Giving ourselves a Latin team name makes us look pretentious. I know you were thinking it. But it’s way more awesome than you think.
Lyz and I both graduated from what they call The Evergreen State College, which is a smallish hippy alternative college in Washington State. That description makes Evergreen seem very…I don’t know, eye-rolly? But it’s more than just pot clouds and discussing sustainability and driftwood art, while sitting barefoot in a circle. (But, to be clear: these things ABSOLUTELY happen there.) Evergreen is also a really flexible learning environment, and it was really formative for both of us, and holds a special place in our respective and collective hearts.
Here’s why I just waxed poetic about our alma mater (more Latin - we really are pretentious). Omnia Extares is Evergreen’s motto, and it’s way more awesome than boring college’s mottos. Instead of meaning something like “Striving for pompous glory, or whatever”, our motto means, “Let it all hang out.”
So here we are, two Greeners getting letting it all hang out as we hurl ourselves bodily into our Rails Girls Summer of Code project.
How did you hear about the SoC and why did you apply?
Utah: My first exposure to coding was using MatLab for an Ecological Modeling course in grad school. I really enjoyed it, but had to set it aside after the course was over. After finishing my Masters, I was finally able to spend more time learning to code, and I fell in love. After I took my first RailsBridge workshop, I knew that I wanted to focus on web development, and that I had found my people in the Ruby/Rails community. I have been having a blast since, and am so grateful for all of the resources available to women looking to enter tech fields!
Lyz: I have always been interested in software and web development, and tinkered around with coding some while I was in college but I earned my degrees in Anthropology/Archaeology. I’ve been working as an archaeologist for some time now, but am now coming full-circle back to development. The Rails community is what drew me in - there are so many great people and amazing Rails driven sites. I had to find out what all the excitement was about, so I attended RailsBridge last year (and again this year), and have been learning ever since! I’m also really interested in getting involved in the open source community, and in helping to even out the gender ratio in scientific and engineering professions, so RGSoC is one trifecta of awesome to me!
What was your happiest moment?
Merging our first pull request!
What was most challenging moment?
Merging our second pull request.
If you could code anything in the world, what would it be?
Utah: Interactive biology teaching website or lightsaber kittens (in MC Hammer pants) vs laser sharks.
Lyz: Online museum documenting creative ways to destroy a completed Master’s thesis or PhD dissertation…think http://brokenships.com/ for academics….
Hello world, we’re team BrowserSpree. We’re working on a module to integrate the e-commerce engine Spree into BrowserCMS, a Rails content management system. It’s been a challenging, but rewarding, journey so we’re excited to share what we’ve been up to so far.
##Britney’s Background##
Hi, Britney here. I started learning Ruby and Ruby on Rails in May 2013. I attended a conference about startups but was quickly sucked into a talk about learning programming, specifically Ruby on Rails, and the active developer community in Washington, D.C. From there I’ve done tutorials, exercises, read books, attended meetups and conferences. One thing I hadn’t done prior to starting Rails Girls Summer of Code is work on an open source project. I’ve been afraid that I don’t know enough to contribute, so Rails Girls Summer of Code is giving me confidence in myself and also giving me experience that I hope will move me closer to working with Ruby and Rails professionally.
##Jam’s Story!##
Hi – I’m Jam! I’m an IT Project Manager by day– and a Fullstack Rails Dev (in the making) by night. A year ago – learning to program never seemed like a possibility. I – of course thought you had to have a Bachelors in Computer Science and be able to solve some complex algorithm in your sleep for someone to actually pay you to do it. The big decision to go for it anyway came to me when was challenged by an employer who said I wasn’t an ”A” player because I didn’t have a technical degree - which challenged me to prove them wrong. If it hadn’t been for Rails Girls DC and the awesome DC Ruby community, I would have never believed I had what it takes to defy that belief. I attended my first Rails Girls Workshop in June of 2013, having no experience whatsoever. A year later, along with Britney - we planned the June 2014 Rails Girls DC Workshop – which was an amazing experience. Outside of the - my loves: West African Dance, Indie Music (all genres), Fashion and reality tv. My goal: to design and build e-commerce for fashion brands.
