Tell us about yourself, Stacy. What makes you uniquely you? Can you tell me a bit about your background, your hobbies, your human experience?
I have lived in 5 different countries, I know how to cook Italian pasta and speak a little bit of Swedish!
I love spending time and my living on experiences, not things! I like writing about everything tech! One of my hobbies is taking beautiful photographs while traveling to new places. I had a dream of visiting Hawaii, and it’s coming true this month!
Once upon a time, you were going down a path to become a pharmacist. What drew you to that path, and how did you pivot to become a software engineer?
At school I liked science and chemistry in particular. I wanted to develop drugs and help people feel better. When I got to University I enjoyed studying and working in a lab. However, after my graduation, I realized it wouldn’t work out for me. The main reason was that I planned on moving abroad, thus making my degree not applicable in other countries. I was traveling, changing countries, and had to be flexible. When I was studying, I couldn’t imagine my life being that intense. After all that, my pharmaceutical knowledge has served me well.
Lots of people come to software from outside of a traditional CS background. What other types of jobs did you work before becoming a software engineer? How do these skills now help you as a software engineer?
I had plenty of jobs, from running a restaurant to working abroad serving cocktails on a beach! I’m proud to have all kinds of experiences that make me who I am today! What I have learned from all of these experiences and jobs is that you should stay open to new things and let changes come in.
You are now helping new software engineers get into the field. What are the top tips that you would give to a new software engineer coming into the field right now based on your experience?
"Consistency is the key to success" - That is my mantra!
I know it is hard to get your first development job, but it’s possible and doable! Everyone had to do it, so just don’t give up!
Also, work on your skills and portfolio, build confidence and try contributing to real projects! I saw that many newbies don’t know where to start, so I have created an open-source project where everyone can contribute! The name is Inter-Camp and you can start contributing on GitHub.
Once you get the job, never be shy about asking for help from a senior engineer. Learn how to do it the right way and remember, there are guides on the internet!
We also know that you are a dedicated activist to the WomenTech Network as well as a highly-skilled multilingual software engineer. Tell us a bit about your balance and the association between your philanthropic work and your craft.
Somehow, many women don’t feel that they have the power to change things. Instead, I want to show them a different perspective. I was a girl myself once and I grew up in Ukraine, a country where women do not have a lot of opportunities. I had little support for studying Computer Science or Mathematics as my parents thought it was too hard for a girl. These gender roles exist in many places, even if we don’t necessarily notice them.
I am thrilled to make an impact on breaking these stereotypes and help women to reveal their power through the community.
Tell us a bit about your skills and some amazing projects that you are proud of. Also, what are some of your software goals and aspirations with your talent?
I am a Software Engineer, proficient in JavaScript and Python. I also know C, C++, but I don’t use these daily. I work on both, frontend and backend. Lately, I have been building an online school for learning English, it is a big project which is still in the development stage.
My goal is to grow as a Software Engineer, learn how to build scalable architectures, contribute and make a difference at global scale! There’re a lot of things to learn for an aspiring learner like me! I also want to continue writing about things I learned.
Fun question. What is your absolute favorite framework, stack, library? If you were building something from scratch today what would you want to be in your toolbox?
Fun answer! JavaScript would be the language of my choice! I’d use Node.JS & Next.JS for my project. However, if you ask me again in a month, everything could change! I don’t fall in love with a framework, because it’s just a tool for accomplishing a task. The tool depends on a task and not vice versa.
Where can people find you or get in touch? How can people get involved in ultimately giving back to things you truly care about? What are some projects, productions, and adventures you're proud of and would like others to know about?
I have a tech blog on Instagram & Medium. You can find me by looking for @codemyjourney. Netlify GitHub
The project I’m currently working on is an Open Source Project I’ve created. It’s focused on learning advanced programming concepts.The initial idea was to create a small project for my portfolio, but it turned out to be something bigger.
I’ve developed a solid codebase and made it Open Source, so now everyone can contribute and make a difference.The goal, for now, is to develop new features and keep things simple. I build the UI using React.JS and I use Firebase on a backend.
