Christina and Christina Codes
Christina is a true stereotype breaker – her mission is to smash the stereotypes that held her back from a degree in Computer Science back in the day. And she is doing exactly that! She is a self-taught developer who is always up for a new challenge: learning something new. Follow this wonderful girl for a source of inspiration and motivation!
Follow Christina on social media and learn about her story below!
About Christina
I grew up on an island in Washington State before moving to Southern California for college. When I was deciding on my major, an advisor encouraged me to study Computer Science. When I heard his suggestion, I laughed. I had bought into all the stereotypes (skinny male computer nerds with no social skills, who know too much about Star Wars). I just couldn’t see myself as “that kind of person.” So I studied Business instead. After graduating, I worked in digital marketing for a tech company for a few years before finding out that I actually do enjoy coding, and that there’s space in the tech industry for people like me. Now, I’m a full-time remote web developer for a company that makes Bible study software and technology for churches. I love learning, solving problems, and using my newfound skills to help build up things that I really care about, like the church and biblical literacy. And outside of the tech world, I like to read, lift weights, and go hiking.
How did you get into tech?
I graduated with a business degree and began my career in digital marketing at a tech company. A small part of my job was building simple landing pages for marketing campaigns—and I quickly got frustrated that it took me so long to fumble through it and build something subpar. I started teaching myself coding basics in 2018, mostly using free online resources. At first, the goal was just to be able to build those marketing landing pages semi-adequately—but after finishing my first coding course, I was hooked! I love learning and problem solving, and the satisfaction that I got from building things felt so good! After about two years of self-teaching, my company offered me a full-time web developer position.
What languages/technologies do you have the most experience in?
HTML, CSS, JavaScript
What are you currently learning/practising?
React
What are your favourite resources to learn/stay updated on tech?
freecodecamp.org, Medium, Jarvis Johnson Tech on YouTube, and of course CodingBlonde 🙂
What would people learn about by following you?
What it’s like to teach yourself to code. There are ups and downs—sometimes I build cool things that I’m excited to share, and sometimes I feel burnt out and discouraged. I think it’s okay and totally normal for a journey like this to be a bit of a rollercoaster. Almost everyone in tech has impostor syndrome, so I guess my posts can show people that they’re not the only ones out there that feel that way, and that the journey is worth it! I also want to break those stereotypes that caused me to not want to study computer science in college in the first place. You don’t necessarily have to know a lot about computer hardware or Star Trek, or be athletically/socially challenged, or be male, in order to be a great developer.
What inspired you to start sharing your experiences on social media?
I was teaching myself to code while also working full time, going to the gym every day, cooking my own meals, etc. Even though I enjoy coding, I knew that I would have to make time and intentionally stay motivated. This Instagram is a form of keeping myself accountable. Once my friends and family (and random people online) knew that I had set out to teach myself to code, I couldn’t stop and let everyone down!
How can we get in touch with you?
Send me a DM!
Lightning round
iPhone or Android?
iPhone
Dogs or cats?
Dogs
What’s your favourite ice cream flavour?
Chocolate peanut butter
What’s the next place you want to travel to?
Guatemala
How many hours of sleep do you need to get to feel like yourself?
8.5
What is your superpower?
Learning new things quickly!
That is an amazing super power! So excited to see what you get up to next 🥰
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