Homeschooler to Hero

No Code Given

By Mika "Ipstenu" Epstein for WordCamp Miami 2014

https://slides.halfelf.org/wcmia2014

Mika "Ipstenu" Epstein

Drawing of me at WordCamp SF 2013 by Ben Dunkle

WordPress Volunteer: Support, Community, Plugins
Developer: Core Contributor, Plugin Author
DreamHost WordPress Support Specialist & Manager
SCA Lord & Bowman in Gyldenholt

Before I coded, I communicated

This is broken because...
I expected this but got that.
That's not a bug, it works like this now.
I think this is a bug, let me test.
I'm sorry you feel that way...

You may have noted I said I code. I do. And that always gets people pointing at me that clearly you have to learn to code in order to become awesome in WordPress. They're wrong. You don't have to code. In fact, most of what I do isn't coding, it's reading FAQs and Googling things for people. Or experimenting. But what set me apart was my willingness to communicate, explain, and help. Trust me, it's not my code. I'm okay at it, but I'll never be Helen Hou-Sandi, and that's okay!

See, DreamPress hired me because I'm a WordPress Support Hero. Not because of the code. The fact that I coded was a welcome surprise when, I think it was in the first month I was there, they released a new product and I thought "I can make WordPress work with that!" and then I did. They consider that extra, and so do I.

Before WordPress....

Everyone has a 'before' story. It shapes what we become.

Mine? Creative Writing, Anthropology, and a fansite for an actress.

(Andrea Rennick was a Homeschooler)

How We Use WordPress...

... shapes the hero we become.

What are you good at?

Can you...

... write clearly?
... beta test?
... follow directions?
... provide space for meetups?
... connect others?

If you're willing to try, you will be a hero!

What do you want to be?

A dude pointing to the upper left, I have no idea why, but he's got royalty free photos.

WordPress companies need ....

... support techs.
... tech writers.

And yes, they're looking for you!

I said you can have a successful career in WordPress without coding, and I mean it. Which is why the slides stop here and I want to open up for people to talk and ask questions about HOW to get there. I can tell you how I did it, which is fine, but the tl;dr version is I decided I wanted to be an expert at support and see if that could net me a job. It did, and it was a lot of work to get that good at listening and explaining and hearing not what people said, but what they meant. But FINDING that company, that right one, was hard work. I'd had four other interviews before DreamHost turned out to be the right fit for me, including, yes, one with Automattic.

If you have a plugin or a theme you love, you can get a job with that shop by being there, volunteering in the forums, and showing them your skills. Then? Ask them. "Hey do you guys have an opening?" Even if it's part time, you have a foot in.

THE END

My tech blog: https://halfelf.org

These slides: https://slides.halfelf.org/wcmia2014