How did you first get into tech?
I was teaching at a university, and when I was creating and revising the curriculum for the students I got really frustrated with having to distribute photocopies every time I changed my mind about the content, so I set up a web page on GeoCities (yes, this was a long time ago). I got so excited about the web that I wanted to learn all about it, and about a year later I started studying for a masters in software development.
What was your first tech role?
I worked as a developer on a rather big Enterprise Java system for managing subscriptions. I was thrown into the deep end, and it ended up being really stressful because I worked on the part that had to do with billing, so errors were potentially very costly, and we had very few ways to test stuff. On the other hand, I was treated as a peer even though I was right out of school and eventually I learned a ton. I also got a lifelong love for tests.
What do you enjoy most about working at Automattic?
I like that there are so many different technologies and products in play. There is always something new to learn and understand. I’ve been given time to really understand the code we are working with, and instead of feeling like I have to write code all the time, I can take time to learn too. I really like that environment.
What advice would you give to women aspiring to get into tech?
Find something that you are interested in, and focus on that by putting code on GitHub, participating in Open Source work, or finding online communities that have to do with your interest. It can be hard to have the confidence to do those things, but it really comes back as a positive thing. I’ve participated a lot in Open Source and I found a lot of joy and motivation in contributing, but I’ve also found friends and people that are going to be in my life forever through the social aspects of Open Source.
If you encounter toxic environments, then walk away early if you can see you can’t change it. No one should have to deal with that, and especially not when learning.
What are your favourite online resources for developing your coding/tech skills?
I like little coding puzzles, and I’ve used these three in particular:
Codewars: https://www.codewars.com/
The Euler Project: https://projecteuler.net/
The Advent of Code: https://adventofcode.com/
I’m the kind of person that learns code best by doing hands on and I tend to jump in as soon as I have the smallest of understandings of something new. Note that that is not always the best approach – I’d actually like to have read and understood more before I jump in! I try to read books without just jumping into the examples and I find it works better if I make myself do that.
My favorite books are:
Effective Java (read it even if you don’t do Java)
Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software
Last but not least: Stack Overflow. I probably use that at least 10 times every day.
How do you think we can get more women into tech?
If we can break down the stereotype of someone who works in tech as a man it would be amazing. We need more women to be more visible in tech – not just “inside” the tech world, but also in places like movies, books, and other places where women can see that there is no reason it should be considered a “man’s job”.
What is it about tech that you love?
I love that I can solve problems and make life better for people using the software I build. I love the creativity that has to go into creating new features and fixing bugs. The tech world is full of incredibly smart and creative people, and I I feel lucky to get to be around them and learn from them and with them.
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