The Access Code: Unlock Resilience and Mindset in the Tech Industry

Hey there! I have a story to share with your audience. It's about my journey from Flint, Michigan, to the tech world, a path paved with challenges but also filled with resilience and hope. I've learned a lot about mentorship, education, and thinking big, and I'm eager to pass these lessons on to your attendees in a fun way that's easy to grasp and apply.

The Access Code: Unlock Resilience and Mindset in the Tech Industry", based on my TEDx talk, is designed exclusively for technology professionals and is a powerful metaphor for the tech industry's need for adaptability, continuous learning, and courage to embrace and share access to opportunities.

What I Teach:

Accessing Opportunities: Teach how to identify and create opportunities for growth and advancement in tech.

Importance of Education and Mentorship: Focus on the role of continuous learning and the impact of mentors in personal and professional development.

Adapting to Change and Challenges: Strategies for adapting to the dynamic tech environment and overcoming setbacks.

Entrepreneurial Thinking in Tech: Applying entrepreneurial principles like reinvestment and innovation within a tech context.

Mental Wellness and Resilience: Techniques for maintaining mental health and building resilience to thrive in high-pressure situations.

Key Takeaways:

Practical Skills for Navigating the Tech Industry: Attendees will learn how to identify opportunities, build networks, and adapt to industry changes effectively.

Growth Mindset and Resilience: Participants will understand the importance of a growth mindset and resilience, learning how to apply these concepts to their careers and daily challenges.

Entrepreneurial Skills and Mindset: Attendees will gain insights into entrepreneurial thinking and how to apply these principles to enhance their roles in tech.

Mental Wellness Strategies: They will learn strategies to maintain mental wellness, manage stress, and balance personal and professional life.

Community and Mentorship Value: Understanding the power of community, mentorship, and giving back, translating these into action steps for career and personal growth.

Empowering Tech Futures: Bridge Gaps with Access and Community Building

Often in tech, individuals from underrepresented groups face a persistent challenge: a scarcity of access to crucial career resources, job openings, networks, and mentorship pathways.

Directly tackle this issue by applying real-world techniques that Ant Blair and Christina Aldan honed in community-building, even in the most unlikely circumstances.

Individual developers and organization leaders will walk away with skills to become a part of the solution.

Engage in a dynamic session featuring a group discussion on structuring mentorship models tailored for organizations and individuals, learn from successful case studies demonstrating ways to give access to underrepresented communities, and discover how to plug into resources that will propel your career forward.

Key Takeaways:

Importance of Networking and Access: Understand how access to resources, people, and opportunities is crucial for technological career advancement.

Role of Mentorship: Gain insights into how effective mentorship can drive personal growth, community impact, and break down barriers in tech.

Skills and Structure for Mentors and Mentees: Acquire practical skills and strategies for establishing productive and empowering mentor-mentee relationships.

Emotional Intelligence: Develop awareness of the unique challenges faced by underrepresented groups in technology, fostering a community of individuals who feel heard, understood, and included. That doesn't mean you are a pushover; it means listening respectfully to diverse perspectives before the community decides to proceed.

Applying Core Values: Equip participants to identify their core values and understand how these values can guide their personal and professional decisions in tech.

Community Building Skills: Learn techniques to contribute to and nurture a supportive, diverse, and inclusive technology environment, fostering broader societal change

What ITeach:

Understanding Access and Networking: Educate on the significance of access in the tech industry, demystifying networking and highlighting its role in career advancement.

Mentorship Skills: Train participants in effective mentorship strategies, focusing on how mentors can access networks, training, and tools.

Empowerment of Underrepresented Groups: Discuss the challenges underrepresented communities face in tech and how mentorship can help overcome these barriers.

Identifying and Living Core Values: Guide participants in recognizing their core values and how these values can influence their professional paths and mentorship roles.

Real-World Applications: Share success stories and case studies where mentorship and access have significantly impacted individuals and communities.

Building a Supportive Community: Techniques for creating and nurturing a supportive tech community that values diversity, inclusion, and shared growth.

Access To Success

How do you blend street savvy with cutting-edge skills in AI and coding to forge new paths in tech entrepreneurship?

Inspired by the Underground Railroad's spirit of guidance and resilience, Access To Success leverages a network of mentors and tech leaders, turning raw street talent into technological prowess.

Beginning in Flint, a city rich in resilience, I aim to create an initiative that is more than just education; it's a movement, a promise to the future.