Stories and interviews from people on their coding journey.
S25:E7 - Overcoming Fears and Pursuing Passions (Stefi Rosca)
Saron chats with Stefi Rosca, Frontend Engineer at Typeform. Stefi talks about their path to breaking into tech in their later twenties after having a fulfilling career in marketing. They also talk about the communities they joined to help motivate and encourage them along the way and how they leveled up in the tech space. Show Links Compiler (sponsor) Stefi's Website Stefi's GitHub Stefi's LinkedIn Stefi's X Account The Recurse Center Codebar freeCodeCamp C
S25:E6 - Big Tech: What They Say vs. What They Mean (Rachel Lee Nabors)
Saron sits down with Rachel Nabors again. They talk about what Rachel has been up to since they were last on the show in 2017, the inside scoop of Big Tech, and Rachel’s experience working for organizations such as Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft. You’ll also hear why Rachel has decided their next chapter will be at a startup and what they are hoping for in their future. Show Links Compiler (sponsor) See Rachel at React Brussels (Oct 13) See Rachel at React JS Day, Verona (Oct 27) See Rachel at City JS Berlin (Nov 3) See Rachel at React Summit NYC (Nov 13 - 15) Animation at Work Wiggly Goose Club Rachel's 2017 CodeNewbie Episode Rachel's 2014 CodeNewbie Episode Rachel's Instagram Rachel's Twitter Rachel's GitHub Rachel's Website Web Animations API React
S25:E5 - Mastering Leadership (Brian Jenney)
In this episode, Saron sits down with Brian Jenney, Senior Software Engineering Manager at Clorox. Saron talks to Brian about his struggles with addiction, how he changed his life and turned a new leaf with coding and sobriety, and how his go-getter personality has served him well and continues to play a role in his current success. They also talk about what being a leader looks like and the ways in which you can become a leader regardless of the challenges life throws at you. Show Links Compiler (sponsor) GitHub YouTube LinkedIn X Instagram AngularJS C# JS Code Coach
S25:E4 - Diversity Dialogues in Tech (Ale Thomas)
Saron talks to Ale Thomas, Developer Advocate and Web Developer at Kubeshop | Mixed Change. Ale talks about growing up in Mexico and learning to code on her own. She walks us through her career history and how she paved her way into tech without a CS degree. She highlights how mentors played a critical role in her coding journey and how important finding those mentors and a community is. Finally, Ale shares her thoughts on what inclusivity in tech means to her and the work she is doing to make an impact in the space. Show Links Compiler (sponsor) Ale's GitHub Ale's LinkedIn Ale's Instagram Ale's Twitter React Angular Scrum HackerRank DSA C# Python C++
S25:E3 - Self-Taught Coding Stories of a Former Lab Scientist (Vanessa Vun)
Join us as we sit down with Vanessa Vun, Frontend Engineer at SciShield. Vanessa talks about how she first built a computer when she was in middle school but ended up taking a different path for her studies and found herself back in tech after working as a Clinical Lab Scientist for 10 years. Vanessa shares how she gained her technical experience to put herself in the best position when applying for jobs, along with tips on how others could learn from her journey. Show Links Compiler (sponsor) Vanessa's GitHub Vanessa's LinkedIn Vanessa's Twitter Vanessa's Instagram Code for America Hack for LA Open Source Technology C++
S25:E2 - The Journey from a Bootcamp to a FAANG (Alex Lee)
Meet Alex Lee, Frontend Engineer at Amazon. In this episode, we learn why Alex pivoted away from Mechanical Engineering and we follow his journey of transformation, opting to learn to code through a bootcamp over multiple law school offers. Alex also talks about his passion as a dedicated career coach and we learn more about Alex who not only excels in the realm of cutting-edge technology but also empowers others to navigate their career paths with confidence. Show Links Compiler (sponsor) Alex's GitHub Alex's Youtube Alex's LinkedIn Alex's Twitter TechRally Website Alex's Instagram Git Series A Company Flatiron School
S25:E1 - Pivoting to Tech from Biomedical Science (Marley Anthony)
In the kickoff episode to Season 25, Saron talks to Marley Anthony, Software Engineer at Bench Accounting. Marley talks about his career pivot from studying biomedical sciences to getting into tech. He unravels his strategies and tactics to secure his first internship, the pivotal steps he took to transition into his current role, and the significance of laying a solid foundation of knowledge early in his career. Tune in to gain valuable perspectives on strategies for landing that all-important internship, fostering growth, and embracing the ongoing pursuit of knowledge. Show Links Compiler (sponsor) LinkedIn Debug Git Variable JavaScript CSS
S24:E8 - A Model's Journey to Software Development (Madison Kanna)
Saron talks to Madison Kanna, Senior Software Engineer, Health and Wellness at Walmart. Saron talks to Madison about finding the inspiration to transition from being a model to becoming a skilled developer. Madison talks about the experiences, challenges, and moments that sparked her interest in development. Listeners will gain insights into the tools and resources she utilized to hone her coding skills when first embarking on this new path. Madison also highlights the importance of seeking mentorship and how mentorship can open doors to exciting opportunities. Show Links AWS Insiders (sponsor) Madison's Blog Web Development Systems Programming Data Science Python CodeBookClub Deep Work
