---
layout: post
title: 'SeaGL speaker Q&A: Mark Atwood'
status: publish
type: post
published: true
categories: news
tags: '2016'
---

Mark gives his talk titled, "How to get one of those Open Source jobs" on [Friday afternoon.](https://osem.seagl.org/conference/seagl2016/program/proposal/227)

Q: Could you please introduce yourself and tell us a little about your background?

A: I’m the Director of Open Source Engagement at Hewlett Packard Enterprise.  Some of the projects I’m currently involved in right now include OpenSwitch https://www.openswitch.net/ and NTPsec https://ntpsec.org/

Q: Without tipping your hand on the actual talk, can you give us an idea of what we might expect?

A: Getting a paying software developer job the open source way has amazingly low barriers to entry. It bypasses much of the “you need a job to get experience, and experience to get a job” problem, and has not been infested by the expensive debt-heavy degree credentialism that has burdened other career paths. The largest barrier is just not knowing that the option exists. This talk removes that barrier.

Q: Is this your first visit to SeaGL? If so, what are your expectations? If not, can you give us your impressions of the event?

A: I’ve attended and presented at SeaGL before.  I actually live in the Seattle Capitol Hill neighborhood, so it’s refreshing to attend a conference that I can walk to, instead of having to fly across the country to attend.  SeaGL attracts lots of people who are there to learn, which are my favorite cohort to present to.
