Switch Up: How to Switch Careers to Become a Ruby Engineer
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Ruby Conference 20148 / 65
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Transcript: English(auto-generated)
00:19
Thank you guys so much for coming.
00:20
I'm Kinsey. I'm gonna talk about switching careers to be a Ruby developer, so yes, I'll just start. So just a little bit of background so you guys know kind of how I'm biased in my perspective, I think it's important. I come from a untraditional background. I studied advertising at CU, and my dream was actually to work at a big advertising agency.
00:42
So people were very shocked when I started to become interested in programming. I actually was really, really scared and intimidated to get into it, to be honest. I thought that this is what you had to look like to be a developer, and obviously it was wrong. So I think it's important to realize that and understand that.
01:01
So the first thing that I went to was a Women Who Code meetup, and I was super inspired. I was really excited to start learning, and it all of a sudden didn't feel intimidating. So I went on to do RailsBridge workshops. This is Desi McAdam, if you don't know her. She's really involved in RailsBridge, and that was huge. I built a Rails app in one day
01:22
and deployed it on Heroku, and I was like, oh my God, I can do this. So that was a really great feeling and really excited that I discovered this passion that I have for programming. So I was fortunate enough to do an apprenticeship at Thoughtbot. They have an awesome apprenticeship program, so if you are learning and are looking
01:42
to do something like that, it's definitely something you should look into. I did a little bit of teaching at G School. I was a TA there, and it was really awesome because I got to see a totally different perspective, and once I started having to teach things, it really solidified a lot of knowledge that I wasn't aware of before.
02:03
And now I work for a company called GoSpaCheck, and we do data collection for field marketing teams, and I love it. I get to pair full-time, which is a very new experience for me, but definitely learning a lot and pushing my boundaries with pairing all the time. So my story kind of sounds like a Cinderella story,
02:23
and a lot of stories that I hear are very much this fairytale story of finding your passion for writing code and getting this amazing job and how easy and awesome and carefree it is. And a lot of times, I don't think that it's, it doesn't feel like that every day, so it's important to be aware of that and know that there was definitely a lot of struggle
02:42
and hardship to get there. So I have a couple things that I wanna talk to you guys about if you are looking to transition into becoming a Ruby developer, kind of some pointers and some things to be aware of. And also, even if you're just switching, if you're already a developer and wanna get into the Ruby community, which someone was asking me about earlier,
03:01
I think it will be relevant to you as well. So Kerry mentioned this beforehand, but working really hard. I, you know, picture what you think it's going to be like to get to the point where you can write code full time and get paid to write code. I thought it was gonna be an easy, like, you know, snap of my fingers because RailsBridge was like that.
03:21
I, you know, snapped my fingers and I had this awesome working app, and I was like, oh my God, like, I didn't realize this was so easy. It actually was not easy at all, so having that in your mind, I think, you know, you need to realize that it is going to be really hard, and Kerry, you know, touched on that earlier. So I was used to things coming very easy to me, you know, being able to work on something
03:41
for two months straight and, you know, getting it and being like, yeah, I know what I'm doing. And I feel like I've been doing it now for two years and I still don't know what I'm doing. I know a lot of senior engineers, I don't know if you guys think this is true, like, you guys are all senior engineers, and if it gets, you know, any easier, probably doesn't.
04:02
So it's definitely a rollercoaster ride, a lot of ups and downs of days where I was like, wow, I'm a really good developer. I am so awesome, like, I can rule the world, I can build whatever I want, and then the next day I would be in tears because I was like, I have no idea what I'm doing. So being ready to kind of ride that emotional rollercoaster.
04:21
So yeah, I think it's really important to just be ready and willing to work hard because that was something that really shocked me, to be honest, and I have never worked so hard in my life. So there we go. But it was worth it, it's awesome. So the second thing is to kind of go along with this on the other end is avoiding burnout. This is a real thing, and a lot of times
04:42
when you're learning, it feels like you have to work all the time, you feel like you have so much to learn, and honestly, the more you write code, the more you start to realize that you have so much more to learn. It's this weird feeling, so you constantly feel like you have to work. One thing that I recommend is the Pomodoro technique. So even for the people who are already developers,
05:01
if you're working alone, I really recommend doing this. You set the timer for 25 minutes, you work on one thing nonstop, you don't check Twitter, you don't check your email, and after that, you take a five-minute break. And you do that a couple times, and then you can take a longer break for lunch or something like that, and I really think that it's an effective technique,
05:20
especially because you're staring at the computer screen all day, to really get up, walk around, and take a break and do techniques like the Pomodoro technique really helped me out. Also, I am from Colorado, so I do yoga, and just maintaining the things that make you happy outside of writing code. Like yoga, I also do agility with my dog.