I recently enrolled in Tealeaf Academy which managing that, in addition to RGSoC and my full-time job has totally killed my summer social life – but I’m getting closer to my dream – and that’s all that matters. I’ve finally decided to follow the advice of the masses and create a blog to document my journey to learning design and code, with sprinkles of randomness in between. Follow me @justjamonit/@rbywoo and blog: rbywoo.com
##Ruby for Good##
The first ever Ruby for Good was a few week ago and it was so cool to see so many rubyists, both new and old get together and work projects to benefit others. Since we could break into teams and work on projects of our choosing - I thought what better chance to work on BCMS 4.0 documentation! Luckily, Craig Riecke agreed! Craig came down Ithaca, NY. He is Rails Developer for Cornell University AND published author - Mastering Dojo. When I first made the announcement that I was working on documentation for BCMS… I knew no one would be interested! After all other teams were building sexy apps in AngularJs, for example! But Craig was looking for change from his day to day - programming. So it was a win-win!
It was so great to work with someone of his skill set and background. He brought a very fresh perspective to the user/developer documentation that allowed us to rewrite and restructure the documentation rather than simply update what was there to include BCMS 4.0 features.
Check out what we were able to accomplish here. Craig was able to make a lot of progress with the User Documentation, while I dove into the Developer Documentation. The great news is Craig is on board to continue updating the documentation with us going forward!!
Check some our Twitter <3 from that weekend:
##Steel City Ruby##
Not long after Ruby for Good, we attended Steel City Ruby Conf in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was a great opportunity for us to visit another community of developers since we’ve mostly just engaged with the D.C. community and those who visit. We highly recommend the conference to developers of all experience levels. The organizers did a great job of selecting talks that weren’t all highly technical. In fact many of them had more to do with self-reflection and community. We also had the opportunity to give a lightning talk about Rails Girls and Rails Girls Summer of Code. We explained what each was about and our experiences. The feedback we received was very positive and helped us start a lot of conversations with other attendees. We were able to explain in more depth how Rails Girls works and make recommendations about putting on workshops and other strategies to engage local communities. It was the first lightning talk for both of us and we’re looking forward to doing more. Our Ruby Conf schedule is far from over - we have RubyDCamp and Nickel City Ruby right around the corner, in October!
##Reflecting##
Since we are at the halfway point- it’s best we look back at what we have done.
We have actually followed our Project Plan pretty closely:
In July, we primarily spent our time getting familiar with BrowserCMS. We each built our own version of a bookstore. We created our content_blocks, portlets categories and made the our content_blocks and portlets available for public view.
Specifically, we added the following features:
Catalog of all our books that our visitors can browse.
View products pages individually.
Categorize by type of book (Authors, Fiction/Nonfiction, Politics, Economic, Young Reader Vampire Novels, etc)
Authors should have their own pages that list their products.
Author’s other works should be visible even if we don’t have those books for sale.
When I view a book, I should be able to see all the author’s other books for sale.
When i view a product, I should see other related products for sale. I should be able to give discounts codes for an author that would last for a 4th of July weekend.
We also updated BrowserCMS developer documentation and user guide, thanks to Ruby for Good! Check out what we were able to accomplish here.
##Key Takeaways so far##
- Google, Google, Google
This can’t be said enough. Not only when it comes to errors but also when you have a feature you are trying to add, or a how do I go about doing ‘x’ ?” question. It was surprising “how much we found out just by using others people questions. Plus, Googling is a required skill to be a developer – right under using Git or knowing the command line.
Its okay to go over the basics
For one or two weeks, we had to cover some Rails basics - in addition to building our store so that we could ensure we are asking the right questions and learn/apply the fundamentals of Rails and not just BrowserCMS.
Pseudo code
Pseudo code is writing in English what you are trying to accomplish in code. It helps to logically map out the steps to get to your desired outcome.
Break large tasks into smaller ones
Start small. When adding a feature, it seemed daunting and often time felt like we had now idea where to start. Breaking one big action into smaller was key because it allowed us to start with what we did know – and take it step by step from there.
##Where to From Here##
Well we spent the last two weeks diving into Spree and for the last week - we have been tried installing BrowserCMS and Spree in the same Rails app and seeing what breaks. Well - it broke a number of times - but nothing that we couldn’t work through. We figured out which version of Spree plays nicely with BCMS and we are on track to fully flesh out user authenticaton, checkout, etc. by the end of the summer!
###We would like to give special hugs and <3 to our coaches, Patrick Peak (@peakpg) and Tanya Bodnya (@tatianabodyna) for all offering their time to make us better devs. Specaial thanks also to Ncud (@nclud) for letting us use their space!##
We love coding, we really do. But we also know that during a 3-month-long, hands-on coding program (or cough cough at work if you’re coding all day cough cough) your motivation might start to take a nosedive. This is why we are announcing a
“Rails Girls Summer of Code Day Off” on August 28th!
