So far with Code Academy, I’ve completed their modules on HTML & CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, AngularJS, and “Make a Website”. It’s been fun and interesting, but I don’t really feel that I’ve mastered those skills quite yet. Although, I’m not sure I need to master those skills anyhow. What I do know is that I want to feel better about them. I also want to understand Web Development best practices, and how to set-up a real working environment. That’s not something I can get through Code Academy.
One day a few months ago while I was visiting my former place of employment, the Desert Botanical Garden, I ran into the wonderful GIS Specialist there. She wanted to know what I had been doing since I got back to Phoenix. I made mention about how my husband was giving me the opportunity to pursue my interest in technology, and that I was really hoping to learn how to do something with coding. I couldn’t believe how excited she got about it. Apparently there really is a lack of women in the technology industry! She told me about a meet-up group called Girl Develop It. It’s a group that supports women learning about coding and web development. Since I was looking for some real world experience she thought it would be perfect for me.
I really need to tell her how right she was! To help me better understand what the daily life of a developer actually is, I needed a group where I could ask questions and learn!
With Girl Develop It, I’ve gone to demos on GitHub, JavaScript, jQuery, attended classes on development concepts, and CSS, and I’ve made a number of supportive techie friends. It’s pretty cool!
Through Girl Develop It, I also learned about Women Who Code. This is yet another group that offers support and workshops. With Women Who Code, I’ve done a Ruby on Rails Workshop and gone to a mentor match-up event. Both events were really great. Once again I learned a whole lot, and met great people!
However, I think there is a least one flaw in just going to the meet-ups put on by these two groups; you don’t really get to meet the men in the industry and see what it’s like with them in the mix.
Since this realization, I’ve explored other opportunities. I’ll talk about that next time.
