Meet Tasha Zuniga

How did you learn about PDXWIT and what keeps you coming back?

When I was first starting out I was really encouraged to network with other people in the industry so I used good ol’ Meetup.com to find groups that were either likely to have experienced people to learn from, or at the very least, other juniors that I could commiserate with about job hunting. I wound up at PDXWIT and have always liked how well-organized the events are. 

Can you give us some background on your career in tech? Did you intend this career path? 

So the idea to start in tech happened early. I saw the movie Antitrust when I was a kid and decided I wanted to be a “cool” hacker. I made my grandma buy me a book on C++ and everything, but after a few pages decided I wasn’t smart enough for computers. It wasn’t until a lot later that I made the decision to get back into it. As an adult I never had any money, I was in and out of homelessness, and I was tired of it. It was kind of an impulse to get back into the idea of coding, but it ended up working out. I ended up focusing more on the Front End side of development, making things look nice, and ultimately I’ve become something of a specialist in accessibility standards.

What’s a passion or activity you pursue with dedication?

I am obsessed with inclusive design and have been since my code school days. In my first real dev job I would perform accessibility audits for fun on my company’s website and internal tools, and just tell anyone who would listen. It was a small company of maybe 7 people, so they couldn’t get away from me. They ended up putting me in charge of accessibility remediation on client projects. Today, I actually work for a company that specializes in accessibility. So I guess if you’re really into something let it lead you.