Earlier this month, Code the Dream sat down with Sarah Chick, Site Director at NPower, to talk about belonging in tech.
NPower, like CTD, is a national nonprofit organization that connects people from nontraditional backgrounds with opportunities in tech. NPower’s mission is to “empower young adults and military-connected individuals to thrive in the digital economy through transformative IT training, creating pathways to economic prosperity.”
Sarah shared her thoughts on how she brings unabashed authenticity—she’s a self-described “gay geek” with a passion for building genuine connections—to her work in the tech industry.
Here are four lessons we gleaned from the conversation, which provide a blueprint for anyone seeking to build a more open and welcoming workplace.
Lesson 1: Owning who you are helps you welcome others
How do you show up for others? Show up for yourself first, and embrace what makes you different.
“I really look at Pride as a moment of self-proclamation,” said Sarah. “I come from a place where I can use my voice, and so walking in my truth, owning my truth, and being authentic, whatever that looks like—gay, sober, neurodiverse—I have to do regardless of what anyone says. It’s so important for other people to know that at least with me or around me, or on my team, they can do the same.”
Creating a welcoming workplace for others is a crucial part of being a good leader and colleague. And, according to research in the Harvard Business Review, when employees feel like they belong at work, they are 3.5 times more likely to contribute to their fullest potential.
“Here at NPower, I oversee our entire team and operations for our program,” said Sarah. “For our staff and students, I encourage them and try to create space where they can show up as themselves and use their strengths.”
Whether it’s Pride Month or not, building a welcoming culture at work makes your organization even stronger. And that first step can start with you.
“You’re hired for a skill set, and you’re hired for the human you are,” said Sarah. “Step into that. Own that.”
Lesson 2: Your background does not define your future
That idea that “the degree is the key” when it comes to a career in tech?
“We’ve got to get out of that mindset,” said Sarah, pointing to her own experience as proof that it’s time to tear the paper ceiling.
“My career path was non-traditional,” she said. “I came from a clinical background where I was a therapist for about a decade, and I worked specifically in addictions therapy.”
What’s Sarah’s advice for making a switch? Look for transferable skills.
“I ended up pivoting into the tech space, and really utilizing my transferable skills,” said Sarah. “Everything I’m doing now is transferring my skills from being a therapist, going to grad school, and life experience.”
Lesson 3: A rising tide lifts all boats
“People face barriers in education accessibility, which means they’re not accessing jobs that they likely have a skill set for or could gain a skill set for with a credential, training, or an apprenticeship,” said Sarah.
Programs at places like CTD and NPower offer solutions and seek to open opportunities for people looking to increase economic mobility for themselves, their families, and their communities.
“At NPower, we’re providing this low-to-no-barrier educational opportunity, tuition-free, so folks who historically cannot access education can access wealth in their communities through employment.”
In the Triangle region of North Carolina, where Sarah is based, many people have been left out of the area’s prosperity. Including all residents in the opportunities for economic mobility provided by programs like NPower’s is the north star of her work.
“I really feel strongly that all of this growth in the Triangle—whether it’s Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, RTP—means nothing if the community that belongs here, and was born and raised here, cannot access that wealth,” said Sarah.
“We have to unleash that talent pool here in the Triangle to achieve a rising tide that floats all boats.”
Lesson 4: Surround yourself with a supportive community
Building confidence and gaining experience is an important part of stepping into a new role—whether in the tech industry or any other industry. A network of people who will lift you up and support you is imperative.
“There are some things I never forget as a therapist, like the importance of inclusion, visibility, and authenticity,” said Sarah. “In my clinical opinion, and in my personal opinion, there is a lot of overwhelm related to not belonging. I watched that in the clinical world, and I watch it today in the tech world—this sense of not belonging or not being enough.”
Sarah works to ensure NPower is able to take care of its people throughout the course of their program and beyond, and looks to one of her workplace mentors as an example.
“His name is Ray Trapp,” she said. “He was really an integral part of my blossoming as a gay person in this space, and also utilizing my transferable skills with no degree in this space.”
Ray was Sarah’s manager in her previous role with the Research Triangle Park Foundation.
“I was in the limelight with people making really big and powerful decisions,” said Sarah. “Ray didn’t hesitate to put me in the spotlight as a woman, as a gay woman. And so that was really life-changing for my career.”
Applying Pride Month lessons throughout the year
We at Code the Dream are grateful to partners like NPower who share our vision of creating opportunity in tech. Throughout June and all year long, we can build spaces where all people know they belong.
How will you build your community this Pride Month?
