My story so far…
Well, you can see from my profile how young I am, so this should be short. 😊 About 4 years ago I was in my room one day...
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Amazing, just amazing. Question though, I'm kind of you except a guy, in 9th grade, and in Canada. Any advise for learning java? I haven't been having the greatest time learning it. Probably because I learnt, python, then ruby, then crystal, then javascript html and css, before java.
Start small and build up to more complex or graphical apps. Use an IDE where you can step through the code line-by-line as you watch variable values and program flow change.
"Take it slow... learn one piece at a time... be an expert on this one function... move on to another one." — seriously awesome advice here (says the person who doesn't code 😊).
Just to say that you're journey is awesome and inspiring! It's totally frustrating that you didn't get the respect you deserve from the guys in the coding club, but also really cool to hear that you're pushing onward with it and helping to better the landscape for all software devs & folks in the industry.
Wish the best for you!
Thanks so much Michael. I’m hoping that some of the others can help me decide which way to go in deciding a career.
I can't speak for Computer Science everywhere, but I think you should go for it if you are interested. Even for someone who already knows a lot there is still a lot to learn. The first few classes may be a bit boring, but that just leaves more freetime to learn on your own. There will probably be lots of theoretical classes too, and math.
As for the gender ratio, my class started out with 80 students, of which there were 8 girls. However halfway through the degree now we're down to ~40 students, but only one girl has dropped out. I haven't seen any kind of discrimination against the girls in my class, but since a I'm a guy I can't say for sure.
You have such an amazing story! Talking about college, I think that the most important things you will learn are not just about new languages or technical stuff, but is mostly about the people, points of view you will meet and the experiences you will have. College can also teach you important soft skills for life and new ways to understand the world. :)
Thanks so much Ana. College is definitely in my future. Its more on what my major should be. Coding will always be a part of me, but is it what I should concentrate in, or just use it as a tool to support other interests?
Here, they tell us "when you go off to college, you can re-invent yourself". I'm just not sure what the "re-invented me" looks like yet.
Humm, I understand. I think this part of re-invent yourself can occurs anytime of your life, for different reasons and aspects. But if you still have questions about what to do in your major, you could try to do different things and discover what you like to do the most. Because coding is the great tool for your future, that you already have. :)
I started with JavaScript web development too and later switched to Java and now I'm getting stuck in with native code with Objective-C and C++ so I'd recommend having a go at it - I'm finding it a lot of fun because you get to learn a lot about how computers operate and function.
But if you're looking at JS frameworks, I'd definitely recommend Vue!
I'm also looking around colleges at the moment and I've seen a maybe 30%-70% split female to male for Computer Science (in the UK).
Thanks Sam. Vue is on the list.
As someone who has coded for 15 years, and has managed at times, it's people like you the industry is always desperate for.
Stay curious and see every project and task as an opportunity to learn not just the mechanics, but the concepts behind the mechanics, and you'll do fine.
It's a rare person who has your outlook and drive.
Also, if you've caught the coding bug, you'll find yourself there regardless of your major. It's just a place you find yourself in. I was a psychology major with lots of learning in linguistics and French, and here I am a professional coder doing what I love!
Generalists are much needed and valued too! Thanks for sharing your story Katie!
I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a generalist. Thanks Amara, something new to research.
You are a expert at cheering up !!!
Thanks Pati, that does help. You are a great supporter!
👏🙌
Lovely and Brave Story.
You should document your journey and use it to inspire people to join the development world.
Keep Going
Great story, fast learner, brave & fearless. Yes there will always be "haters" or people who feel threatened, that's their problem not yours ;-) keep rocking!
After reading this, I feel like you can be a writer too. All the best Katie!! :)
Thanks Sushma, you're so sweet to say that.
Thanks for sharing your story. Good luck moving forward with your career!!!
Thank you for sharing this. I find your journey (so far) very inspiring. Whatever you decide to do next, you’re going to do great!
Thanks for the encouragement Jeremy.