05:41
I don't know if anyone does that, but keeping with your regular hobbies because burnout is a real thing. I also think that in the industry, there tends to be this stereotype, or almost this peer pressure, of feeling like you have to work all the time. You have to write code all the time, all day, every day, after work, on the weekend,
06:02
especially as a beginner, because you wanna feel like you can get to that point where you know something and really can own what you're doing. I have other passions besides writing code, and honestly, I'm really jealous of people who can do that and whose passions are just writing code. I think that's awesome, and I think they're amazing developers,
06:21
but I can't do that all day, every day, without totally burning out, and that happened to me. So just not feeling guilty for not wanting to do it all the time. I think it's important. Also, collaborate. So, you know, I always had this idea beforehand when I had that stereotype in my mind that you sat in your mom's basement
06:40
and wrote code by yourself, and you didn't have to collaborate or talk to other humans. I honestly thought that was really appealing, to be honest. I was like, yes, I don't have to deal with people. But I now pair full-time, so I feel even more that I collaborate and have to talk more than I ever have at any other job, which I think is funny.
07:00
But even if you're not pairing, I really think, even if you're sitting alone, put your headphones on, crank and code, that's one of my favorite things to do, it's still very much collaborative. You're working on teams, you're dealing with people constantly, and you're also having to communicate through your code. So I think it's really important to remember that communication and collaboration
07:21
and dealing with people is a big part of the job, and not forgetting that and forgetting your people skills, which I thought I could do. So yeah, just remembering how important this is. So one thing I wanna talk about specifically for people not only wanting to get into writing code, but also who are looking to get into the Ruby community,
07:41
is really building your brand. I think that's important, and I see a lot of people in the audience who have really done that, and which has made them super successful. Networking is super important, and I think that's especially true in the Ruby community. You hire the people you know, or at least that's true from what I've found,
08:01
and that it's a very, very social community. Like earlier, in the keynote, or not the keynote, before the keynote, Marty was saying that they have all these social events, which is rare for some conferences, and I think Ruby is a very social community, thus all the social events that we have here. And I've found that people hire people they know and trust.
08:21
All the jobs that I've had, ThoughtBuck, GoSpotCheck, Now, Galvanize, they were all through people I hadn't met, and no, face-to-face. I have never submitted a resume for a job and gotten it, I must say. It's really hard to do it this day and age, I think. I think you can be lucky, but I really think you should really trust networking
08:41
and know that that's the way to go. So I'm gonna talk a little bit about these things, which I think are important to have. Twitter, RubyConf has been a huge hashtag, talking to people on Twitter. I see a lot of people that I know and I just know them from Twitter, so I think that's important. Find someone that you really respect in the industry
09:00
and look at who they're following and follow all the people that they're following. That's something I did when I was first starting out because I was like, I have no idea who to follow. This is so scary, there's so many people out there. But finding someone and following all the people that they followed really gave me a direction. Also, GitHub, I love this picture. Having a GitHub profile is super important.
09:21
And even if you're just doing little katas or little exercises, don't be afraid to put them on there. I think people really value that when they're hiring. LinkedIn, I don't think is as important, but important to have a way that you can connect with people professionally. Also, Meetups, Meetups are huge. That's where I really met all the people in my career
09:41
who have made a big difference and who are mentors in my life. So I feel like it's really important to go out into your community and go to Meetups. I'm not sure if everyone has the luxury of doing that, but I fortunately live in Denver where there are a ton of awesome Meetups and I get to meet awesome people who are excited about writing code and who are willing to teach, and I think that's awesome.
10:01
So really taking advantage of that. And you get free food and drink at most of them, so it's really a win-win situation. Also going to conferences. But everyone is here at a conference, so you're already doing this, which is awesome. I've met a lot of really awesome people, learned so much, so it's really awesome that you all are here. Sorry, I keep saying awesome so many times.
