Merit

Christy La Guardia

(She/her)

Senior Full Stack Engineer at Balance TheoryOlympia, WA, USA Β· Software Engineering

Experience

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Balance Theory
Blended Technologies
ClassPass

Education

Alchemy Code Lab
Mt. Hood Community College

Groups

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Women Who Code - NYC
PDX Women in Tech
Veterati
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πŸ““About me

I learned how to code on the job as a Mechanical Engineering Technician. Eventually, I went to a boot camp + advanced program to learn modern Web development. The majority of my software experience is startups of varying stages, pre-seed to late-stage, and acquisition integration. My journey in tech has also included serving on DEI initiatives and committees, mentoring women in tech and veterans; while overcoming my impostor syndrome, depression and PTSD. I believe in the power of personal growth and community to become our highest self; and that together we can create an environment where we all thrive. I'll be taking the month of August off to participate in a Women Who Code mentorship program. Please check back in September for opening or feel free to connect on LinkedIn or email me at christinelaguardia@gmail.com.

Software Engineering

Skilled in

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Full Stack

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Frontend

⭐️Why I mentor

Practice CoachingGive back to the community

A conversation can change everything! Mentoring helps create a more collaborative and equitable tech while teaching us how to listen and get the help we need to be successful.

Talk to me about

πŸ’« Breaking into tech

πŸ›°οΈ Working remotely for the first time

πŸ‘€ Dealing with imposter syndrome

πŸ’° Negotiating a promotion/offer

🎭 Mock interviewing

πŸ–Œ Resume and portfolio review

🌱 Technical career paths

🐣 Becoming a people manager

πŸ—ΊοΈ The technical or people track?

🌟 Preparing for the next level

πŸƒ Getting the most out of my internship

Recommendations

Here’s what Merit users have said about Christy

Christy gave me so much precious advice on looking for first tech job, preparing interview and how to make improvements! I can't say enough thank you to her for being transparent and sharing her valuable experience with me!

Hui Zhao
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State of Alaska

Administrative Assistant I/II

Jul 18th 2023

Christy was very helpful and well-spoken. I received practical advice and left our session feeling more motivated!

Ellen Guerrero
Jul 27th 2023
Uche 🌼
Aug 17th 2023

✍️   Recent Answers

How do I become a software engineer?

Hi Gabriel!

There's many routes into tech, but they all start with learning; so glad to hear you're learning Python. What type of software engineering are you interested in? I've known some self-taught coders able to land a job through networking and/or through apprenticeship programs.

Since you're interested in starting your own tech company have you considered working for a startup? I've worked for startups for the past 5 years and have learned a lot about entrepreneurship, starting and funding a tech company.

I'm happy to discuss and share more. Good luck!

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