Hi, I'm Kairsten (care-sten). I write introspective stories and observations for people who work in tech. In this blog, you'll find a writing style that's a mix of journaling and mentoring.

Follow me for candid insights while I continue growing in my career as a full stack software engineer at Meta.

I also share my stories on LinkedIn and Threads. Feel free to connect with me there. I am always open to learning about who my readers are and what topics they're interested in.

My background

Aside from basic HTML and CSS, I didn't learn programming until after college when I was faced with the hard reality of few entry-level jobs in my intended career. Instead of going back to school or attending a coding bootcamp, I went the self-taught route by learning from as many free resources as I could find.

A lifelong teacher

In addition to being a software engineer, I am also a teacher. I have tutored chemistry and calculus, taught ESL, instructed programming skills like Git and Bash, and, most recently, tutored full-stack bootcamp students. Needless to say, I love sharing my knowledge with others.

Diversity matters

As a queer woman, I am an advocate for better representation and diversity in tech. I acknowledge my privileges as a cis, white, able-bodied, U.S. citizen from a middle class background. I try to write with these differences in mind instead of suggesting that my experiences can and should be copied.

I am always seeking new content created by tech's underrepresented minorities. If you have any favorite authors, or are interested in an interview for my blog, please reach out!