{"id":485,"date":"2017-10-30T18:11:27","date_gmt":"2017-10-30T18:11:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.loadsys.com\/blog\/meet-loadsys-kris-dockter-on-being-a-woman-in-tech\/"},"modified":"2025-01-15T03:13:05","modified_gmt":"2025-01-15T03:13:05","slug":"meet-loadsys-kris-dockter-on-being-a-woman-in-tech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.loadsys.com\/blog\/meet-loadsys-kris-dockter-on-being-a-woman-in-tech\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet LoadSys: Kris Dockter on being a woman in tech"},"content":{"rendered":"

It may sound corny, but at LoadSys, our biggest differentiator really is our people. In a <\/span><\/i>recent blog post<\/span><\/i><\/a>, we detailed why we hire only U.S.-based developers, and how that helps us find high-quality people and work efficiently as a team. <\/span><\/i>But we don\u2019t simply want to tell you about our team — we want you to get to know the team members, in their own words. As such, we are launching a new blog series entitled \u201cMeet LoadSys,\u201d in which we interview members of our team about their work experience, their thoughts on the industry as a whole and more. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Our first interview is with Kris Dockter, a Madison, Wisconsin-based programmer who has been with us for four years. Please read on to learn about Kris\u2019 journey to becoming a developer, her experience as a woman in technology, and more!<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

In a predominantly male-dominated role and industry, what do you enjoy most about software development? What sparked your interest in the field?<\/b><\/p>\n

Delivering quality software is in part about puzzle solving. \u00a0How can I give the client what they want while producing code that will be easily maintainable by either myself or a co-worker in six months? \u00a0As a child, not only did I enjoy puzzles, but I had an affinity for organization and doing things the \u201cright\u201d way, even though that often meant a greater time investment.\u00a0<\/span>Although I am no longer doing any work in Drupal (a content management system built in PHP), I credit Drupal for sparking my interest in PHP development. \u00a0After reading documentation, and with no programming skills, I was able to host a Drupal site and do a few customizations on my own. \u00a0This led to finding local meetup groups. \u00a0I would come home from those meetups invigorated and ready to learn more. \u00a0This culminated in a career change and, eventually, my position with LoadSys Consulting.<\/span><\/p>\n

Have you ran into any challenges being a woman in the field?<\/b><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been fortunate all these years to work with both great men and women. \u00a0I am treated only as an equal and I encourage everyone around me to be transparent and honest with me. \u00a0I have run into just a few situations along the way, particularly when attending a conference that is mostly men — it\u2019s been assumed I\u2019m the spouse, not the attendee. \u00a0More recently, I\u2019ve seen a more balanced mix of men and women at these industry conferences, and don\u2019t get the \u201cspouse question\u201d any longer.\u00a0<\/span>As a woman, one accomplishment I\u2019m particularly proud of was earning my Zend PHP Certification. \u00a0Once again, I found myself to be the only woman in the exam room and, upon passing, one of the test administrators congratulated me personally, having not seen many women even choosing to take the exam. \u00a0Also significant for me was undergoing this process with my male co-workers. \u00a0I could not let myself fail!<\/span><\/p>\n

Can you tell us a little more about your background?<\/b> When did you initially gain an interest in development?<\/b><\/p>\n

I was fortunate to grow up around computers. \u00a0I was first introduced to software development as a child, when my parents got my sister and I one of the early Apple II computers. \u00a0Using the BASIC programming language, I created a simple program for my mother that assisted her with her quilting hobby. \u00a0She gave me the parameters of what she needed to calculate her fabric requirements and I created a program for her that allowed her to enter a few values and the program computed her final measurement.\u00a0<\/span>Fast forward to my college years and this dream was put on hold while I pursued a business degree. \u00a0Post-college found me working in accounting, where I ultimately grew bored and no longer felt challenged. \u00a0At this time, PHP was rapidly gaining momentum and content management systems built on PHP were popping up all over the internet. \u00a0As these drew my interest, I knew I\u2019d have to get serious about programming to really understand the inner workings of these systems. \u00a0This eventually led to me leave the accounting field and return to school in my late 30s to get an Associate\u2019s degree in PHP development. \u00a0After three years as a junior developer at a company just outside of Madison, Wisconsin, I discovered LoadSys Consulting, where I have been not only happy, but challenged and fulfilled every day I start working.<\/span><\/p>\n

