WWCode Member Reflections 2015

The magic of Women Who Code comes from you, the members of the community, and the interactions that you have with one another and with us as we all grow, develop, and learn our way through the technology industry. From the events hosted at both the local and global level, to the inspiring tales of struggle and success that help all of us find our path in the world of code, we are stronger united than we ever could be on our own, and together we are making a difference in the lives of women around the world. Over the past year we've collected some of your stories and experiences, and now we'd like to celebrate the season by sharing those reflections with the world.

"WWCode is pretty much the reason why I have a job. I found a great network of women to help improve my coding skills, and it was through this network that I was connected with a female mentor who passed along a job opportunity. I then applied for that job and am happily working on a great team."
Katherine M. - Washington, DC

"As a woman who has been on countless engineering and development teams over the past 8 years, WWCode feels like a cozy corner of the internet that has been an endless source of inspiration for me. I enjoy reading the email newsletters, hearing about the successes of other women, seeing what new events are in town, and finding new opportunities to improve my skills. At present, I'm preparing to start my own company and embark on a journey to become a digital nomad."
Melissa H. - Osaka, Japan

"WWCode inspired me to pursue a career in technology. I was a former opera singer, with a strong analytical mind, and I was looking to re-enter the workforce in a more meaningful way after my kids were of school-age. I had wanted to learn to code for ages, and following WWCode inspired me to attend and complete a software engineering bootcamp. I have just graduated and am already having great tech interviews with potential employers. Thank you, WWCode!"
Lauren B. - Maple Grove, MN

"At WWCode I love connecting with other local coders that are also women. Whether I am being helped or in turn helping others, it's meaningful to engage with women who are as enthusiastic about tech as I am. I can't really talk to my friends about programming, so it's a joy to be able to let loose and discuss whatever problems I might be stuck on or share new found discoveries. I got involved in technology to be able to build projects from scratch. This has opened up a lot of doors for me for work and collaboration. I will never run out of things to learn in tech, which makes me happy as I love learning and I've found this career well suited to my endless curiosity."
Angela W. - New York City, NY

"WWCode reminds me every week that what I want to do can be done. They introduced me to awesome hackathons (WWCode Silicon Valley Hack), events, and wonderful people. Starting out my career in tech as a young woman who graduated from a 3-month bootcamp rather than a 4-year CS degree is an uphill battle, but I just need to keep pounding the payment and bashing the keys in. Nothing is more inspiring to me than learning about other exceptional women accomplishing amazing things across all positions in tech"
Jenny W. - San Francisco, CA

"WWCode has offered me a lifeline. My education and professional training is in academic humanities, which is simply an untenable career pursuit at this point. For a couple of years, I've been working to completely overhaul my expectations and reimagine what my professional future will be. I've always been deeply interested in tech, and I've worked in administrative and support capacities on technologically innovative projects, but I've never had the courage, or felt like I had any formal support, to seize the means of production myself. The growth of the tech industry and the range of creative roles therein compelled me to take the leap and try to teach myself to code without even fully understanding what that means. Like a good academic does, I did a whole lot of research, bookmarking, and ordering of library books. I overwhelmed myself with the ever-growing amount of information available to beginners (a blessing and a...hurdle). In the early phases of trying to imagine myself as web designer, iOS developer, or software engineer, I had lunch with a friend and mentor. She told me to learn to build websites if I wanted, but what I really needed to be doing was networking. I took her advice and scouted around for local women in tech groups. Two nights later, I attended my first ever Women Who Code Atlanta meetup. Conveniently it was their first-ever open house for new members, and knew I was home. The community I met there was bright, warm, welcoming, and immensely supportive. The women answered and asked questions, made suggestions and connections, and - most importantly - created a space where anyone could imagine herself as a coder. I am still a total beginner, but I feel confident that with the support of WWCode, I'm already on my way."
Chelsea B. - Atlanta, GA

"When I first moved back to the Bay Area after attending university in Canada, I was overwhelmed by how huge and intimidating the tech world felt, but I wanted to learn more about it. I joined meetup and found WWCode in a search to make sense of it and was immediately welcomed at the Wednesday San Francisco Javascript nights. I found all of my first post-college Bay Area friends through WWCode and it opened me up to so many amazing experiences and opportunities, which in turn led me to my current career as a Product/UX Designer. From code tutorial weeknight study groups to mindblowing conferences and inspiring hackathons, I can't imagine my life without Women Who Code and am sure I would not have the career I am so passionate about now if not for them."
Allison C. - Redwood City, CA

"I first joined WWCode after reading all of the inspiring stories in the website/blog. I then attended the launch of WWCode Dublin and it could not have been better. It was great to see how many women are involved in the tech industry. I work surrounded by men and it can be intimidating some times. It was very encouraging to find that there are women that make a difference and have a successful career in the male dominated IT world."
Natalia L. - Dublin, Ireland

"WWCode inspired me to change careers. Whilst still teaching I was attending WWCode meetup events and reading about a career in tech. The newsletters I received had inspiring stories from women, telling how they had found success in the industry. This inspired me to take my career by the horns. I quit my job, applied to General assembly and took my course in San Francisco. I'm now back in London, course completed and am itching to start my new career. I'm still attending coding meetups from WWCode and loving all that I am learning. The inspiration and support I have received has been phenomenal. None of my friends are interested in tech and so meeting others in a similar situation has been invaluable to me. Thank you to WWcode for opening the doors to a new world."
Lyndsay T. - London, UK