Hello Lil Sis, 

I understand your love and passion for tech and how you are considering joining the Developers in Vogue (DiV) community to learn coding.  As your elder sister I’m writing to share with you my experience and advice.

The DiV community has been one of the best communities that has really helped me gain knowledge in tech especially in Python programming, as I had no prior knowledge before joining. In fact, I didn’t know anything about how to create an HTML file, a CSS file or a Python file using a text editor like Sublime. But now, I’m already building projects with the lessons I have learnt! I recall the first time, my HTML codes didn’t work; I almost gave up.

Thanks to Ivy Barley who has been an inspiration and a motivator to my growth in tech. Even though I’m still working towards mastering programming, I’m really grateful to have gotten this far.

                                                                                                                      

The DiV bootcamp exposed me to many opportunities in the tech ecosystem. I was privileged to have met amazing ladies who have been instrumental to my journey. Through DiV, I’ve had the opportunity to attend great conferences including Fintech Challenge which was held in Togo as well as various hackathons. These conferences, hackathons and events have helped me build my interpersonal communication skills, creativity and problem solving skills, and also meeting great people who are willing to support me.  

So sissy, before I share my parting words, these are some words of advice I have for you as you start your journey as a newbie programmer:

  1. Choose one programming language and master it
  2. Connect with an industry expert to mentor you 
  3. Search for programming resources online (there are so many of them!)
  4. Ask for help when you need it
  5. Join a supportive community like DiV

I will like to end here by saying follow your passion and work hard. I love you and remember that DiV cares for you.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Your Big Sis,

Deborah.