Four Reasons Every Female Developer Should Attend A Hackathon
Even for a seasoned computer programmer, hackathons can be an amazing opportunity to learn, network, and think outside the box. Success stories like GroupMe and the Facebook "Like" button (both of which came from humble hackathon beginnings) may feel unattainable to the average engineer, but that's half the fun! You never know what your team will come up with in the collaborative, fast-paced, rule-bending hackathon environment.
At the 2015 Emirates Travel Hackathon in San Francisco, software engineer Susan Chin and her all-women team took first place in the competition. Susan is no stranger to hackathons. She knows first-hand that hackathon attendees—like the tech world at large—are skewed heavily male. After a fellow attendee congratulated Susan on her win by saying, "I rarely see an all-girls team at hackathons, much less win one," she wrote a list of "Why More Women Should Attend Hackathons" on Women Who Code's blog. Here's why she thinks more women should try their hand at these rewarding events:
"Sharpen your public speaking/presentation skills"
Even if you're not a fan of presenting in front of a group, chances are you'll need to perfect this skill at some point in your career. Hackathons provide a great informal setting to practice public speaking and pitching your work to strangers.
"Network and have fun!"
Experienced programmers, eager newcomers, company representatives—hackathons have them all! Susan urges participants to keep an eye out for potential mentors. "If you meet someone who knows more than you, just ask them if you can contact them with more questions," she suggests. "The answer will always be no if you don't ask."
"Foster teamwork"
Working in the tech industry typically means working on a team, and that's a good thing! As Susan explains, "It's possible to build a good app by yourself, but you need a team to make a great app because it becomes a collective of all the different great ideas."
"Learn, learn, learn"
OK, so your team might not create the next GroupMe app—heck, you might not even finish your app at all. But if you attend a hackathon and put in the effort, you'll come away with new skills and knowledge that will make you a better engineer.
Are you interested in attending a hackathon, but perhaps not so thrilled about having to prove yourself in yet another male-dominated tech space? Consider starting with a women-only hackathon. Over the past year, women-only events have been held in Philadelphia, San Diego, Dubai, and even online. It's the perfect solution! You can experience all the fun of a traditional hackathon, but no one will ever ask you what it's like to be the only woman in the room—win-win.
To read Susan Chin's article about the benefits of hackathons in its entirety, check it out here.
Join PowerToFly today to become part of our fast-growing network of all-star women in tech.
Learning Code In Los Angeles? These Places Have You Covered
The Los Angeles tech scene is not to be underestimated. Google, Yahoo!, Facebook, Snapchat, BuzzFeed, and dozens of other tech companies have offices in LA — often located in the Westside’s Silicon Beach region.
If you’re eager to break into that LA tech scene, look no further! The following groups will get you started on your journey to become a developer, or help you level up your skills if you’re a more advanced student. Check out the list below to see which courses are right for you.
Learn Teach Code
Course level: Beginner — Advanced
Example courses: Intro to HTML Workshop; Python Programming Study Group
Price range: $0
Founded in early 2015 by Liz Krane, Learn Teach Code is as much about building community as it is about learning computer science skills. Liz began hosting the meetups so that she herself would have fellow beginners to study with “first in my living room, then in coffee shops and any offices that would offer to host us.” In 2016, Liz gave a presentation about starting the group when she herself was a beginner. She explained, “You don’t have to be an expert to help other people learn something.”
Over the past year and a half, Learn Teach Code has evolved into a highly active programming meetup with multiple events per week, ranging from study groups to workshops. The group is beginner-focused but welcomes students of all levels. “At our study groups, the goal is to share knowledge and meet people,” says Liz. If you’re a motivated learner looking for some study buddies, this could be the group for you.
Girl Develop It — Los Angeles
Course level: Beginner & Intermediate
Example courses: WordPress 101; Intro to Mobile App Building
Price range: $0 — $90
Girl Develop It is a national nonprofit focused on teaching women to code in an affordable, judgment-free setting. Natalie MacLees, Co-Founder and Chapter Leader of GDI Los Angeles, explains that what sets Girl Develop It apart from other coding classes in the area is it offers a welcoming, supportive, beginner-friendly environment. As Natalie notes (and as any woman in tech knows), “It can be really helpful to have a supportive community of women … who can give advice, help you learn, push you to excel and listen when you vent.” That supportive community can definitely be found at Girl Develop It — Los Angeles.
Although Girl Develop It does focus on instructing women, classes are open to all students aged 18 and up. Most of the LA chapter’s courses are targeted to beginners, but as the chapter grows they do intend to offer more intermediate and advanced classes.
Thinkful L.A.
