WCPKR 2018 Stars: An Interview with Laxmi Gurung

WCPKR 2018 Stars - An Interview with Laxmi Gurung. Image Source: Facebook

Laxmi Gurung is a WordPress enthusiast, currently working as a Software Developer for Genese Software Solution. She creates logical back-end, front-end, and core computational logic using PHP, databases, JavaScript, jQuery, and frameworks like and Laravel, and angularJS. At WordCamp Pokhara 2018, she talked about ‘You don’t need to be a full-stack developer to be a successful developer.’ We got to talk with her right the same day.

How and when did you start your journey with WordPress?

I started my WordPress journey a year ago i.e. 2017. I wanted to know how WordPress works and what I can do with it.

What excites you the most about WordCamps?

This is my very first time attending a WordCamp! What excites me most about WordCamps is that we get to meet people with different personalities, speakers or beginners or different enthusiasts. Not only me but others too can learn many things regarding WordPress that we are unaware of.

This is the first WordCamp happening here in Pokhara, how excited are you?

I am very excited as the event is happening here in my hometown. This WordCamp is also very important for me as I am getting a chance to share my thoughts and some of my experiences with such a mass of audiences. Thanks to the organizers for organizing such a grand event in Pokhara.

What do you hope attendees will take away from your talk today?

I am talking about ‘You don’t need to be a full-stack developer to be a successful developer’. My talk simply tries to motivate or inspire those developers or the beginners who think that they should be expert in every aspect of development to be successful and demotivate themselves if they know little.

It’s okay not to know everything. Every success needs time, effort, experience, dedication, and patience. Success does not only mean being perfect in every area and I think no one can be perfect in everything. Just keep on doing what you are interested in and don’t give up. Specialization is the key to success and can motivate you to switch to other areas too. I think that’s what the attendees will take away from my talk.

Are there any challenges you faced that you’d like to share with us?

I have faced challenges which helped me to reach in the position that now I am in! As I switched from a completely non-technical field to this technical field, it was really hard for me to cope up with the changing technology and environment. I am still unaware of some of the changes that are happening around. These are the challenges that I feel and I try to learn more from them.

What are your thoughts on the WordPress community of Nepal?

The WordPress Community of Nepal is very massive. People who are from the WordPress community of Nepal are very enthusiastic and active. They want to bring all the people in this technical line together and inspire them more.

How have you been contributing or giving back to the community?

I have been attending several meetups here in Pokhara. I also help my friends to learn more about WordPress who are not familiar with the platform.

What do you think about female participation in WordPress?

I think female participation is what describes that we women are also capable to do much better and be an example in the technical world where there still exists the dominance of male counterparts.

Have you ever felt like you’ve had to prove yourself more than men who also work with WordPress? For example, some women working in tech have commented that they feel like they have to work twice as hard to gain the same level of respect.

Not really. I think my work and my dedication described it all. Things are changing, not only in the IT field, there are many females participating in every field nowadays which I am very about.

What advice would you give to the women who’ve just joined the WordPress community?

Keep on motivating yourself! You’ll get to know many things and communicate with different personalities that will definitely inspire you and do more in your life. Yes, there may be times when you feel low but just don’t give up and keep on your hard work and have patience. And lastly, never hesitate to ask the questions if you have any.

How do you stay updated on WordPress?

I follow WordPress.org. I personally have subscribed to many WordPress related websites, blogs, and YouTube channels. I also stay updated by attending meetups.

Gutenberg editor is a hot topic nowadays in WordPress, how do you think it is going to affect the WordPress ecosystem?

I am very much positive about it. It’s a new change that the WordPress is bringing. I think it’s good for the beginners and developers too that they do not have to worry about writing the shortcodes as everything can be done with an editor. You don’t need to be an expert developer to build your own custom posts and pages.

What can we find you doing when you’re not WordPressing?

When I am free from work, I enjoy watching movies, different shows, interviews and being with my family and friends.

And lastly, WordPress 5.0 is releasing soon with Gutenberg Editor as the default editor. How excited are you about it?

The release of the WordPress 5.0 that too with the Gutenberg Editor is a huge update and quite a useful one as well. WordPress users or developers will get to experience new things with the new release.

You can get in touch with Laxmi Gurung and learn new things through her Facebook.

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