README
# Karen Jex
## Table of Contents
## Description
Karen is a database expert, PostgreSQL contributor, PostgreSQL Europe (PGEU) Board Member, and Chair of the PGEU Diversity committee. She enjoys skiing, cycling (road, gravel and mountain biking) and crafting.
## Installation
Karen is originally from the UK, but she and her husband installed themselves in a small village in the French Alps over 20 years ago. They live there with their two teenage children, and their two rescue dogs.
Karen works remotely as a Senior Solutions Architect at Crunchy Data.
## Operating System
Karen is (late diagnosed, high-masking, low support needs) autistic. This has a profound impact on the way she works, the way she communicates, and the way she interacts with other people. This README aims to describe some of the strengths it brings, and some of the challenges it presents.
One short post can't cover everything, of course. Feel free to ask for more information and/or read more via the Additional Resources at the end of this page.
### Autism
Autism (or autism spectrum disorder - ASD - to give it its full medical name) is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects the ways in which a person communicates and interacts with the world. It varies from person to person; autistic people have a wide range of strengths, abilities, needs, and challenges.
### Late Diagnosed
Karen's autism was not recognised or diagnosed until very recently, which means she has spent much of her life and career knowing that she was "different" but not fully understanding how or why.
### High Masking
Karen employs various strategies to "mask" or hide her differences. This is an often subconscious approach used by many autistic people in order to "fit in", and to adhere to societal norms and expectations.
It is exhausting!
### Low support needs
Karen needs very little external support, but patience, empathy and understanding are always appreciated.
## Features
### Hyperfocus
Karen can focus for long periods on one thing, whether that is debugging a tricky database/tech problem, learning a new programming language, writing a blog post, preparing a conference talk, or creating something from fabric or yarn. She enjoys digging into details, and does not like to stop until she’s finished a task or resolved an issue.
### Eye for Detail
Karen's eye for detail and her affinity for clear, direct communication means that she is good at writing technical (and other) documentation.
### Specialist Subject
Karen is very fortunate that her "special interest" - the topic that she is the most passionate about, most knowledgeable about, and wants to spend the most time working on - is tech in general, and databases in particular. This means she is able to make a living doing the thing she loves.
### Sense of Justice
Karen has a strong sense of justice, and finds it difficult to tolerate unfairness. This is one of the reasons that her work on the PGEU Diversity Task Force is so important to her.
### Empathy
Karen feels emotions (both herself and other people's) very strongly, and is drawn to helping others.
## Requirements
### Clear, Direct Communication
Karen has a strong preference for clear, direct communication, preferably in writing. She tends to take things literally, and finds ambiguity difficult.
### Logic
Karen values logic and likes to understand how things work and why they are done a certain way. When she asks questions, it is usually in an attempt to get clarification, and not to challenge what has been said.
### Routine and Predictability
Karen likes routine and predictability, and appreciates as much advance notice as possible of any changes to her schedule. Setting out clear goals, plans and expectations in advance for any meetings or tasks is extremely helpful to her.
### Shared Interests and Activities
Karen is most able to enjoy spending time with other people where there is a shared activity or interest such as tech, crafts, games, walking or cycling.
## Known Issues
### Context Switching
Karen finds it difficult to switch quickly or frequently between different tasks.
### Social Interactions
Engaging in "small talk", especially in an environment in which there is also a lot of sensory input (noisy, busy environments with bright lights, for example) is particularly draining.
Karen can not maintain this kind of interaction for long periods, and will need time to rest and recuperate afterwards.
If Karen is doing something such as crochet, origami or doodling whilst you are talking, it doesn’t mean she isn’t listening. On the contrary - that type of activity helps her to concentrate on what you are saying.
### Direct Communication
Karen's direct communication style can sometimes come accross as abrupt, and is sometimes interpreted as anger or rudeness. Rudeness is never the intention, and she works hard to avoid this.
### High Expectations
Karen sets (often unreasonably) high standards for herself and for others and can get frustrated when her expectations are not met. She also has a tendency to overcommit and overwork herself, and has to manage these tendencies very carefully to avoid the risk of burning out.
## Additional Resources
“What is Autism?” from the UK's National Autistic Society website: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/what-is-autism
Interesting article about high-masking autistic women:
https://www.verywellhealth.com/autistic-women-high-masking-burnout-8725698
A guide to using neurodivergent affirming language:
https://ndconnection.co.uk/resources/p/nd-affirming-language-guide
## Contact
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenhjex/
Mastodon: @karenhjex@mastodon.online
Bluesky: @karenhjex.bsky.social
## Version
V1.1 2025-03-10