My Story
I began developing by complete accident. In college, I took an intro to programming class which I thought would be a lot of drag-and-dropping (I was very wrong.) I quickly learned how much I enjoyed programming from the creative outpour of solving problems, to witnessing user interaction -- it was all very exciting. My first job taught me a hard and quick lesson about the tech industry. During my almost 2 year stay, I learned about the impact of a good manager, and that of a bad manager. I found myself in thriving environments, and very poisonous ones. I made a lot of great friends, and even a few enemies. I learned that it's important to put your needs first, and any good company will respect that.
Currently
4 years later, iOS development is still my primary technology. Getting started with mobile during the peak of "app-mania" was very exciting. Now, it's great seeing how mobile devices and apps can work together to solve real problems. From using GPS to find people in distress, or using Bluetooth for indoor navigation/notifications, mobile is still having an exciting ride.
On the side, I've also built an android app, and most recently a Roomba-style robot with an Arduino board. (A blog post on that is coming soon.) In 2016 I spoke at my first conference, which has given me a fresh breath of giving back. Since, I've given another session at Codemash, and even started a local meetup geared toward lady developers.
Advice
It can be very difficult at times to continue, sometimes it even seems hopeless. Don't give up. We need you in this field, we need you to continue fighting for equal rights, for equal treatment and for younger generations of women to come. If you find yourself in a poisonous environment, it's okay to change jobs. You don't owe anyone an explanation, you owe it to yourself to find happiness in a manager, team, and company that supports you to thrive.
Most important advice I must give is to never stop learning. Technology is changing SO fast. To keep up, you must continue learning new things, learning how to do things better, and always improving. You can do it!
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