The document summarizes the career and background of a designer who is an accidental geek. It discusses their work with HTML, CSS, PHP and projects including being the first UK distributor of Arduino. It then discusses qualities needed to succeed in technology fields such as being entrepreneurial, technically savvy, fearless, and multi-disciplinary. Finally, it calls for more opportunities for young people, especially young women, to engage with technology through code clubs, internships and collaborating with makerspaces.

1. I am a designer.

2. Disclaimer:
I am vaguely
proficient in
HTML, CSS, PHP,
little else.

3. I am an accidental
geek.

4. Tinker London
2007-2010
Good Night Lamp
March 2012
First UK distributor
of the Arduino
R&D projects for corporates
A family of
internet-connected
lamps.
IDII
2004-2006

5. Arduino
arduino.cc
Raspberry Pi
raspberrypi.org
LinuxArduino IDE
(Java-like)

6. Learning
is a
community

7. Communities
are a
process of
cristalization

8. 2005…

9. 2012…

10. This is the perfect
time to get
involved.

11. The community
is human-sized

12. tinyurl.com/iotmap13
The Internet of Things

13. Good Night Lamp

14. Little Printer

15. CubeSensors

16. “Smart Drop”

17. Energy monitors

18. Green Goose

19. Molly

20. How do you get this?
Entrepreneurial
Technically-savvy
Fearless
Multi-disciplinary
Young women

21. Entrepreneurial
Funded projects, internships, apprentice
schemes, ways for young people to
engage with industry are crucial.
Collaborate with Makerspaces/Tech Shops/
FabLabs/Hackspaces when there’s no money.
Go to them, don’t ask them to come over.
Let them see the tools of the trade in action.

22. <strong>Technically-savvy</strong>
Young people understand social media, but
don’t necessarily understand the web & how
it’s built or how to code.
We need codeclubs for all ages, not just the
young.
We need to make engineering attractive and
not associated with coal mines.

23. Fearless
Tech City & other tech startup memes make
Iteration & failure more acceptable.
We need to remove the stigma of failure in
the same way we teach children to keep
failing until they get it right.
We don’t have to be perfect.

24. Multi-disciplinarity
New industries develop when other people’s
languages are understood and collaboration
happens. A designer working with an engineer.
Young people will have to understand that
different languages mean different worlds &
be encouraged to work with others from
other schools, older students, younger students
or remotely with other countries.

25. Young women
Traditional industry is being eroded by the role
of technology & automation.
What is a 16 year old going to do if she quits
school?
She can Google her way into a career if she
been told she can.

26. The role of schools
An environment for intense collaboration.
An environment where you can ask questions
and Google the answers.
An environment where you can build your own
answers.
An environment where you can see industry
from a safe distance.

27. The role of schools
A career engaging in computing can come from
outside of computer science.
Talking to Oxbridge about the role of
technology for the future. These are not soft
skills.
Educating parents about the role of technology
courses in the future of their child.

28. This is a fashion student.

31. Thank you.
Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino
@iotwatch on twitter
alex@goodnightlamp.com