The Surprising History of a Female Developer
And 4 lessons I learned along the way
Childhood
I was born and raised in a small Venezuelan city, and from an early age I knew I would eventually leave my country in search of better opportunities. I didn’t want to stay in a place where going outside is a dangerous and potentially deadly activity. If you leave your home with a fancy phone in your hand or a flashy piece of jewelry around your neck, you risk being attacked or even killed just to have your valuables taken away. It was common to hear about a neighbor or acquaintance being attacked in their own home. Others were less fortunate and would be killed as they were being robbed. I knew that in other countries you could go outside safely, have fun, and not constantly fear for your life. I wanted that. So shortly after turning 18, I moved to Miami by myself, leaving friends and family behind.
Adulthood
I first attended a school where international students learn English. Then I attended Miami-Dade College, where my 4.0 GPA earned me a partial scholarship to attend the University of Miami. I graduated magna cum laude and got a Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Advertising, with a minor in Marketing and a minor in Art with an emphasis on Graphic Design. However, my international student status didn’t allow me to work, and it took me a very long time to get a green card. Once I did, I wanted to start working right away and took the first job I found, even though it was unrelated to my field.
Why I started coding
By then, I had been unemployable for a while, and I didn’t know enough people in the advertising business. I worked in fine dining, then in a Chipotle restaurant as a manager. Back then I relied on Uber to commute and I found out about their scholarship for Ironhack. Learning how to make a website was something I had been interested in for a while, and I felt it would compliment my graphic design skills and make me more employable. How serendipitous!
Getting schooled (again)
I went through the interview process, as many others did. I was hoping to at least get a partial scholarship, and then I got a phone call with the best news I had gotten in a long, long time: I had been awarded a full scholarship! Once I started the course, I quickly realized I would have to put in a lot of my own time outside of class to keep up, which was challenging as I was working over 40 hours a week with a very odd and irregular schedule, all while living alone and taking care of my two dogs. Some days I would have to attend class after working a closing shift, followed by an opening shift with only a couple of hours of sleep in between. It was difficult to say the least, however it’s the most rewarding thing I have ever done.
I learned the basics of web programming, and just as importantly, I learned how to be resourceful and look for answers to programming bugs and issues. By the end of the course, I had three projects I was proud of and felt happy showing to potential employers. It’s empowering to see what I was able to do after only a few months of part-time learning, especially considering I started the course with absolutely no coding skills. My final project won “best design”and got 1st place at our graduation, which felt like a narrow win because my classmates presented pretty great projects, too.
My first tech job
Ironhack’s process doesn’t end with graduation. The staff help students with resume preparation, job hunting and interview practice. All cohorts are able to attend a hiring fair that happens shortly after graduation. It was there that I interviewed with the company that would end up hiring me: Office Depot. Now, I have the incredible honor of working at their global headquarters in Boca Raton, surrounded by amazingly talented individuals from whom I am constantly learning. It’s still hard for me to believe how much my life has changed in just 1 short year. I will forever be thankful to everyone that helped along the way: the Ironhack staff that chose me as the scholarship winner, the dedicated professors, my hard-working classmates, and the people that hired me and are mentoring me to this day.
4 things I’ve learned along the way
Don’t be afraid to fail. I let fear of failure hold me back for a long time. Successful people will tell you that failing is part of the process to achieve your goals.
Be humble, be nice. Do not be embarrassed to ask for help, and be eager to learn. You’d be surprised how willing people are to share their knowledge if you ask nicely!
Think positively and visualize your goals. You can’t achieve something unless you believe you’re able to.
Be willing to help and teach others. Share your knowledge. Give advice. No one succeeds in a vacuum, and the best way to give back the mentorship you have received is to pass it along when you’re in the position to do so, now or in the future.
