Being Geek Chic is a blog about one woman navigating the male-dominated industries of production and tech. It's written by Elizabeth Giorgi, Founder, CEO and Director of Mighteor - one of the world's first internet video production companies. Learn more about Mighteor here.
The past 12 months have been an insane transition for me. I left a major daily newspaper, went to work for a cooking magazine, spent some time freelancing and consulting, and ultimately landed working as a data journalist. In June, I left behind my cozy, historic St Paul neighborhood and have spent the past six months adapting to a smaller, apartment kitchen in an developing neighborhood of Washington, DC (we currently have a rice cooker stashed in a writing desk, casserole dishes in the bookshelf… you get the idea).
My nerding, if measured by midnight showings, was at an all-time high and I saw Hunger Games, Twilight, and the Dark Knight all during midnight showings. It was during that Hunger Games midnight showing back in March when I first reconnected with Being Geek Chic’s very own Liz Giorgi.
I took my work nerding to the next level in 2012 when I attended a 2-day workshop for journalists who wanted to learn how to code called Code With Me. Now I’ve been putting my fledgling coding skills to use at my new job by building small, interactive charts like this one. I’ve embraced the women-in-tech community by joining the Tech Lady Mafia and subscribing to Skillcrush. I’m also continuing to work as a consultant for Webbmedia Group and encouraging smart women who like to date to join the conversation about raising their standards in dating (we call it Team Data, after the book Data, A Love Story).
1. My first BGC post
When my first post for BGC went live back in October, I was beyond excited. I loved growing my cooking skills during my last job at The Cooking Club of America. My primary job was working on digital things, but I loved every minute of hanging out in our test kitchen and working with our food editor. I never dreamed I would be able to develop recipes semi-professionally, but Liz’s brilliant idea for us to collaborate made that dream come true.
2. The team
My next top BGC moment was Liz’s post over Thanksgiving, where she listed Emma B and I as one of her “Thankful Fours.” I really felt like I had joined the community and I felt a great deal of pride in being able to contribute to this site.
3. Internet + Career
I also had a strong reaction to Liz’s recent “Is The Internet Ruining My Career?” post. Working in digital media and working as a freelancer and consultant, I’ve run into many of these same thoughts, and I was incredible impressed by Liz’s ability to articulate her points so clearly and confidently. Thankfully, I’ve never had to work for free (not even as an emerging journalism intern), and I continue to have a personal policy of never promoting unpaid internship opportunities.
I’m looking forward to an even nerdier 2013 with all of you!
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