Community Connection - Tara King

We’re featuring some of the people in the Drupalverse! This Q&A series highlights individuals you could meet at DrupalCon.

Every year, DrupalCon is the largest gathering of people who belong to this community. To celebrate and take note of what DrupalCon means to them, we’re featuring an array of perspectives and fun facts to help you get to know your community.
 

For our next connection in this series, we feature the insight of Tara King.

Tara King (@sparklingrobots) is a Drupal enthusiast through and through.

She was introduced to Drupal through a friend, as a site administrator, and enjoyed it so much that she chose to go on to learn all aspects of Drupal development.
 

Why was it you continued down the Drupal path, and how does it shape what you do currently?

I kept learning Drupal because a) it was pretty fun, b) the jobs available to Drupal developers seemed a lot better than what I was doing at the time, and c) I met a bunch of people in the Twin Cities Drupal community and then in the greater Drupal community at DrupalCon Portland.

I attended my first sprint in Portland, and finally understood how this whole "open source" thing really works. Meeting the folks behind the project and knowing that I (a brand new Drupal dev) could contribute to the project—both had a huge impact on me. I've attended every DrupalCon since then [2013] so I could stay connected to the community and the project.

Currently, I do a lot of support work for Drupal and WordPress sites, as well as some DevOps-adjacent issues. I'm also really active in Drupal Diversity & Inclusion, and the core mentoring team.
 

What is a piece of advice you received that influenced your career?

I could share so much good advice, but I'll share three:
 

• Google it.
• Trust that other people are Googling it.  
• Get involved in the community.  
   

I taught myself a lot of what I know about Drupal, with the very generous help of some mentors—and that combination of asking for help as well as finding help on my own has been really valuable in growing my skill set over the years.
 

What book or piece of writing have you read in the last year that impacted the way you approach your work or colleagues? Why?

Emergent Strategy by Adrienne Maree Brown has had a huge impact on the way I live and work. It’s about how we work in community and how small changes emerge into something larger and more powerful—any large open source project is likely familiar with that principle. I'd absolutely recommend it for anyone interested in how to collaborate; how to envision and create futures together; and how to prepare for and create change in ways that are healthy and sustainable.
 

What is one thing you think people of today will miss in 20 years?

I hate to take it to a dark place, but I think people of today will miss our current environmental climate in about 20 years.  
 

What are you most looking forward to for DrupalCon Seattle?

As with any Drupal event, the thing I look forward to the most is seeing my friends and meeting new ones. I have been an active speaker for many years and as much as I enjoy doing that, the thing that excites me the most is talking and learning from people I respect and look up to.
 

Any additional thoughts you’d like to share?

DrupalCon can be intimidating if it's your first time, and doubly so if you're from an underrepresented group—I recommend joining Drupal Slack and/or Twitter to make a few friends in advance (and if you do, say hi! I'm @sparklingrobots in both places). And be sure to check out the birds of a feather (BoF) schedule—those are often the most valuable sessions I attend at DrupalCon.

Join us April 8 - 12, 2019 for DrupalCon Seattle!