I’m no expert, but…

Bianca is a Software Engineer at Thumbtack, instructor at Frontend Masters, and founder of andcoffee.io. In July 2019, she gave a keynote at WomenHack, a recruiting event for women in tech. You can find the complete transcription below!

After graduating from coding bootcamp, I was asked to create and teach a programming fundamentals course. I was barely 24 at the time and had no industry experience — was I really qualified to do this? Most people would probably say no. But, what I learned from that opportunity is that you don’t need to be an expert to help others and create value in their lives.

Despite the fact that I was young and had never taught before, my courses wound up being extremely popular. As a recent grad myself, I was able to connect with my audience and understand their problems — I could meet them at their level which made me a better teacher. More experienced engineers would have been long removed from those early hurdles coders come up against — but I was right there with them.

The perceived weakness of my inexperience ended up being a great strength. In the years since that first class, I’ve continued teaching things that I have just learned — and I still keep those beginner-friendly points in my lessons. If I hadn’t started teaching so early in my career, I may not have caught on to those bits that seem obvious for experienced programmers, but not so much for beginners.

I now teach a broad range of topics in JavaScript on online educational platforms. People tweet at me a few times a week saying how my courses have helped. It’s an incredible feeling to hear that I have empowered people to achieve their goals.

It can be difficult to believe that you can make an impact when you’re not in a position of power — an expert or senior or whatever fill-in-the-blank you think may be required before you can be taken seriously. A lot of people sell themselves short and don’t think they have much to offer, especially when they are new to something. I believe that anyone can do impactful things, regardless of experience level.

Working at Thumbtack, I see this philosophy playing out every day — from the way we interact with our colleagues to the way we support our customers and pros. It’s not about posturing as an expert; it’s about sharing your experience, realizing it has value, and being a thoughtful partner. So, think about this: What’s something you already know a lot about and how can use that knowledge to impact peoples’ lives?

If you are interested in picking my brain about Thumbtack, teaching, or whatever feel free to tweet at me: @BiancaGando