Julia and Coding Unicorn
Julia shares so much value and wonderful career advice on her social media! She is a full- stack developer who is creating her own unique and rebellious path. Follow this energetic and vibrant woman for a daily dose of wisdom and inspiration!
Follow Julia on social media and learn about her story below!
About Julia
I am a full-stack software developer, working remotely. I help developers grow professionally by posting practical programming and career advice on Instagram. No fluff, just stuff!
How did you get into tech?
My parents forced me to go to college and get a Computer Science degree. They wanted me to find a quiet office job because I was a problem kid, a school rebel. I didn’t fulfil my parents’ dreams – I am still a rebel, but with a CS degree!
Studying was a boring, impractical, expensive, and painfully long process. It’s OK if you want a career in academia. But I wanted to become a hard-core programmer. Surprise: to become a good programmer, you need to build REAL things, instead of being lectured for hours. If you want to learn to ride a bike – you don’t spend four years in college, reading books titled “Riding a Bike: The Definitive Guide” and “Intro into Advanced Bike Riding.” You don’t attend lectures by pro bikers. You jump on the bike and start f̶a̶i̶l̶i̶n̶g̶ riding. Because you don’t want a degree in bike riding. You want to ride a bike.
What languages/technologies do you have the most experience in?
I specialize in JavaScript and Java. Java is a source of steady income because big and wealthy corporations (aka money bags) run on Java. When I am tired of corporate life and want to have fun, I switch to JavaScript. It’s essential to keep the balance between money and fun.
What are you currently learning/practising?
I am currently reading books about psychology. Thinking Fast and Slow is my current favorite. Because we spend much time in front of our computers, it’s easy to forget that we build things for people. People (teams) solve the problems of people (customers). We are in the people business, and technology is only a tool.
What are your favourite resources to learn/stay updated on tech?
I stay updated on tech by reading books. From books such as Clean Code, The Pragmatic Programmer, The Software Craftsman, you can learn fundamental principles and practices that are portable across paradigms, programming languages, and projects. There is too much noise on the internet. In the age of information abundance, it’s more important to know what to ignore than what read.
What would people learn about by following you?
My goal is to make you a better programmer. I share practical programming tips, tricks, and advice from the trenches. I don’t sell things, talk about politics, or share cat pictures. We are programmers, aren’t we?
What inspired you to start sharing your experiences on social media?
By expressing my thoughts in writing and by answering questions, I become a better programmer. Because if you can’t explain it, you don’t understand it. Also, when I was studying, I lacked a mentor. So I decided to become a mentor for others.
How can we get in touch with you?
Instagram, GitHub, or LinkedIn.
Lightning round
iPhone or Android?
iPhone
Dogs or cats?
Both
What’s your favourite ice cream flavour?
Vanilla
What’s the next place you want to travel to?
Maldives
How many hours of sleep do you need to get to feel like yourself?
9
What is your superpower?
Cooking
Ooh as a serious foodie and cooking lover I wonder what kind of dishes you enjoy making! Hopefully we will get to discuss that over a drink one day 🙂
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