WCDFW Speaker Spotlight: Cate DeRosia

Topic: Finding Work in WordPress When You’re Not a Developer or Designer

In 1994, I left my incredibly small town for what I thought would be a short 4-year tour in Grand Rapids, MI where I planned to pitch a little softball and get my teaching degree. Instead, I met my husband who’d just fallen in love with website development, as well as me, and the rest was a whirlwind I could have never imagined. I exchanged the dreams I had to take on the full-time education of our two daughters. But now, as the youngest graduates this year, it’s my turn. I am embracing this next stage of life full on. Instead of taking a well-deserved vacation, I’m using what I’ve learned from twenty years of contracting alongside my husband to branch out on my own. Recently I soft-launched my business, Paradev.io, where I use my language, communication, and operations skills to make developers lives easier.

How did you get involved in WordPress?

I began as a volunteer at our local camp, WordCamp Grand Rapids (MI). I wasn’t using WordPress yet, but my husband was as a website developer and I wanted to support his interest. In 2015, when I saw a major life shift approaching, I decided to poke around the community and see if there was a non-development place for me. What I found led me to the talk I am giving.

What do you do with WordPress?

I work in developer support. I handle copy editing, communication, and business operations for developers so they can focus on what they do best and enjoy the most, building things. I also provide a seasoned perspective and understanding of the pain points as I have been involved in contracting for over 20 years.

What has your experience with the WordPress community been like?

The relationship began a little rocky. I’m an introvert who’s not overly technical and tends to feel insecure in an environment full of strangers. All of that made it hard to find a sense of belonging. However, I soon realized that I wasn’t the only one. I decided that if I was going to be a part of the community, I had to dive in and intentionally went about meeting people and trying to make them feel welcome and involved. This evolved into a very positive relationship with the community. It’s opened doors I couldn’t have predicted and created friendships that will likely be lifelong.

Why did you want to speak at WordCamp DFW?

I’ve been fortunate to meet members of your community and am excited to meet more. Also, the DFW area is becoming a bit of a second home as my parents have moved to a small town south of there. I’m excited to see what evolves from this first visit.

Why did you decide to speak on your topic?

The opportunity to provide opportunities. Much of my life I’ve felt trapped by circumstance. The freedom and options that can come from working remotely can be life changing and I’ve been fortunate to have the ability to investigate them. I’m thrilled to be able to share my experience with others so they can hit the ground running.

What do you hope the audience gets from your talk?

Options. It’s my new favorite word, but absolutely true. I was fortunate to have others help me as I was getting started and I look forward to passing that along.

Tickets are now on sale for this year’s WordCamp DFW held on Nov. 10-11. There are also plenty of opportunities to sponsor the event or help run it. We hope to see you there!