Tech workers drawn to Seattle by what seems like endless opportunity these days can sometimes bear the burden of being blamed for the problems the city is grappling with as it grows at such an alarming rate.
There are plenty of ways to figure out where to get a drink or bite to eat or see some live music across town, but in a new blog post on the Washington Technology Industry Association website, Zillow vice president of product Rebekah Bastian dispenses a different brand of advice.
In her welcome letter to tech workers, Bastian says Seattle is “home to all kinds of quirky, kind, passionate, and creative individuals both in and out of the tech sector.” And she offers six ways that people people can “positively impact the local culture” by getting involved in their new community.
- Volunteer your tech skills: Professional skills such as coding and project management can really help out local nonprofits.
- Get political: As the tech community grows, its collective voice gets louder and louder.
- Support the gift economy: Donate items to others through sharing groups designed to help the less fortunate as well as reduce waste and clutter.
- Buy local: New Seattleites should help the economy by supporting local businesses — and tip your bartenders and waitresses!
- Help the environment: Brush up on recycling guidelines, do your part to get to work in an environmentally friendly manner.
- Recognize your privilege: Housing may seem like a deal to some tech workers, but remember the struggle for those who have not landed that dream job.
It’s an optimistic list from Bastian, a University of Washington and UC Berkeley grad who spent two years at Microsoft and the last 12 at Zillow. She’s a champion of the Seattle-based real estate media company’s Community Pillar program, which “makes it easier for people with less-than-stellar housing applications to find landlords and property managers more inclined to rent to them,” as GeekWire previously reported here.
Bastian said in her blog post that the Seattle region has “some of the nation’s best companies, a vibrant culture, and beautiful mountains and bodies of water.”
Here’s to hoping newcomers and natives alike take her advice to heart to work to preserve all of that.
