What does it mean to be a part of the tech industry? Many people that identify as technologists don’t write code, support systems or take shifts on-call. Because of this they are often seen as outsiders or on the fringe, and their thoughts and ideas discounted. These people are needed just as much as those in the thick of it; it leads to a more diverse workplace and can lead to new perspectives or inspiration. This talk will explore how our biases influence how we interact with others and what can be done to overcome them and embrace those on the fringe. I will share lessons I’ve learned living on the fringe of IT in tech support, sales engineering, product management and even marketing.