The Diversity and Inclusion Task Force presents Pride in STEM<\/i>, with Griffing Solot-Kehl, a Developer Advocate at Dolby Laboratories.<\/p>\n
Griffin offers great advice for up-and-coming developers to be loud, build things, and make connections. He also sends a call to organizations to strive to create diverse and representative leadership.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Why Did You Choose Your Current Technical Field?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n\nGriffin<\/strong>\u00a0I was a Computer Science major at university, but I knew very early on that I didn\u2019t want to be a software engineer. As I went to a liberal arts college, I wanted to use my technical background with the interpersonal skills I learned as a part of the core curriculum, leading me to developer relations.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWhat Does a Typical Day or Week Look Like for You as a Developer Advocate?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n\nGriffin<\/strong>\u00a0It changes every day! I spend a lot of my time working with APIs, both internal and external, where I try to create sample applications and collaboration opportunities with other companies. This leads into content creation like blog posts, videos, streams, webinars, demos, and participation at meetups and conferences. I work cross-functionally with marketing, engineering, product, and sales, so it\u2019s a little bit of everything!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWhat\u2019s Been Your Greatest Professional Challenge as a Member of the LGBTQ+ Community, and How Did You Overcome It?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n\nGriffin<\/strong>\u00a0Relating to the \u201cbro culture.\u201d While not as prevalent in more stereotypically masculine professions, there\u2019s always a semblance of \u201cbro-iness\u201d that can be hard to navigate through when you don\u2019t always share the same interests or partake in some of the more toxic parts of work culture.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWhat Is One Piece of Advice You Can Give to LGBTQ+ Students and Early Career Professionals?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n\nGriffin<\/strong>\u00a0Be loud, build things, make connections. If you have stuff on your resume, people care, but list it out! There is a huge and flourishing queer game development space out there where you can learn to code in Python or C#, which are super valuable skills to use in industry, so put them on your resume! Connections lead to job referrals, and being loud leads to confidence in presentation. Also, be nice to the admin team. They know everything about everyone.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWho Is One Role Model Who You Personally Admire and Why?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n\nGriffin<\/strong>\u00a0Is it cliche to say Alan Turing? Way ahead of his time. A more modern example I would have to say is Woz. I just admire people who build for the sake of innovation and progress, not just the dollar sign at the end. And those who stay true to those beliefs.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nAre There Any Issues in the Industry That the Computing Community Needs to Be Made Aware Of?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n\nGriffin<\/strong>\u00a0Lack of representation in leadership. The number of out queer executives in tech is extremely disappointing. There\u2019s a lot of fear in people I know about coming out professionally, which I am just upset is still something people have to fear in the first place. Once we have more representation being out and proud will help more people feel safe to express themselves and help normalize it. Which, ideally, will also help get rid of some of the bro culture too.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWhat Are Some Ways Computing Can Aid the LGBTQ+ Communities That You\u2019re Not Currently Seeing in Research or the Market?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n\nGriffin<\/strong>\u00a0Website building and education! Tumblr was great to teach a bunch of queer youth how to use HTML, but now that Tumblr is dead that\u2019s gone! So many small businesses and nonprofits frankly could do well with some basic JAMStack education and a Shopify account, which really isn\u2019t that much to have to swallow! Also making SSL Certs easier to understand. Why do HTTP-non-S websites still exist in 2022?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"\"\/](\"\")
<\/div>\n\n\nAbout Griffin Solot-Kehl:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Griffin works in Developer Relations at Dolby Laboratories. He identifies as gay, queer, homosexual, cis-male, he\/him, boy\/man, and is out at work. Connect with Griffin<\/a> on Twitter to learn more about his passions and how he\u2019s helping the LGBTQ+ developer community.<\/p>\nCelebrate Pride with the IEEE Computer Society and read more interviews from the computing community: Dr. Christian Newman | Ivan Zhao | Alexander Serebrenik<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Griffin<\/strong>\u00a0I was a Computer Science major at university, but I knew very early on that I didn\u2019t want to be a software engineer. As I went to a liberal arts college, I wanted to use my technical background with the interpersonal skills I learned as a part of the core curriculum, leading me to developer relations.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Griffin<\/strong>\u00a0It changes every day! I spend a lot of my time working with APIs, both internal and external, where I try to create sample applications and collaboration opportunities with other companies. This leads into content creation like blog posts, videos, streams, webinars, demos, and participation at meetups and conferences. I work cross-functionally with marketing, engineering, product, and sales, so it\u2019s a little bit of everything!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Griffin<\/strong>\u00a0Relating to the \u201cbro culture.\u201d While not as prevalent in more stereotypically masculine professions, there\u2019s always a semblance of \u201cbro-iness\u201d that can be hard to navigate through when you don\u2019t always share the same interests or partake in some of the more toxic parts of work culture.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Griffin<\/strong>\u00a0Be loud, build things, make connections. If you have stuff on your resume, people care, but list it out! There is a huge and flourishing queer game development space out there where you can learn to code in Python or C#, which are super valuable skills to use in industry, so put them on your resume! Connections lead to job referrals, and being loud leads to confidence in presentation. Also, be nice to the admin team. They know everything about everyone.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Griffin<\/strong>\u00a0Is it cliche to say Alan Turing? Way ahead of his time. A more modern example I would have to say is Woz. I just admire people who build for the sake of innovation and progress, not just the dollar sign at the end. And those who stay true to those beliefs.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Griffin<\/strong>\u00a0Lack of representation in leadership. The number of out queer executives in tech is extremely disappointing. There\u2019s a lot of fear in people I know about coming out professionally, which I am just upset is still something people have to fear in the first place. Once we have more representation being out and proud will help more people feel safe to express themselves and help normalize it. Which, ideally, will also help get rid of some of the bro culture too.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Griffin<\/strong>\u00a0Website building and education! Tumblr was great to teach a bunch of queer youth how to use HTML, but now that Tumblr is dead that\u2019s gone! So many small businesses and nonprofits frankly could do well with some basic JAMStack education and a Shopify account, which really isn\u2019t that much to have to swallow! Also making SSL Certs easier to understand. Why do HTTP-non-S websites still exist in 2022?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Griffin works in Developer Relations at Dolby Laboratories. He identifies as gay, queer, homosexual, cis-male, he\/him, boy\/man, and is out at work. Connect with Griffin<\/a> on Twitter to learn more about his passions and how he\u2019s helping the LGBTQ+ developer community.<\/p>\n Celebrate Pride with the IEEE Computer Society and read more interviews from the computing community: Dr. Christian Newman | Ivan Zhao | Alexander Serebrenik<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWhat Does a Typical Day or Week Look Like for You as a Developer Advocate?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
What\u2019s Been Your Greatest Professional Challenge as a Member of the LGBTQ+ Community, and How Did You Overcome It?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
What Is One Piece of Advice You Can Give to LGBTQ+ Students and Early Career Professionals?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Who Is One Role Model Who You Personally Admire and Why?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Are There Any Issues in the Industry That the Computing Community Needs to Be Made Aware Of?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
What Are Some Ways Computing Can Aid the LGBTQ+ Communities That You\u2019re Not Currently Seeing in Research or the Market?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
About Griffin Solot-Kehl:<\/strong><\/h4>\n