Written by volunteer writer Amy Freeman

Back in the 1980s, the idea of “bits and bytes” hooked Alex Ryzinski into a career in tech. Computer magazines were his reading material of choice and the Commodore Vic-20 was his first computer, purchased at age 14. “With my Vic-20 I purchased ‘Teach Yourself BASIC,’ and the rest is history,” he says.

After finishing high school, Alex attended the Community College of Philadelphia, working full-time during the day and taking classes at night. He then earned a bachelor’s degree from St. Joe’s and a masters in information systems from Penn State, all the while working full-time and going to school in the evening.

Alex landed his first tech job as help desk support for more than 200 retailers. Since then, he’s been a developer, senior developer, and project manager. His current role is as a team tech lead, where he focuses on .NET and Salesforce development.

Demonstrating an ongoing love of learning, Alex is currently studying NodeJs, GIT, AWS Cloud Services, Google’s GoLang, and Python Django. “I have to pace myself because I could spend all day staring at the screen and playing with the new technologies,” he says.

Alex first stumbled across TechGirlz when looking for ways to share his love of technology. “It is rewarding to get a “thumbs-up” when the workshop participants get the idea,” he says. He’s found the moderators and assistants to be very supportive, helping to make leading workshops a breeze. He aims to host two events per month and hopes to offer more when his work schedule allows.

Alex had some kind words to say about his TechGirlz collaborators. He described Neeha, a member of the Teen Advisory Board, as a “rock star,” stating that “she is going to go very far in her career.” Alex is amazed at the support he’s received from the TechGirlz staff, as well.

“You guys ROCK! Keep up the good work,” he says. And for anyone interested in volunteering with TechGirlz, Alex has this to say “As Nike says, ‘just do it.’ Give it a try.”

Ready to “just do it”? Sign up to be a volunteer with TechGirlz today!