Nevertheless, Mbithe Coded

#wecoded

I began coding because...

I studied Computer Studies in high school and had to develop a company management system as part of my coursework. This ignited in me an interest in technology, particularly in the design of beautiful and functional interfaces for my project. Because of this experience, I decided to study Informatics in university.

Unfortunately while in uni, my interest in programming dwindled. I still loved the tech industry in general, so I thought I would end up somewhere in technical project management, or UI/UX design, or… anything but programming really. Luckily, somewhere in my third year of uni, my interest in programming was sparked again when I discovered the Django Girls open-source blog tutorial, which helped me learn Python and Django. I haven't looked back since!

I'm currently a developer at Andela on a quest to be world-class and have lots of fun while at it! :)

I'm currently hacking on...

Shufflebox, an in-house randomization application for my company, Andela, to manage participants for some of its cultural activities. It's built with Python and Django on the back-end and Elm on the front-end.

I'm excited about...

Inspiring Kenyan women to fall in love with programming and tech through Django Girls! Django Girls is an initiative that aims to introduce women who have never coded before to the world of technology and increase diversity in the field. Since it began in 2014, Django Girls has been held in 169 cities in 63 countries all around the world and trained over 5000 women globally.

I'm proud to have co-organised and coached at Django Girls Nairobi 2016, and coached at Django Girls Mombasa 2017. I believe the future of the world in general and Africa in particular lies in technology, which is why it's more important than ever for there to be strong African women tech leaders. Being a role model for girls who aspire to have careers in tech makes my world go round.

My advice for other women who code is...

Not to buy into the myth of the genius programmer. You don't have to be a genius to be a good developer! Practice, persistence, and a habit of limitless learning can take you from novice to world-class.