I’m Beth Z, Your Nerdy Best Friend, a title I have proudly cherished since I started speaking professionally about technology in 2009. You might be expecting a resume full of coding jobs and tech degrees, but my nerd know-how path was a little different. Ok, a lot different.

Here are questions I get all the time:

Where are you from?

I've lived in 11 states and two countries... so far.

Some highlights:

I was born in Indiana, directed my second-grade play in Louisiana, moved in and out of North Carolina a couple of times, spent a summer in Virginia, survived blizzards in New York and Philly, accidentally married a cowboy in Colorado, married the man of my dreams in California and found a day-old kitten in Tennessee who grew up to sit on my head during webinars.

Do you have a degree in technology?

I picked up a psychology degree in Texas and later snagged a grad degree in journalism in Alabama before heading to Mali, West Africa, to live in a mud hut and build latrines. I have taken exactly one computer course, and I was the world's worst student because I wanted the professor to stop talking so I could just play with the tech tools and figure stuff out by myself. 

So you must have gotten your tech experience from your jobs?

I've never had a job that prepared me for this.

I've run a bed and breakfast, taught English at community colleges and worked as a technical writer. I spent several years as an education director for the International Erosion Control Association. I also worked for a company that recorded content at conferences. No tech titles in any position. 

So you don't have a technology degree and have never held a technology job.
How can you be an AI and Technology Keynote Speaker?

Y'all, I have an obsession with technology. A hunger for it. A never-ending quest to absorb it. All day long, I'm testing, reviewing, and sharing new apps, tech tools, and gadgets. I get so excited to help others discover tech tools that will make their lives easier. If I couldn't be a speaker, I'd still be rooting out new tools and sharing them with friends and family and whoever would listen. It's just a part of who I am, and I'm so grateful that I can make my living this way.

Why do you call yourself "Your Nerdy Best Friend"?

When I first started speaking, my fellow speakers kept telling me I needed a tagline, so I tried things like "the quick tech trainer" and "the cheapskate freelancer who finds free tech tools." They didn't exactly roll off the tongue, so I turned to my speaking mentor and just shrugged, "I'm just your nerdy best friend."

That moment defined me. I AM Your Nerdy Best Friend. It's my job to help you find tech tools that will make your life easier. And I'm excited to help you, too.