DC Web Women’s two-day Code(Her) Conference has more workshops this year

For the fourth year, DC Web Women (DCWW) will host its annual Code(Her) Conference on September 15-16. What started as a monthly workshop series almost six years ago has now become a two-day event with pre-conference workshops, six topic tracks, 24 different sessions and a host of talented speakers that will provide attendees with necessary tools and resources to improve their skills in the area of digital strategy, app development and cybersecurity.

More than 150 technologists are expected at The Washington Post headquarters in downtown D.C.

Technical.ly D.C. sat down with Code(Her) Conference director Kristin Jolda to learn more about what attendees can expect from this year’s event, and the partnership with the Post.

Technically DC: Unlike last year, this year’s conference is two days long. What can attendees expect that may be different from year’s past?

Kristin Jolda: This year’s conference is different because we’ve decided to increase the number of workshops offered, and include half-day and full-day workshops on the first day. On Friday, September 15, Code(Her) attendees will get a deeper dive into the track they are pursuing, spending at least 3.5 hours in a workshop to really get into specific topics.

To provide a little bit of context, Code(Her) in 2011 started as a monthly workshop series with two-hour training events on different technology topics. Many of the workshops discussed coding, hence the name, but also included different coding languages and frameworks for women to learn. Our goal then was to offer DC Web Women members affordable introductions to a lot of popular tools. It was a really successful workshop series for a number of years and
because of that, we decided to turn it into a full day conference.

TDC: Will attendees have the opportunity to move around to different rooms and attend different workshops similar to last year’s conference?

KJ: Yes, but because of the set conference tracks this year, we don’t suggest workshop hopping — unless you find that it’s not what you expected or it isn’t the right fit for your skill level. On the second day of workshops, however, there’s no commitment to a certain track, so you’re free to explore different topics that are of interest to you. But on the first day of workshops, we’re asking our attendees to register for a specific session, whether it is a half day session or a full-day session to give us a better idea of what people are interested in and to be able to commit to our speakers.

A scene from the 2016 Code(Her) Conference (Courtesy photo)

TDC: This is the second year that DCWW is partnering with The Washington Post. How has that relationship further developed between last year’s conference and this one?

KJ: Our partnership with The Washington Post has been pretty amazing these last two years. They’ve been great hosts, they’ve got amazing space and it’s very central and convenient for our members to get to. It also makes a lot of sense for DCWW and Washington Post to partner because the Post is hiring technologists, and that’s really a key focus for them.

A goal for them is to expand their technology offerings and grow their talent in that area, so their engineering department is very interested in what DC Web Women members are up to and the potential for recruiting.

TDC: If I’m new to the world of tech, is Code(Her) a good introduction to the space for men and women to learn skills that will help push their careers forward?

KJ: If someone is new to the tech space, I definitely think that Code(Her) is a great way to network and be introduced to a lot of very relevant information, tools and approaches immediately. There’s a very low-barrier to entry. Attendees will see that some of the workshops and tracks are a little more in-depth, so not every workshop will be a “101’ level, but I definitely think that Code(Her) is a great space for anyone who is getting started or curious about something they heard at work or don’t fully understand. I’ve seen and heard that people are being challenged to understand and adapt to technology that they haven’t been exposed to before.

The Code(Her) conference is offering the promo code “TechnicallyDCReader” to receive 15 percent off individual Saturday tickets.