Karen Tests Stuff: KCDC 2022 ??

HOME, SWEET HOME - although I never left town ?? The last few days at the Kansas City Developer Conference in KC, Missouri was an epic experience for me in many ways. Oh right, introductions - if you found me on LinkedIn, you already know I am Karen Todd (Karen Tests Stuff). I am a neurodivergent software tester with a passion for the community and bringing innovative ideas to light. Now that you know as much about me as most of my new connections do, join me with a cup of coffee, and relive just a few of the magical moments with me.

MONDAY, August 8, 2022 - And so, it begins...

All of us volunteers arrived early around 6AM, to find that the organizers we met the day before were already going strong! Let me stop and interrupt at the very freaking beginning and give an incredibly deserved standing ovation round of applause for the whole organization team from Jeff Strauss to Gabby Spurling to every other single human who worked to make this possible, this is for you: ??(x1700ish - one for every person at the conference).

Ahem. Where was I? Monday morning, it was early as all get out. My best friend, Anna Colfescu, and I were a little groggy, but got set up at our stations well before the tide of attendees began coming up the escalators in droves. (Special shoutout to Anna for working side by side with me to support the organizers through our volunteer work.) We had our limited-print teal KCDC Volunteer shirts on, ready to direct people to helpful resources. The tide of people washed over us, and eventually abated enough that we could head down for our first set of talks.

THE SPEAKERS, Y'ALL - KCDC put some big names on the board, and some seriously interesting topics from influential voices across all spectrums. My one gripe with the schedule is that I wanted to watch two to three talks at any one time slot. That's one advantage that I think virtual-style conferences have, if they record simultaneous talks and post them for attendees later on. Regardless, all of the talks I was able to attend left me with copious notes on my tablet (if anyone wants to see notes that I'm particularly proud of from Tara Walton's Dungeons and Dragons talk, check out the images below...)

That afternoon, I took a break in between a few sessions after lunch to check out some of the amazing sponsors that were listed on my bingo card. The bingo cards were used for a raffle of stellar prizes at closing ceremonies. I gravitated towards the booths with testing components or career postings, but it turned out a lot of the sponsors have open software tester roles. I chatted with a boatload of recruiters, leaders, directors, and contributors. I even had the opportunity to try out my Dutch on some native speakers from the Netherlands! The massive range of people I've interacted with over the last three days is incomprehensible. After we finished out the day with another session or two, we almost literally collapsed into the car for the long drive back out of the city.

For your entertainment, here is my best photo from the entire conference. I took it that first day, during a flurry of sponsor introductions. At this time, I feel the extra person with Anna and I in my photo bears a special introduction. John Cardarella is an incredible influence on my life and my career. He not only inspired me to take action for my future, but continuously sponsored and mentored me as I began my journey in tech. He fostered my curiosity through his teaching spirit, and consoled me in a crowded auditorium time and time again, while I cried in frustration over Java. He holds a unique home in my heart for so many reasons. If you get the chance to meet him, tell him I sent you and that he's a treasure to the world. John, Anna, and I were posing in front of my favorite sponsor booth - Smart Warehousing, because they had the best background. Check it out!

TUESDAY, August 9, 2022 - Once more, into the fray...

I'll be honest, I couldn't really sleep after the first day. After I knew what was waiting for me back at the convention center, I woke up every hour to check my alarm was still set. I finally got out of bed and puttered around the house before getting breakfast with Anna, and heading to KCDC Day 2. We hit up the rest of the sponsor booths before our volunteer shift started at the registration desk around lunchtime. We talked and laughed with the organizers, and I ran checks downstairs to make sure the speakers were supplied with water for their sessions.

Along the way, I reconnected with some friends from the day before and greeted new ones in my typical fashion (with kandi bracelets and a special secret handshake from rave culture). Honestly, we took Tuesday pretty easy because of all the excitement of Day 1. Most of my interaction Tuesday happened by chance encounter, and I couldn't have asked for more serendipitous meetings as Anna and I explored the offerings while together and off on our own adventures. After our shift ended, we finished off the last row of sponsor stamps on our bingo cards, and headed to our final sessions.

During the closing ceremonies, as the winners of various giveaways were each called to collect their goodies, and many people were thanked, I started to reflect on my experience overall. I tried to boil the last 48 hours into a single quantifiable base thing that I was thankful for. Do you know what that thing ended up being?

My best friend: Anna Colfescu.

Y'all. I'm so proud. Anna never hesitated when she agreed to volunteer with me at KCDC this year. She was my solid rock in the sea of unfamiliar faces, that I knew I could turn to when my anxious introverted ass inevitably wanted to turn tail and run away from all these strangers. With her by my side, I took on the world around me with enthusiasm and energy I never could have mustered on my own. And then, all of a sudden...it happened. I shut up and started watching Anna work.

Anna started approaching the sponsors and chatting them up the way I was doing. It was then that I realized she finally had the confidence to speak into what she wants out of her future, and wasn't afraid to ask for it. She quizzed recruiters on their learning culture, and asked specific questions about how new members of their company were supported or mentored. She told them about how she was looking for a culture where she can grow while she continues to learn her craft in product management. I saw the light sparkle in her eyes while she dreamed of what life can be when someone inevitably sees her potential and brings her on board. DON'T MISS OUT on making a connection with her. She won't be available forever...

Here at the end of all things...

Souls were brought together in the chaos and changed forever in the process. Delicious catering was consumed while wildly varied stories were exchanged. I'll never forget this feeling of inclusion and belonging. Not ever - not once - did I ever feel like I was excluded from the conversations because I am "just a QA". No one told me I shouldn't be there. No one gave me funny looks because of my bright colors and boisterous joy that is out of the standard expectation (or if they did, I was having too much fun to notice). I laughed, I learned, and most of all - I had a hell of a good time.

I'm so glad you all came with me on that journey. Thanks for reading, and I look forward to connecting with all of you fabulous people.

END NOTE: if you met me and we haven't connected yet - circle back with me! My ADHD brain gets the best of me and I get easily distracted at the best of times. Don't worry, I'll follow up with everyone over the next week or so after I recover from this ?? Find me everywhere on the internet at Karen Tests Stuff, I'll be so happy to know you ??