on her wrist.

RefactorRVA is a general software topic user group. We were formerly CVREG, but have rebranded to reflect our interests do not just include Ruby. We get together the 2nd Tuesday of the month, and split our meetings between a conversational, round-table discussions and eyes-forward lectures.