Valerie Shoskes
A lifelong gamer, cat mom, and abstract thinker who discovered software development by writing scripts with python in her college years and never looked back. She lives in Cleveland, Ohio, with her friends and three cats. She brings her perspective of neurodivergence in coding with her six years of professional development.
Sessions
Have you heard of the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV?
As an active player since 2015, I've used my "problem-solving programmer brain" to analyze my experiences in the world of Eorzea and apply them into important software lessons. From finding solutions to a housing crisis, to tracking cheaters, to networking with the president of Square Enix and applying the principles of (Y)MINASWAN, there's a lot to be learned through triumphs and failures as an MMO gamer. I will also talk about my experiences in the software community as a neurodivergent developer, and how gaming helped me break down barriers.