Who is Sheena O'Connell
I'm an educator, software engineer, writer and creator of systems. I have a lot of niche knowledge at the intersection of tech and education. I want to power up tech educators by sharing what I know, and by learning in public.
I never explicitly set out to become a teacher, it's just something I've always done. When I was a kid I taught my little brother basic arithmetic; at school I tutored and taught Microsoft Excel skills to adults; I taught climbing and BJJ; I wrote educational content... it has always been a thing for me.
Programming is also something that has been a part of my life for a long time. I started coding in my early teens. I got a horrible job and saved my meager earnings until I could afford a computer to learn on. I studied electrical engineering at University but coded on the side for money and fun.
In 2018 I started working for a little known non-profit called Umuzi. At the time, Umuzi worked to find high potential young folks, and then paid them to learn. Umuzi helps its grads get and keep jobs. I have created syllabuses, written educational software, developed people processes, trained learners, trained trainers and a whole lot more.
Our grads tend to do very well in industry.
I have learned a lot about what it takes to take a person and turn them into a work-ready professional developer. Some of those lessons were pretty hard.
I think those hard won lessons are worth sharing. That is why I am here.