10:23
Also, open source. I think open source is very, very important if you can do it or you feel comfortable doing it. I don't think it's a requirement, which I will talk about later. But if you have the opportunity to do it or to learn from someone, ask someone who is really big into open source
10:41
and ask them if there's something small that you can do. Lauren and Ernie are really big open source contributors and have their own gems and own projects, and I'm sure they would be willing to point you in the right direction. And that's what I did, and it made a huge difference because I wasn't intimidated anymore. I had someone who told me exactly what to do.
11:01
I didn't feel stupid asking questions, so I think that's really important is finding someone that you can trust who won't be like, wow, your code sucks, because that's the scariest thing ever. Also, hack-a-thons. So when I was first learning, I went to a hack-a-thon, and I got to pair with an awesome developer for two days straight. So that was awesome.
11:20
Not only was I doing something really cool for the city of Denver, but I was also learning a ton. So if you have a hack-a-thon that you know of where you can pair with someone like that, that's a really good opportunity. Also volunteering for outreach programs like Rails Bridge and Rails Girls. You know, even if you know very little, you can still teach,
11:40
and that's kind of where I'm going with this. You can mentor people even if you just know basics, like what's an array, what's a hash. You can teach, and automatically, things will be solidified for you. It's pretty awesome. So definitely recommend doing that. Another thing that a lot of people who are entering the industry, I think, struggle with
12:01
is shooting too high, or shooting high but being afraid to take jobs that are not so ideal. So I think it's important to just get your foot in the door and be able to get there one day. But I do think that you should shoot high. But you shoot for your dream job, and if you don't get it, pick yourself back up and keep trying.
12:20
I know I was doing that, and I didn't get a couple jobs, and I was like, wow, maybe I shouldn't do this anymore because I'm not good enough, and I just needed to not shoot so high and take my time getting there. So we always hear of these jobs that have coffee carts, and you can take your dog to work. They have chefs that make beef tartare for you on a drop of a dime.
12:41
You can work remote in places like Hawaii. Also, I've heard of ridiculous offices that have all these amazing perks, and I think that this is very much a very exclusive part of the tech community, and it shouldn't be an expectation. And I often hear a lot of people when I was teaching at G School
13:01
saying that that was something that they wanted, but I don't think that's necessarily reality. Another thing is building something that changes people's lives, which is harder to do sometimes as well. But just find a company that will go to bat for you. It is an investment to invest in a junior, I think, or to train a junior
13:21
who doesn't really know what they're doing, who doesn't have a lot of experience, so just realizing that. Also, a place where learning is valued, I think that's more important than the perks, to be honest, and can be supportive, because if you're entering a job and there aren't enough senior developers, or there aren't enough people who can support you, it's gonna make learning really hard,
13:40
and it's not gonna be the best fit. So I think that should be your number one priority when you're looking to jump into this. Also, finding a mentor, I think it's really important. I saw a thread on a chat room in Code Newbies, and somebody was talking about how they thought mentors were pointless and really hard to work with, and I think that's true,
14:01
but I think it's worth putting the effort in to finding a mentor. These are some of my mentors, and they've been hugely awesome and really given their time. I also think it's important to give back to your mentor, so if they do something nice for you and they spend their Saturday working with you, buy them lunch. Find out a way where you can pay it back to them,
14:21
I think is really, really important. They can really help you through a lot of things and point you in the right direction, and also, like I said, help you find connections in the community. If they know someone who has a job, they can introduce you, and that personal introduction will go way further than a resume, like a cold resume in an email. So yeah, connections go a long way.
14:42
Another thing I wanna talk about is perpetuating stereotypes. I think we're in a really awesome position as new people coming into this really awesome community to make it even more awesomer. I'm just gonna keep using awesome. So yeah, I think it's important to kind of be aware of stereotypes
15:01
and help in breaking them down. I can use this picture because it's my boyfriend, but this is what I think of when I think of a developer. Beard, t-shirt, hoodie, glasses, and I still perpetuate that stereotype. A lot of times, people who look differently than that aren't taken seriously
15:20
because they maybe don't look the part, and I do that too. So I think just being aware of our stereotypes and our biases is really important. Also, kind of around the argument of what makes a good developer. I've been reading a lot of interesting blog posts lately of I was kind of doing some research for this talk on what people thought made a good developer.