What are some of the perks of being a remote worker?<\/b><\/p>\n

I feel so fortunate to be working at a 100% remote job and can not envision returning to an office. \u00a0For me, this means complete control over my environment. \u00a0Sometimes I want music, sometimes I don\u2019t. \u00a0I need a snack? \u00a0It\u2019s just a few steps to my kitchen. \u00a0No more annoying commutes to work.\u00a0<\/span>All this means I\u2019m ultimately more productive for the client. \u00a0If I feel great, it is reflected in my work. \u00a0Software development is the ideal industry for remote work — happy developers means happy clients.<\/span><\/p>\n

Can you tell me about one of your most favorite projects and why it stood out to you? <\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My favorite project continues to be the site I am the primary developer on — <\/span>PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com<\/span><\/a>. \u00a0The mission of the site is to connect wedding dress buyers and sellers, which I personally find to be an incredibly satisfying concept. \u00a0I wish I had thought of it! \u00a0This site has been extremely fun for me to work on and grow with as well. \u00a0I\u2019ve gotten to improve the code base while delivering the client some great features that she has requested. <\/span>What further makes working on this project rewarding is that although I am the lead developer, I can count on my co-workers to immediately step in if there is an emergency with the site and manage any server issues that come up. \u00a0Working for LoadSys is truly a team experience and I look forward to a long and <\/span>continued relationship<\/span><\/a> with this client.<\/span><\/p>\n

What excites you about what\u2019s on the horizon when it comes to web technology?<\/b><\/p>\n

The evolution of JavaScript. \u00a0JavaScript has come a long way from when I first became interested in web development. \u00a0It has the capability of replacing traditional server based applications that require PHP to talk to the database, and instead the browser can run the application itself, pulling data from the server. \u00a0This means faster websites and a better experience for the end user.<\/span><\/p>\n

How (if at all) do you connect with women in the industry? Are there any networking opportunities or groups you can join?<\/b><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been fortunate that Madison has a number of meetup groups, both based on various development topics and for women in technology. \u00a0I\u2019ve attended several women in technology meetups where we\u2019ve had a chance to not only swap personal stories but work on our own projects and share ideas. \u00a0Madison has a strong community of women in technology that I\u2019m proud to be a part of.<\/span><\/p>\n

Favorite part about living in the Midwest?<\/b><\/p>\n

Being close to my family and friends. \u00a0There are places I\u2019ve traveled to in the country where I\u2019ve felt I could live, but ultimately I know I want to stay here to share the holidays with my family and weekend evenings with friends.<\/span><\/p>\n

What are some of your hobbies and interests outside of work? <\/b><\/p>\n

My husband and I love traveling, whether it be a flight to a warm destination or just a quick getaway on a Saturday. \u00a0When we\u2019re at home, we enjoy trying new restaurants in the area, hanging out with friends and family or just sitting with our laptops (he is a developer too!) \u201ctinkering\u201d with code. \u00a0In the summer you can find us on one of Madison\u2019s many bike trails, and the rest of the year, working out at the local gym.<\/span><\/p>\n

We hope you enjoyed our first of many employee spotlights. Stay tuned as we continue our \u201cMeet LoadSys<\/strong>\u201d blog series. <\/span><\/p>\n

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It may sound corny, but at LoadSys, our biggest differentiator really is our people. In a recent blog post, we detailed why we hire only U.S.-based developers, and how that helps us find high-quality people and work efficiently as a team. But we don\u2019t simply want to tell you about our team — we want […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_daextam_enable_autolinks":"","_analytify_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[83],"tags":[],"ttd_topic":[275,489,494,487,518,220,465,194,476,166,450,520],"class_list":["post-485","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-loadsys-team","ttd_topic-agile-software-development","ttd_topic-apple-ii","ttd_topic-drupal","ttd_topic-javascript","ttd_topic-kris-dockter","ttd_topic-loadsys","ttd_topic-madison","ttd_topic-php","ttd_topic-remote-work","ttd_topic-united-states","ttd_topic-wisconsin","ttd_topic-women-in-stem"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.loadsys.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/485","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.loadsys.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.loadsys.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loadsys.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loadsys.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=485"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.loadsys.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/485\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.loadsys.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loadsys.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loadsys.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=485"},{"taxonomy":"ttd_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loadsys.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ttd_topic?post=485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}