S24:E7 - Navigating Layoffs with Intention (Natalie Davis)
Today, Saron sits down with Natalie Davis, who shares her experience pursuing software engineering after climbing the ladder in the retail industry for 15 years. In their conversation, Natalie talks about what she has learned navigating the tech industry, how she's navigated layoffs, and why she has grown to be more selective and intentional with prospective new opportunities. Show Links AWS Insiders (sponsor) Mark Thompson Cassidy Williams Developer Advocate 2FA Natalie Davis (GitHub) Natalie Davis (Twitter) README Angie Jones ISA (Income-Share Agreement)
S24:E6 - Surviving Cancer, Building Code, Thriving in Tech (Stacey Graham)
Saron sits down with Stacey Graham, Software Engineer at a fintech company. Stacey grew up curious about computers since being introduced to them in the 7th grade. Although she didn't take the full plunge into code immediately, she constantly provided technical support in her previous roles. Hear Stacey talk more about her experience navigating her career transition while battling health troubles, how you can level up and network in the tech community, and where to look for communities while you are just starting out. Show Links AWS Insiders (sponsor) Stacey's Instagram Stacey's Twitter Meetup.com WorkSource Atlanta Career Karma Team Treehouse Codecademy freeCodeCamp JavaScript CSS HTML Network Administrator
S24:E5 - Balancing Parenthood and Programming (Phoebe Voong-Fadel)
Today, Saron talks with Phoebe Voong-Fadel, a self-taught Frontend Developer at the National Foundation for Educational Research. After having transitioned from a successful 14-year career in Higher Education in 2017, Phoebe made the courageous decision to pursue coding full-time while balancing the responsibilities of being a mother to her two children. Along with learning about her experience balancing learning to code and being a mom we talk to Phoebe about her passions that extend beyond her professional role. She actively contributes to the coding community by writing articles for freeCodeCamp and mentors early-career developers. Show Links AWS Insiders (sponsor) Udemy React The Collab Lab Paired programming OpenLayers Front-end Development Python CS50 JavaScript #100DaysOfCode freeCodeCamp HTML
S24:E4 - From Occupational Therapy to Code (Africa Mincey)
Saron talks with Africa, a former Occupational Therapist specializing in virtual therapy and assistive technology. Saron and Africa talk about transitioning from Occupational Therapy to working as an Accessibility Engineer testing government software and teaching developers how to build more inclusive web applications. Africa also talks about her journey teaching herself how to code, what stretches are useful for Software Engineers, and how important coffee chats and networking are. Be sure to listen for the mini-guided stretch break during the episode as well! Show Links AWS Insiders (sponsor) Pomodoro Timer Your Stretch Break #100devs CS50: Introduction to Computer Science The Odin Project freeCodeCamp Occupational Therapy
S24:E3 - Building Products for Everyone (Daniel Devesa Derksen-Staats)
Saron talks to Senior Accessibility iOS Engineer at Spotify, Daniel Devesa Derksen-Staats. Daniel talks all about accessibility and specifically delves in on how he got interested in the field, examples of how to make code more accessible, and how others listening can add accessibility to their tool kit of coding skills. Author of the “Developing Accessible iOS Apps” book, he keeps himself busy by writing a daily tweet about accessibility and iOS with the hashtag #365DaysIOSAccessibility. Show Links AWS Insiders (sponsor) VoiceOver #365DaysIOSAccessibility Mobile A11y WWDC23 Developing Accessible iOS Apps Screen Readers Accessibility
S24:E2 - Understanding and Supporting Neurodivergence in Tech (Frankie Nicoletti)
Saron sits down again with Frankie Nicoletti who we heard from in Season 23. This time Saron and Frankie talk about neurodivergence. They talk about what neurodivergence is, how listening to people's needs and making accommodations to allow people to do their best work is and will always be good for everyone, not just those who are neurodivergent, and the benefits of being neurodivergent. Show Links AWS Insiders (sponsor) Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity Laziness Does Not Exist Loom Dyslexia Bottom-up thinking Autism ADHD Neurodivergence
S24:E1 - From Customer Service to Code (Tae'lur Alexis)
Tae’lur Alexis is a self taught software developer, application security enthusiast and content creator. Her mission is to help people with non traditional backgrounds break into tech. Tae'lur sits down with Saron to talk about her coding journey going from fast food to tech and the habits and tips she has learned to get to where she is today. Show Links AWS Insiders (sponsor) Tae'lur's Talk at BSides Baltimore 2023 Beer & Chocolate Delivery App The Pomodoro Technique freeCodeCamp The Web Developer Bootcamp 2023 Codeacademy