15:41
So a couple of things that I saw was Stack Overflow reputation, which I think is really dumb. Stack Overflow can be the worst. Also, somebody was saying open source. And if you don't contribute to open source, you're too shy to share your code because it's crap,
16:00
which I think is terrible, and I think a lot more reasons kind of go into it. It's hard to break into open source. Also, education, which I obviously think is false. I know a lot of people who don't have traditional computer science backgrounds or even have gone to a code school and have been self-taught and totally have done it, so I don't think that's a very fair way at all to judge someone as a good developer.
16:21
So because I don't have a computer science degree, does that make me a bad developer? I think it makes me a better developer. Just kidding. This other article also, so number six really kind of made me upset. A cubicle or desk populated with toys that came from ThinkGeek.
16:40
So once again, really perpetuating the stereotype of what we think a developer is and what makes a good developer. So this is, the title of the article was like symptoms of a good developer, so that's why it says symptoms here. To clarify that. So yeah, and also number three, okay, so you know buzzwords, so you can throw around buzzwords.
17:01
That makes you a good developer, which I thought was pretty laughable. Are you guys still reading this or can I change it? Good, okay. So I think we really need to open our minds to new ways of thinking. A lot of times I have been told in one-on-ones that there's nothing I could do better,
17:21
but I am held back because of my background. And you know, I don't really think that's fair because I don't have a computer science background or a math background. I think I just have a different way of thinking. So I'm hoping in the years to come that these new ways of thinking will be embraced. And also embracing different backgrounds.
17:40
Because right now it seems very much like the same person way of thinking. So I think that we have the power to change that as new people who are coming into the community. So I think it's really important that we do that. So now onto being passionate. Not necessarily what you think.
18:00
So when I first made this talk, it was before I had listened to this podcast with Sarah May and Brandon Hayes. I don't know if you guys probably know them. And I was like, you have to be passionate about writing code all day, every day. And I was lying to myself. I am very passionate about writing code, but in different ways.
18:21
And that's something they talk about. So they talk about different motives for being passionate about writing code. They talked about how money motivates people, how making a salary high enough to support your family is a motivation. Building things, which is one of my motivations. I don't necessarily get really passionate about, I don't know, writing a block or something like that.
18:43
I'm really passionate about building things and the work that it takes to get there. And also being able to use this tool one day to have some sort of social impact on the world. So I think it's important to know that it's okay that you're not really passionate about writing code. Maybe you don't love it. And that's what the podcast was about.
19:01
So I thought that was a really interesting perspective to think of. Another thing is embracing that you are bad at this. So you well stuck at this at first. You well fail. You will always have a test suite that is turning red more than it's turning green. And it's the most frustrating thing.
19:22
And that's okay. And I think it's a really awesome lesson in life to keep failing over and over again. It doesn't get any easier, kind of like what we talked about earlier. But the good thing is you're always learning and you always get to look forward to never getting stale and there's always something new to learn, always a new technology. So I think that's super exciting.
19:41
And that is another reason why I think this is the best kind of industry to be in right now. So really embrace the fact that you don't know anything and that you're bad at it. Own it and don't lie about it. I struggled with this at first in interviews. I would pretend that I knew what I was talking about and throw out those buzzwords like Arduino and TDD and BDD.
20:02
And then when it came down to actually having to show something in like a period interview, I was totally screwed because I didn't know what I was doing. I just knew the buzzwords. So that was a very good lesson too. But I also think it's important to realize the middle way in this. Don't go too far the other way because then you have imposter syndrome.
20:20
So kind of own what you know, but also own what you don't know. And I think being self-aware is hugely important if you wanna be a good developer, even be a developer. Another thing is fighting for your right to write code. And I have this picture of the BC boys.
20:40
So instead of fight for your right to party, to fight for your right to write code. I think this might pertain a little more to the ladies in the audience, but also I've heard this happening to men too. But a lot of times it's awesome. You know, we talk about people coming from different backgrounds and how great that is and how it's really gonna make this an awesome, diverse community. So if you embrace your background and you know, you're telling this potential employer,
21:02
like I, you know, I came from a business background so I'll be able to talk to clients and do all this. I have all these other skills that are just gonna make me that much better of a developer. The problem is, you know, you use it to your advantage, but the problem is you could get pulled the other way. You know, they'll all of a sudden have you doing more things that are relevant to that.
