A Female Coder In A Man's World

Next up on our latest tech feature series, we managed to catch up with our recent bootcamp graduate of 2020, Lynette Lim who would be sharing her tech learning journey with us. Let’s get started shall we?

Tell us more about yourself:

Hi everyone! My name is Lynette and I am 23 years old this year. A little fun fact about me is that I only had background in arts and business management and zero knowledge in programming, prior to joining the course. I recently graduated from a Software Development Bootcamp and am currently working as a Frontend Developer in a digital analytics agency, Sparkline.

What makes you decide to take up the DSD course?

Well, creating your own blogs from scratch were really popular during my teenage years and I used to dabble a lot with HTML/CSS by customizing the template to my preference. Since then, my interest in web design and coding grew and I realized I could transition these interests to a long-term career as a Front-End Developer. However, I was a little hesitant as I thought that it was impossible for me to pursue this career without a solid background in Engineering/Computer Science till I discovered the existence of coding bootcamps.

What attracted you to learn coding?

Through this course, I learnt that the concept of coding itself is so versatile and that’s what really attracted me to it. The fact that you can create anything by just inputting codes and build webpages/applications from scratch, allows me to use my creativity to create what I like and not be subjected to a template.

Why did you chose Trent? What do you like most about the school and the course?

I stumbled upon Trent Global College while reviewing the IMDA TIPP website and was intrigued that it’s the only programme that produces a globally recognized certification under the Edinburgh Naiper University Credit scheme upon graduation. The course syllabus covered a wide variety of coding languages and frameworks such as JavaScript, Python and Data Centric Development that were up-to-date with the industry standards and was a good starting point for me to pursue my interest.

A huge shoutout to the Trent Global Team in playing a significant role in my short yet memorable learning journey. For putting tremendous efforts in preparing us for the working industry by hosting reverse career fairs, exposing us to potential hirers, company visits and making sure that we’re well-equipped for our technical interviews.

What challenges do you have to overcome during the course?

Learning a new skill as complex as coding definitely wasn’t a walk in a park for me. As a relatively slow learner in a fast-paced learning environment, I found it hard to catchup with my course mates sometimes. It was challenging trying to understand various programming languages and concepts and working on our projects simultaneously, especially when we have tight project deadlines to catch up.

How did you overcome them?

Practice, practice and more practice. I found myself dedicating more time after classes to apply the concepts I missed, even though it can be really exhausting coding for more than 8 hours a day.

How has the course prepare/help you in your career?

The course has encouraged me to learn independently by developing self-reliance in my learning capabilities. Resources are provided as well by having keynotes to ensure we are all on track and a teaching assistant to debug our software problems. This has also help me to identify my strengths and weakness and gave me a clearer picture as to what career path would suit me the most. Personally, I like the idea of creating something and design being one of my key strengths explained why I pursued a career as a front-end developer. It’s a constant learning journey for me as I pick up new skills in my daily life.

How do you feel about the gender stereotype of being a female developer in a male dominated industry?

Well, personally I have yet to encounter an individual who came up to me saying that. But I think that your gender shouldn’t hold you back and affect how you perform as a developer. However, I do agree that this is a male-dominated scene, but the industry itself is opening up to hiring female developers as they bring a different angle to the table and highlight issues which are often overlooked.

On this note, do you have any female role models that you personally look up to?

Definitely! One of the female role models I really look up to would be Rachel Lim, Co-Founder of Love Bonito. I really admire how she started with a simple idea of wanting to sell pre-loved clothing to earn some extra pocket money to building such a well-known brand both internationally and locally. Her journey as an entrepreneur has inspired me to take that bold step of faith in pursuing my dreams and to even start from scratch if I have to.

What advice would you give to those who are considering pursuing their higher education?

As clichè and generic as it sounds, my advice to those who are considering a career change is, ‘To take that leap of faith as you’ll never know if the job is suited for you until you try dipping your toe into the waters.’ On this note, I would like to share a quote that I really like:

“Reserve judgment and expectation until after you dip your toe in the waters you’re exploring so you can cast the net widely, dispel your preconceived notions, and understand which realities ultimately resonate with you.”

In short, take the leap, get your hands dirty and who knows, you might end up growing in that process and discover new things about yourself.

Lastly, what are your new goals for the future?

I really enjoy my experience as a front-end developer so far, but I would like to work for an e-commerce company in the future and to gain more exposure in the area of UI/UX design.

(Quotation taken from www.forbes.com/sites/josephliu/2019/04/02/successfully-change-careers/amp/)