I began coding because...
I was an angsty teen making my LiveJournal and MySpace pages extra jazzy!
Later, when I was working as Design Director and Director of Product Management I was taking coding classes at night through groups like Girl Develop It and Beginner Programmers on HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Ruby On Rails, Unity (C#), and Unreal Engine (C++).
After launching a big feature at work, I left to pursue coding full-time. I enrolled in Flatiron School, went through 3 months of intense coding and pair programming, and just graduated two weeks ago! I'm excited about what's next.
I'm currently hacking on...
I'm building a JavaScript game based on Katamari Damacy using Three.js and WebGL. I'm obsessed with the HTML5 canvas at the moment. Three.js makes rendering 3D graphics in the browser really accessible, and it supports requestAnimationFrame() for better performance.
I'm excited about…
I'm excited to see efforts toward real inclusion in tech. As the phrase goes, "diversity is being invited to the party, inclusion is being asked to dance." Being the token diversity hire at a company where nobody listens or cares about what you have to say is a wasted opportunity for everyone involved.
Having a diverse and engaged team is just good business sense, and it seems like we're at a point where companies that have been doing it well are speaking up, and those that haven't are having a bit of a wake up call. We have a long way to go obviously, but I'm happy to see conversations happening. I loved Debbie Madden's "To Uber: Many in Tech Have Gotten Harassment Against Women in the Workplace Right for Decades".
My advice for other women who code is...
Be confident in what you bring to the table and don't be afraid to show it!
I'm originally from Europe, where self-deprecating humor is mostly the modus operandi. I've lived in the U.S. for 20 years, but it took me a long time to realize that people were taking my self-deprecation at face value - they thought that I didn't value myself, and if I played down my accomplishments, they believed that too. Of course it's important to be humble, but there's no need to play down your self-worth!
Top comments (2)
Ahh!! Christina! I can relate SO much with your story.
haha YES.
I'm also a bootcamp alum but ended up in product management post graduation. How was your experience at flatiron? I did General Assembly's immersive.
Would also love to learn about the art+music stuff you do! I studied music in college and still have a bunch of friends working in that world 🙂
Hey Jess - that's awesome!
I had a great experience at Flatiron School, I would definitely recommend it. The curriculum is thorough and the teachers are talented educators.
I feel like tech/art/music is the intersection of most on my interests :) I love making lil music visualization apps - I made one with a friend that uses the computer keyboard for MIDI input - I'm learning to play the piano/keyboard, so it would be cool to hook that up to the app and make visualizations live!