I've become a developer because I wanted to be a singer.
That's how it is. In some way, music always guided my choices, it's one of my biggest passion since I was a child and, as I could not be a famous singer because I came to the conclusion that the stage is super scary and that all of that fame could have driven me crazy (at least this is what that little girl decided), I preferred to stay in the backstage and help the others.
The rising
I've always had some new technologies interests, my brother is an electrician and has always played with computers, electronic devices, etc. so this probably affected me as well, and while I was still looking for my way, wondering "oh my God, what do I want to do when I grow up?", Internet came. Internet and MTV. So in those fleeting hours at school, where we could go in the computer classroom, that website was the first one I used to check. And thinking: "Oh Gosh, I wish I could be able to do something like this. But is it a job? Will I have any chance here, in my super little town to do this kind of job one day?". No matter. That was something that was really making me happy, and satisfied. So I spent the whole summer free time, when I wasn't working as a fruit picker to earn some money, trying to create my first website using, haha, Publisher. And then, when at the final examination of my high school they asked what I wanted to be when I grow up, at that moment I had the answer: I'd like to be a web developer but I don't know if there are chances around here. At that point, one of the member of the examination commission told me: "Actually there are. We are starting a 600 hours class next year for web designers" and here I am. Just one year later after high school, I just had my first job in the field I chose. It's something that my parents would have never bet a cent.
It's my life
The rest of my career is mainly self-taught studies and experiments. As my projects at work were not so amazing (you know, just some little websites for local companies selling machinery that for a girl, let me say creative girl, were not so inspiring) I used to spend my free time making websites for local music bands that meanwhile I got to know until finally I created a huge website collecting all the bands of my Province with the purpose of helping them to be known and supported (I could not be a singer but I like to help others follow that path :P). I have to say it was a very appreciated project among the musicians. But at some point, it required me too much effort and at the same time, 10 years later, it was time to grow and evolve as a developer, so I left it aside to complete my web design knowledge with a more technical one. And to change job. I stopped drawing websites and focus on becoming a real front end developer which meant adding some programming language to my luggage, that was Javascript.
I wasn't very skilled in the beginning and I also got a little discouraged but you know what? Knowing that the people I was working with didn't believe I was getting better at Javascript gave me the final push to complete my journey and feel more confident. Now I can't say I know everything but I surely know enough to manage most of the issues I have to face. In addition, studying VueJs was the keystone. Apart from the fact that is an amazing framework, it really added more excitement to developing and pushed me to want more.
Invincible
Today I work at Storyblok which is probably one of the best international companies out there, or at least definitely can be, it's just the beginning and could only get better, and being here it's surely something I would have never said in that far away summer picking peaches.
So what? The only thing I know is that following your dreams is always the right choice, they know the way, no matter what people, parents, friends, colleagues, say. Challenges are always around the corner but having the passion by your side and a clear vision of what you want to be is your strength. I always worked with men, especially in the first years, but definitely, I never thought it was a male job and I'm happy to see that more and more there are excellent women in this field. Nothing can stop you from being what you are supposed to be. So embrace the code editor, go out there and #BreaktheBias.
You may have noticed that all these post's subtitles are also songs titles :P In the order, they're performed by Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard. I encourage you to listen to them while reading, just in case :P
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