Chit Chat with Karen, KBWomenintech face of the month of June.
Karen sleeps a lot for so long that she taught it was a disease but when her love for coding came knocking, she had to choose between productivity and set back. Join Zainab Bolanle Abdullahi as she chats with Karen Efereyan on Kwarabuild womenintech monthly chit chat.
Z: Its awesome having you here Karen, Tell us, what are your tech skills?
K: I am a front end developer currently. I aspire to be a full stack, [laughs] I have skills in HTML CSS and JavaScript. I also have good knowledge about git and its services like github.
Z: That’s awesome. What inspired you to start your career in tech?
K: That is quite a funny story. I’ve always loved computers even as a child. Added to that, my brother is a senior software developer. However, whenever my brother was in front of his laptop, he would laughed to himself. I wondered why. When I decided to peer at the screen to figure out what was funny, all I saw was a bunch of gibberish. Yeah (it looked like gibberish) at that time. Now I know better. My curiosity led me to where I am today. Now I have a better understanding. Now I laugh at my screen too! [Laughs]
Z: That’s hilarious. A lot of us Devs. laugh at our screens too [laughs]
K: Right? Now I know why many people think we are weird. Luckily we and our codes are in sync, so we’re good [laughs]
Z: [laughs] Exactly. So what motivated you to get into front end development instead of other fields in tech like Machine learning for example?
K: Well, I have a passion for data science. I have had some exposure to it in the past. However, I just want to focus on front end development for now and be a pro at it, hopefully. I think frontend development is very cool because you get to see in real time what the output of your code is as opposed to backend and other stuff.
Z: That’s great. And yes I agree with you, that’s one of the many advantages of front end development; real time results.
Can you talk about any project(s) you’ve worked on that you’re proud of?
K: There have been quite a number of projects I’ve worked on. The one I’m really quite proud of is my portfolio website which I built on my own. It will be out very soon so look forward to it.
Z: That’s wonderful, well done!
K: Thank you.
Z: You’re welcome. Has your career in tech so far affected your personality in any way?
K: Yes. For one thing I feel more confident of myself. Secondly, I have met a lot of amazing people too. Thirdly, my parents now have some added respect for me. You know what I mean, right?
Z: Yeah, I absolutely know what you mean. It gives purpose and respect in a very unique way. It’s amazing.
What effect has KwaraBuild Women In Tech Community had on your goals’ achievement?
K: Kwarabuild women in tech has been amazing. I really love the community made up of women who are breaking boundaries in tech. I’ve always wanted to be a woman that others look up to, in tech and other areas. Kwarabuild has helped me a lot. Cheers to many amazing things.
Z: Cheers to that! Please share some of your hobbies and fun facts about yourself?
K: I love to sleep. This is quite weird… I remember my dad once suggested taking me to the hospital to find out if that was a sickness, [laughs] it’s funny now but I actually did think it was a sickness then too. Asides being the very outgoing type, what many people may not know is that I am very quiet around people I’m meeting newly but when we have matching vibes, I can be a thorn in your flesh. Not a literal thorn though. [Laughs]
Z: [laughs] Wow. I can’t believe your dad thought your love of sleep was an illness of some sort [laughing] that’s hilarious.
K: [laughing] Have you seen someone sleep for 10hours at a stretch? That’s me. I can do that well. I’m trying to reduce my sleeping time now. You know, code duties.
Z: Wow. That’s really serious [laughs]
Alright, let’s wrap it up with this final question. What would you like to say to your fellow women in tech?
K: You can do it! It will be hard but just believe in yourself. As a woman, I think believing in your self is most important. You can do anything you set your mind to. Speaking of which, my 6 year old started learning how to code.
As much as there will be people who feel threatened by your progress, there are just as many people who want to see you do well.
It’s also extremely important to rest. Have fun coding, but take care of your mental and physical health. Don’t neglect family. That’s it sis. I believe in you. See you at the top!
Z: Wow. What a powerful message. I think this is really going to resonate with a lot of women. It’s a really incredible note to end this interview on.
It was so wonderful to speak with you. Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me today.
K: Thank you for having me.
Z: It was my pleasure.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Complied and Edited by Hajarat Ali
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