Course level: Beginner & IntermediateExample courses: Flexible Web Development Bootcamp, Full Time Web Development Bootcamp, Flexible Data Science Bootcamp
Price range: $0 — $14,000
Thinkful L.A. is a coding bootcamp focused on helping students learn to code and get jobs as developers and data scientists. Every week, they host free events for beginners and intermediate developers on topics like HTML/CSS, JavaScript, and important developer tools like git/GitHub. Bi-weekly tech talks focus on topics like getting started in tech, choosing your first programming language, and building an impressive portfolio.
Thinkful offers both full time and flexible options for their coding bootcamp, where they teach full stack web development through 1-on-1 mentorship and project-driven learning. Thinkful is the only L.A. coding bootcamp with a job-placement guarantee and an independently audited report on student outcomes.
Coding Dojo
Course level: Beginner & Intermediate
Example courses: Onsite Flex Bootcamp; Dev Accelerator
Price range: $50 — $11995
No matter what language you’re looking to learn, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll find an applicable course at Coding Dojo’s LA campus, located in Burbank, CA. The school offers a 14-week “flex bootcamp” in which students choose three different technology stacks to learn — choices include PHP, Python, iOS, Ruby on Rails and MEAN. Alternatively, advanced students can choose to learn a single stack during a four-week Dev Accelerator course. Not ready for the commitment? Coding Dojo has evening classes and single-day workshops to choose from as well.
Katie Bouwkamp, Coding Dojo’s Director of Communications, explains that the main advantage to the school’s multi-stack style is that “employers in LA are looking for versatile, self-sufficient developers. We believe that the best way to prime students for the job market is to teach multiple programming languages.” Better yet, Coding Dojo offers scholarships of up to $2,000 for aspiring female programmers.
UCLA Extension Engineering & Technology
Course level: Beginner — Advanced
Example courses: Introduction to PHP with MySQL; Google Android Development
Price range: $925 — $8,950
The Engineering & Technology department at UCLA Extension offers a variety of individual courses, certificates, and sequential programs on topics ranging from python programming to machine learning. According to the school’s website, most programs offer open admission — that is, you simply enroll by paying the initial fee. In many cases, you can simply enroll in a single course that interests you (even if that course is offered as part of a certificate).
If this traditional higher ed setting sounds right for you, don’t miss UCLA Extension’s list of offerings. The school does not offer job placement services, but does note on its website that “your coursework will provide you with opportunities to network with instructors and other students, many of whom are working professionals.”
Los Angeles Women’s Ruby on Rails Group
Course level: Beginner
Example courses: Introduction to Git and Github; Open Source Pair & Mob Programming
Price range: $0+
The LA Women’s Ruby on Rails Group is a beginner-focused group that meets regularly on LA’s East Side. According to Organizer Jen Diamond, it’s “meant to encourage women to join into the technology space by offering a comfortable, inviting environment.” Anyone who’s curious about learning to code (but perhaps doesn’t know where to start) would be well-suited to attend these meetups.
Jen explains that the events are “a great place to learn by collaborating with other developers. [They provide] an opportunity to meet other developers to work with or to find a mentor, to ask questions and to learn.” The meetups are free of charge, but Jen notes that the group is planning to add some more formal classes to its agenda in the near future which will have a small fee.
General Assembly
Course level: Beginner & Intermediate
Example courses: iOS Development Immersive; Introduction to Lean UX Methods
Price range: $35 — $14,500
Generally Assembly has well over a dozen campuses around the world, including two in Los Angeles: one downtown, and one in Santa Monica. In addition to providing high quality instruction, the school has “an education-to-employment approach aimed to set students up for success outside of the classroom,” according to Marketing Manager Marina Rusinow.
General Assembly offers full-time and part-time immersives for beginners, as well as many shorter classes and workshops. The wide variety of of topics and class types makes this school a great pick for many students.
Join PowerToFly today to become part of our fast-growing network of all-star women in tech.
6 Tips For Acing Any Job Interview
“When a hot dog expands, in which direction does it split and why?" “Would you rather fight one horse-sized duck, or 100 duck-sized horses?" “If you're the CEO, what are the first three things you check about the business when you wake up?"
In most job interviews, you're not going to have to worry about oddball questions like the ones above (which came from Space Exploration Technologies, Whole Foods Market, and Dropbox). Even so, interviewing for a new job can range from stressful to terrifying — and what's worse, a bad case of nerves can keep you from making a good impression when it matters most.
Don't panic, though! Acing an interview isn't actually all that complicated. It's all about the preparation: knowing what to expect, how best to convey yourself, and how to handle those tricky questions you may be asked (“biggest weakness," anyone?).
I sat down with two members of PowerToFly's Talent Management team to discuss tips and tricks for interviewees: Rachel Valdez, Head of Global Talent Management, and Deveshe Dutt, Director of Talent Management. Below are some of the key pieces of advice they had to offer:
1. Practice telling your story.
Chances are, you're going to be asked to tell the interviewer a bit about yourself. And if you haven't practiced, it'll be oh-so-tempting to rattle off the basics: I was born here, I went to school there, I worked over there, the end.