21:20
And that happened to me in a job. I started taking on more things that were dealing with people and softer skills and it ended up being where I wasn't writing code anymore. So if that happens, I think you really need to evaluate. I came to this kind of fork in the road. Should I keep writing code or should I not write code and just do this because I'm good at it
21:40
or should I keep, you know, fighting to write code? And I'm really glad that I chose to, you know, fight for my right to write code because I really love doing it and I was just scared, but that might not be true for everyone. So just being aware of that and being aware that that happens. Yeah, so interview a lot.
22:01
Don't apply for your dream job if you've never done a technical interview. One thing that I recommend is like making a list of your top 10 companies and then starting from the bottom and going up. That way you have a lot of practice. They're a lot different than any other interview and you will suck at them at first, like I mentioned. So it's the only way to get better and more comfortable with these
22:20
is keep doing them over and over again. Mentors can also really help with this because you can practice doing whiteboarding interviews, even though I think whiteboarding interviews are terrible. So don't do them. And you know, you might have a disadvantage if you're not coming from a computer science background. I've gotten asked a couple questions that I didn't think were relevant to the job,
22:41
but were just very much computer science buzzwords. And you know, I don't think those questions are very fair but be prepared for them even though it'll be really hard to answer if you don't have a four-year degree under your belt. But again, just own that you don't know it. And know that you can do it. You know, I love that picture.
23:02
Be careful. There will be a lot of people who tell you that you can. I know my parents, when I first started doing it, were like, you're gonna sit behind a computer in a dark corner all day and write code? Once again, this stereotype. And it's definitely not like that, but having to convince people who don't know what it's really like is really difficult.
23:22
So not getting too discouraged for people saying that you can't do that or it's not your personality is a big one. Yeah, anyone can do it if you want. I really think that it is a learned skill or it can be a learned skill and you don't have to have some innate sense of doing it. It might take you a little bit longer.
23:40
I know it takes me a little bit longer to get things and then someone comes and does it in five minutes and so jealous, but yeah. And I really do think that Ruby is a great place to start. It's an awesome community. And we were talking earlier and we were talking about how it really is more than a programming language. It's kind of a community and I think that's really awesome and really rare.
24:03
There's this awesome, what is it? Acronym, acronym? Minswan, I actually learned about that from Terrence. And it's, Matt's is nice, so we are nice, which I think is awesome. And I think that's very true in the Ruby community. Very open, very willing to help. So don't be afraid to ask someone for help
24:21
because more than likely, if you buy them a coffee and you show that you're really serious about it, they will totally give you a half hour or an hour of their time. Yes, so I think Ruby is a great place to start, but I have to have the disclaimer I'm not writing Ruby anymore and I'm actually going into doing mobile development, which I've been doing for the last two months and I've really enjoyed it
24:41
and I definitely think it is the future, but it's making me better at Ruby in a weird way. I think learning Java, a different language. So I think it's cool if you want to explore other things too. But I do think that Ruby's a great place to start. So for those of you who are sitting here and not sure kind of what next step is if you are looking to get into this,
25:00
figure out what's going to work for you. A lot of people ask me, should I do a bootcamp or should I do it on my own? I really think that these immersive six month bootcamps are really awesome and if you can quit your job and spend six months, eight to five, learning a ton on your own
25:20
and really dedicating that time not doing anything else, doing it with little direction, that's awesome. But most people can't do that and that's why I think the programs are really good for that because they actually make you make time for it, which can be a big thing. Also competition, a lot of the junior jobs right now are going to these people who have been writing code for six months
25:41
and have direction and have been taught by professional developers. So that's a huge benefit I think. And one thing that I wanted to mention to be aware of is the market is starting to be saturated with junior developers. And so that's why it's really important to make those personal connections, build your brand, really go above and beyond. So that way when they think of a junior,
26:00
they have tired junior, they think of you because you know them and you've worked hard and you've really shown that you're passionate about it. That's all I have for you guys. This is my Twitter handle, my email. I want to thank my company for sending me out here and also to RubyConf for having a beginner's track. That's huge. A lot of times you go to conferences and the talks are way up here,
26:21
you have no idea what's going on, it's really discouraging. So I think it's really cool that RubyConf is doing a beginner track now. Cool, well thank you guys for coming so late and hanging out. I appreciate it.