A year ago I wrote my first blog post ever. It was for International Women's Day celebration in Dev.to "Nevertheless, She Coded".
At that time I was working full-time as QA tester and learning Android development in my free time. Since then I got the Google Associate Android Developer certification, finished the Udacity Android Developer Nanodegree, switched to do professional Android development at work and even switched companies.
I continue to code because...
It has a mix of all things I like: creativity, analytical thinking, technology, interaction with people, learning and daily challenges. Keeping up with the tech community is more fun than what I expected. I attend monthly meetups, I go to conferences and most importantly I've made very good friends.
I recently overcame...
The fear of applying to a new company for a Junior Android Developer position. By the time I got into the interview process in a new company, I only had 3 months of professional experience in Android development. I was scared of not knowing enough for the open junior position, of the technical questions, of saying I didn't know something.
I even feared to present myself to people as an Android developer. I used to say "I'm a Junior Android Developer, but I started 1 month ago 😰". There was always a "but...".
I'll be honest with you. I'm glad I pushed myself to apply and had that interview, because I got the job!!! Now I proudly say out loud that I'm a Junior Android Engineer!!! 😎
I want to brag about...
All the effort I put on learning in my free time while having a full-time job. I worked full time as a tester, and on my evenings and weekends I kept learning. It really paid off.
It wasn't an easy journey finding the energy to finish all the projects as the content was getting more and more difficult.
When I decided to switch jobs, I wanted to give my best so I put an extra effort on the coding challenge and on the interview.
I keep working hard. I try to learn from everyone, I read every pull-request that my colleagues open and when I don't know something, I ask.
I know that this is just the beginning of the journey. But I'll keep working hard, learning and improving to help creating apps that people love.
My advice for allies to support women and non-binary folks who code is....
Having a happy work environment is important for everyone but specially for all underrepresented folks. Details like praising the good job and celebrating every success, to important things like having good follow-up meetings and one-on-one with your managers also help us.
It's important that everyone has a voice, and that the company work on having an inclusive environment where everyone is listened to.
My advice for you is to make sure that everyone has their voice listened on a friendly environment 💖
Top comments (1)
Hi, Lara, nice to meet you. I really liked your article! I can relate a lot to your journey since I'm also a woman working a full time job, studying Android development on my free time.
I'm in the middle of Udacity's Android Basics Nanodegree and plan on then enrolling in the Android Developer Nanodegree. How did you find it? Is it still something you would recommend even if it doesn't include (as of yet) anything on Android Jetpack and components?
I ask this because I don't really understand what this Jetpack thing is, I've just vaguely read about it. I don't get how much it affects current Android development and if it makes the current content in the Android Developer Nanodegree outdated or not useful anymore.
I really have completely loved Udacity so far and would love to keep studying there! I just want to make sure that the ADND is still a great choice. I also understand that I could complement the nanodegree with other material related to Android Jetpack, if I actually need to. (I don't really know if I do).
Thanks for inspiring and motivating me with your story :), I hope you can give me a hand with my confussion!