Get To Know Carrie Forde
Carrie spent the first eight years of her career wrangling sales data in the tech industry. While on work assignment in the UK, she attended a blogging workshop where she was introduced to WordPress. After spending several weekends learning about WordPress child themes, Carrie set up her first WordPress site and realized WordPress and front-end development is where her true passion lies.
After moving back to California, Carrie had an opportunity to pursue her passion, and enrolled in the Graphic & Interactive Design program at Foothill College where she learned about the graphic design process, and how to properly write HTML and CSS. Before graduating her program, she created her first theme from scratch on the Genesis framework, and realized that developing on WordPress is what she wanted to do for a living. Carrie currently works as a Front-End Developer for WebDevStudios.
When she’s not developing websites, you can find Carrie at home cuddling with her three cats K2, Whitney, and Minnie, enjoying a latte or cold brew at a nearby coffee shop, or exploring the greater San Francisco Bay Area with her husband Darren.
We’re thrilled Carrie will be speaking at WordCamp Sacramento 2016 on Creating Themes with Atomic Design!
Speaker Q&A With Carrie
To help you learn even more about Carrie, we asked her to answer a few questions for us, some WordPress-related, and some others we think you’ll appreciate 🙂 Be sure to give her a shout out on Twitter and don’t forget to use our hashtag #wcsac.
What inspired you to give this talk at WordCamp?
I was inspired to give this talk because Atomic Design and Pattern Libraries have become a very hot topic in web design, and I wanted to share a few of my ideas on how these things can be used to create better, more consistent design experiences in WordPress themes.
How did you discover WordPress?
I discovered WordPress while attending a blogging workshop in London, UK, where the ladies running the workshop recommended it as their platform of choice.
How has WordPress Or WordCamp impacted you?
After I graduated from my design program at Foothill College, I got my first development job at a WordPress studio in Oakland where I met two of my best friends. Even through the three of us all work for different companies now, we still meet regularly, and even traveled to Chicago together earlier this year to attend WordCamp Chicago.
How do you primarily work with WordPress?
My primary focus with WordPress is the front-end development of WordPress themes, but I also enjoy tinkering with simple design-focused plugins in my spare time.
What does the WordCamp theme Discovery mean to you?
The theme of Discovery in the context of WordPress for me has meant discovering my true passion for design and front-end development, as well as discovering a community of like-minded people.
What is the latest book you read?
Life and Other Near Death Experiences by Camille Pagán.
What is your favorite restaurant? Favorite menu item?
El Palenque and their al pastor super burrito.
What TV series are you current binging on/into?
Stranger Things.
What do you do for fun?
In my spare time, I like to wander around different San Francisco neighborhoods in search of the best coffee and donuts, and other cuisine the neighborhood may have to offer.