Meet Trayshia Kenon!
Trayshia Kenon is a 21-year-old college student. She is currently working on her degree in English with a Minor in Computer Science. She is planning on going to graduate school to pursue a Master in Computer Science.
While working on her classes in computer science, she also takes Udemy courses to help build her portfolio. Trayshia also plans on starting her very own small business in making websites for clients in the future.
We see you Trayshia!!!
Follow Trayshia on Instragram @traycodes
An Interview with Trayshia Kenon
Did you always know coding was what you wanted to do? How did you decide to go into this field?
I did not know that I had a love for coding until I got into college. I went into college with the intentions of being a Doctor, but I just randomly signed up for a Intro to C++ class because I needed an elective and boom! Here we are. No regrets!
In your opinion, what is the most common misconception people have about the tech industry today?
I think the most common misconception about the Tech Industry is that you need a degree to
gain entry into the field, but a lot of this stuff can be self-taught. You just need be focused
enough to want it.
The tech industry still has a pretty large gender gap, have you ever felt affected by this? What biases or challenges have you had to overcome? Can you say you have successfully overcome them?
Coding clubs at my school are very men populated, so I’m already feeling it in some areas. This year coming up will be my first Hack-A-Thon and I’m kind of nervous about it but I’m trying to not let that get to me.
"I just remind myself that this is my dream, and no one will dictate where I will end up based on my gender."
What is the best part about being a woman in tech?
Coding is an Art. You create things using technology and when you see the final product, you look at it and say, “Wow I actually made this.” That’s the best part for me personally. In general, with it being such a male dominated space, the sisterhood in the tech community is one of the most supportive community’s I have ever seen. It feels good knowing that if you reach out to someone, they are always willing to help.
What qualities do you think are most important in a developer?
Good Communication skills and being able to empathize. I think when you are building products for consumers, you need to understand how to relate to people and be able to build products based on the common need.
How do you keep your technology skills current? Are there any online resources you recommend?
My current recommendation for all my Web Dev’s out there, “The Web Development Bootcamp” on Udemy. It’s a great course to learn how to code. The area I am most interested in is Video Game programming, there are also Udemy courses on Game Development as well. Another suggestion is freecodecamp, this is also a good resource. If you are a complete beginner, I would recommend Code Academy, this was the first website I used to learn the basis of coding.
What advice would you give any woman who is looking to pursue a career in tech? Any tips?
Don’t wait on someone to give you an opportunity. Go out there and take it!
Nobody will hand you anything in this field. As long as you are willing to work hard and show that you are educated, then nobody can take that away from you. Also, please don’t let men intimidate you from the field. There is room for everyone!
- Trayshia Kenon
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