Instead, Rachel suggests that you: “Practice telling your story as it relates to the position you're interviewing for. What can you pull out of your bio, your history, your volunteer experience, your passions, that's really going to stand out for that position?"
2. Dress the part, even online.
So you've landed a video interview. Congrats, you don't have to wear pants! JUST KIDDING (of course). As you may have guessed, it doesn't matter whether your interview is online or in person — either way, it's crucial to dress according to the particular company's work culture.
Taking it a step further, “dressing the part" can be about more than what you wear. “If the interview is on the phone, have energy in your voice," Rachel says. “You always want to convey confidence and curiosity about the company."
Bonus tip: in a video call, your background matters. Deveshe warns, “You don't want some weird painting in the back or your roommate walking around in pajamas."
3. Convey your passion.
Of course hiring managers are interested in your experience and qualifications, but they also want to see how you conduct yourself in the interview. “At the end of the day," Deveshe explains, “They're looking for drive. You need to get yourself excited about the job, you need to think about why you fit, and you need to get your power pose on." In other words, being confident and approaching the interview with the right attitude can make a huge difference in your performance.
4. Never burn a bridge.
Discussing previous jobs can be tricky. Our job placement experts warn interviewees to be careful about venturing too far into negative territory. Rachel has a great analogy for this: “If you go on a date with someone, and you're always talking about the ex in this really annoying way, you're not going to make it to the next date." Your job interview is a lot like that date.
On top of that, word spreads fast. Don't bother talking trash about a previous employer because you never know if they'll end up hearing about it. Yes, maybe you had a horrible past experience, but do your best to keep the conversation positive. This is not an appropriate time to gossip.
5. Don't call yourself a workaholic.
What's your biggest weakness? Rachel suggests steering clear of relying on the “I work too much" cliché. Not only does that overused answer suggest that you don't really know your own weaknesses (which in turn means you're not working to fix them), but research actually shows that working more hours doesn't make you more productive.
Pick your answer to this inevitable question ahead of time, but be prepared to offer a positive spin. Maybe you have a lot of trouble facilitating meetings, or you wish you knew a specific skill — what are you actively doing to improve in that area?
6. Follow up.
“It's really important that you follow up right after the interview," Rachel stresses. “Acknowledge people's time, and take this opportunity to highlight anything you forgot to mention in the interview. Use this as another chance to show your passion and interest."
You should plan to send this follow-up the same day you have your interview — which means thinking ahead and getting the emails of everyone you interview with. If you've been given a follow-up assignment, Deveshe notes that this is also the perfect time to ask any clarifying questions and set expectations for when you'll have that finished.
Of course there's no way to prep for every interview question out there, but these six tips should get you well on your way to a successful meeting. If you're applying for remote positions in particular, be sure to check out “Real Hiring Managers Reveal How To Get A Remote Job" as a next read.
Why You Shouldn’t Judge A Developer By How Many Lines Of Code She Pushes
For people who aren't familiar with software development, it can be easy to assume that all developers work in the same way. After all, estimations of a task's difficulty (whether you're using days, points, or some other metric) leave little room for distinction between developers. There are junior, senior, and lead engineers, but what about good and bad engineers, and the differences of productivity and quality between them?
Former software developer Piet Hadermann takes on this topic in his blog post "Your Developers Aren't Bricklayers, They're Writers." A good developer, he explains, is not difficult to define: it's someone who writes well, logically, and with very few bugs. According to Robert Glass, author of "Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering," these good developers can be up to 28 times better than bad developers. How is that even possible? It's simple: better code leads to less pressure on managers and other developers, fewer unexpected bugs, a more reliable product, and a stronger, more productive team.
In contrast, bad developers, can make the coding process way more complex. Not only do they write bad code, Piet says, they spend too much time on illogical code that's difficult to maintain and is riddled with bugs. A single QA cycle with bad code can take weeks and result in an abundance of new bugs. Two or three QA cycles later, the release is late, other departments are unhappy, and the team's productivity has already suffered greatly. When you take this bigger picture into account, it's not hard to see how the quality of a developer can have such a profound effect on an entire team.
Making a distinction between good and bad developers isn't about pointing fingers or shaming certain people. It's about making sure that good developers are celebrated, rewarded, and fairly compensated for the quality of their work. It's also about helping non-engineers understand that every developer is different, every team is different, and trying to force standardization between them can often do more harm than good.
People who don't understand software development often think of it like factory work — as long as you churn out "X" lines of code each day, you're worth "Y" salary. But this simplistic view ignores the differences between how individuals work, and the quality of work they complete. In order to foster a cohesive, productive work environment, it's imperative that non-engineers begin to better understand this concept.
To read more about Piet's experiences with measuring developer productivity, check out his original blog post here.
