Becoming Technical: Overcome Your Fear of Coding and Supercharge Your Career
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The document is a reflection by Andrea Goulet, co-founder and CEO of Corgibytes, on overcoming personal and professional challenges related to technical skills, confidence, and the fear of coding. It discusses themes such as perfectionism, the confidence gap, growth mindset, and imposter syndrome, emphasizing the importance of self-compassion and ongoing learning. Goulet shares personal anecdotes and insights to encourage individuals to embrace their technical identities and capabilities, regardless of their starting point.
Becoming Technical: Overcome Your Fear of Coding and Supercharge Your Career
- 1. BECOMING TECHNICALOVERCOMING YOUR DOUBT, INTIMIDATION, AND FEAR OF SOFTWARE By Andrea Goulet Co-Founder & CEO Corgibytes @andreagoulet becoming technicalOVERCOME YOUR FEAR OF CODING AND SUPERCHARGE YOUR CAREER ANDREA GOULET CEO, CORGIBYTES
- 3. @andreagoulet “Andrea? She’s non-technical.”-my business partner on a prominent podcast
- 4. @andreagoulet “I’m the CEO of a software company! Of course I’m technical!” -angry me
- 5. @andreagoulet “But that’s not how you introduced yourself to the new client yesterday. I just repeated what you said. Verbatim.” -confused business partner
- 6. @andreagoulet “Seriously? I said that?” -embarrassed me
- 7. @andreagoulet “Seriously? I said that?” -embarrassed me “Yeah. You did. Why?” -supportive partner
- 8. @andreagoulet 1. PERFECTIONISM 2. CONFIDENCE GAP 3. GROWTH MINDSET 4. IMPOSTER SYNDROME
- 10. @andreagoulet We remodel existing software to make it stable, scalable, and secure. OMG! SCOTT, I TOTALLY FAILED THAT LATIN TEST!
- 11. @andreagoulet We remodel existing software to make it stable, scalable, and secure. DIDN’T YOU GET A 98?
- 12. @andreagoulet We remodel existing software to make it stable, scalable, and secure. TECHNICALLY, YES. BUT I LIKE TO THINK THAT ANYTHING LESS THAN 100 IS FAILING.
- 14. @andreagoulet
- 16. @andreagoulet I’M TYPE A PLUS!
- 17. HEALTHY STRIVING IS SELF- FOCUSED: HOW CAN I IMPROVE? PERFECTIONISM IS OTHER-FOCUSED: WHAT WILL THEY THINK? @andreagouletsource: h*p://www.amazon.com/Daring-Greatly-Courage-Vulnerable-Transforms/dp/1592408419/
- 18. “PERFECTIONISM IS A SELF DESTRUCTIVE AND ADDICTIVE BELIEF SYSTEM THAT FUELS THIS PRIMARY THOUGHT: IF I LOOK PERFECT, AND DO EVERYTHING PERFECTLY, I CAN AVOID OR MINIMIZE THE PAINFUL FEELINGS OF SHAME, JUDGMENT, AND BLAME.” @andreagoulet -BRENÉ BROWN source: h*p://www.amazon.com/Daring-Greatly-Courage-Vulnerable-Transforms/dp/1592408419/
- 19. @mscottford SELF COMPASSION 1. SELF KINDNESS 2. COMMON HUMANITY 3. MINDFULNESS
- 20. @mscottford 1. SELF KINDNESS HOW WOULD YOU TALK TO A LOVED ONE?
- 24. @andreagoulet I CAN’T CALL MYSELF “TECHNICAL” UNTIL I UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING ABOUT EVERY TECHNOLOGY THAT WAS EVER MADE EVER.
- 25. @andreagoulet THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE. NO ONE UNDERSTANDS EVERYTHING.
- 26. @andreagoulet WOMENMEN source: h*p://www.theatlanHc.com/magazine/archive/2014/05/the-confidence-gap/359815/ WHEN ASKED: WHAT % OF QUALIFICATIONS DO YOU NEED TO MEET TO APPLY FOR A JOB?
- 27. @andreagoulet 60% WOMENMEN source: h*p://www.theatlanHc.com/magazine/archive/2014/05/the-confidence-gap/359815/ WHEN ASKED: WHAT % OF QUALIFICATIONS DO YOU NEED TO MEET TO APPLY FOR A JOB?
- 28. @andreagoulet 60% 100% WOMENMEN source: h*p://www.theatlanHc.com/magazine/archive/2014/05/the-confidence-gap/359815/ WHEN ASKED: WHAT % OF QUALIFICATIONS DO YOU NEED TO MEET TO APPLY FOR A JOB?
- 30. @andreagoulet
- 32. @andreagoulet SOME PEOPLE ARE BORN KNOWING HOW TO CODE. NOT ME. I’LL NEVER UNDERSTAND THIS STUFF.
- 33. @andreagoulet I HAD TO WORK REALLY HARD. I THINK IT’S THE SYNTAX THAT’S TRIPPING YOU UP. YOU’RE A NATURAL WITH ALGORITHMS & PATTERNS.
- 34. FIXED MINDSET @andreagoulet Believing your qualities are carved in stone creates an urgency to prove yourself over and over again. This leads to perfectionism. source: h*ps://www.ted.com/talks/carol_dweck_the_power_of_believing_that_you_can_improve
- 35. GROWTH MINDSET @andreagoulet Believing you may not know everything now, but trusting that you can learn, grow, change, and adapt. Absolutely required for success in software.
- 39. @andreagoulet ONE OF THESE DAYS EVERYONE WILL FIND OUT I’M NOT REALLY TECHNICAL.
- 40. @andreagoulet WEREN’T YOU NAMED ONE OF LINKEDIN’S TOP 10 PROFESSIONALS IN SOFTWARE?
- 41. IMPOSTER SYNDROME @andreagoulet Chronic self-doubt that overrides any feelings of success, even in the face of external proof. High-achieving perfectionists are most susceptible. source: h*ps://hbr.org/2008/05/overcoming-imposter-syndrome/
- 42. @andreagoulet OVERCOMING IMPOSTER SYNDROME 1. LOOK AT THE FACTS 2. SEEK SUPPORT 3. REFRAME YOUR ARGUMENT
- 43. @andreagoulet 1. LOOK AT THE FACTS
- 44. @andreagoulet “At the helm, leading our vision and strategy is Andrea. She has a knack for solving complex business problems with simple solutions and is passionate about user experience. 11/25/2014 DOES MY BIO ACCURATELY REFLECT MY EXPERIENCE?
- 45. @andreagoulet “At the helm, leading our vision and strategy is Andrea. Don’t be fooled by her decade of marketing experience, though. Andrea can sling some solid code. She has a knack for solving complex business problems with simple solutions and is passionate about user experience. 12/2/2014 DOES MY BIO ACCURATELY REFLECT MY EXPERIENCE?
- 46. @andreagoulet “At the helm, leading our vision and strategy is Andrea. We’re making her brag about herself here because we’re really proud of how she’s helped shape the conversation in the software industry. 5/26/2017 DOES MY BIO ACCURATELY REFLECT MY EXPERIENCE?
- 50. @andreagoulet Am I technical or non-technical?
- 52. @andreagoulet
- 53. @andreagoulet BE YOUR OWN FAIRY GODMOTHER