What that means: exit your terminal, close your laptop and do something awesome or relaxing with your team mate! Some of us are in Berlin, and there will be a small get together for local teams (yes, an afternoon on a houseboat - wonderfully sponsored and organized by Applift); but since RGSoC is a worldwide movement, we won’t let distance stop you from having a great time. We just want you (yes, YOU dearest students; but also coaches, mentors, supervisors..!) to have a fun day, wherever you may be!
Our favorite 10 ways to spend your day off
We have gathered a list of the best 10 ways to take a day off, feel free to try out some or all or to think up your own. And of course: you’re welcome to DOCUMENT ALL THE THINGS - e.g. sending us funny pictures of you relaxing with your favorite pet or going out for a hike. We love all your tweets.
1. Explore your hometown in an alternative way
The Laboratory of Experimental Tourism has a few fun ways to explore places - even in your own hometown. Some of our favorite examples:
- Counter travel (Travel with a camera, but don’t take pictures of the famous landmarks and tourist attractions. Stand with your back to the sight and snap that view instead.)
- Alternating Travel (Leave your home on foot. Take the first road on the right, then the next on the left, then the next on the right, then the next on the left, etc. Carry on until something, a no man’s land, a building or a stretch of water, blocks your path and you can go no farther.)
2. Organise a picnic
Food, music, blankets, and sunshine. Is there anything more lovely than that (especially the food part)? Find a park nearby, take some homemade sandwiches and cookies, bring a frisbee if you want, and relax! For the ultimate awesome experience, bring a scrabble with you (sorry, but I had to include that in there, as it’s my favourite board-game)
3. Movie marathon
Who said that movie marathons can only be done at night? You’re totally allowed to watch movies all day. Maybe you can each bring your all-time favourite movie - what a great way to get to know your team mate better! For the ultimate experience, we recommend making popcorn and choosing trilogies ;) Our favourite: Back to the Future, obviously!
4. Yoga class
Or any other physical activity, whether to let out all of that energy or to relax. Was there something you always wanted to try but never dared to? Is there a boxing or self-defence class in a studio nearby? Did you always wonder about this strange “pilates” that everyone keeps talking about? Now is the time to try it out. Do you love playing volleyball or basketball outdoors? Go for it! And you know what they say: the more, the merrier - so bring your team mate along!
5. Go swimming
It’s summer! At least for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere ;) Need we say more? Maybe you’re lucky enough to live in a place with a lake or the ocean nearby. Run away from the city and go swimming!
6. Crafts
This could really be anything - from making your own laptop case to designing some cute birthday cards from all your friends or baking some (non-rgsoc-themed) cupcakes.
7. Read
Grab a book or go into a newsagents’ shop, buy ALL your favorite magazines and spend the day reading somewhere outside or snuggled up on the couch. It works wonders!
8. Have a “games” day
We’ve mentioned Scrabble already, but there is a ton of other games that you could play, and you probably have a few stacked away somewhere in a box, don’t you? Whether Uno, Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit, Snakes & Ladders.. We’re sure you’ll be having the time of your life!
9. Have a media-free day
Leave your laptop and phone at home, and just head out. After the first few minutes (or hours..) you’ll get used to it. You’ll see, being phoneless for a few hours really isn’t that hard (or bad) at all!
10. Go wild at an amusement park
..because roller-coasters and bumper cars are definitely not just for kids.
Studies show that just "hanging around" and doing nothing and just lying on the couch all day won't let you feel very relaxed. Your brain wants to do things and experience stuff.
So make the best out of it, and enjoy your RGSOC-DAY-OFF!
P.S. If we find any commits or signs of you working on this particular Thursday, we won’t send you cat gifs in the following weeks! So. There. We are serious about this.
###About us:
We are Kathi Zwick and Brigitte Markmann, two aspiring software developers based in Berlin. We met in December 2013 at our first Rails Girls Workshop. We figured out that we would make a great team for the Rails Girls Summer of Code - and as you can see - we got accepted as a volunteer team! Yeah! :)
Kathi:
“Remembering back, I always wanted to be a detective (like Sherlock Holmes). But very recently I realized that my skills also happen to fit perfectly to those of a programmer: I’m quick at combining new information, I have an urge to get things done and obviously I LOVE solving riddles (isn’t that what programming is all about?)! Because childhood wishes rarely come true, in reality I’ve been a recruiter for the past two years. Hanging out a lot with IT guys made me realize: being a programmer is the coolest job on earth, I’ll go for it! And here I am :) “
Brigitte:
“There must be parallel universes in which I am a volcanologist or a pilot of a very small aircraft in a remote area. In this one I am a media manager who now decided to go an a slightly different adventure - becoming a developer. Why? Because languages are amazing: you can admire the sheer aesthetics and marvel at or be confused about the underlying concepts and values. Using a different one you become another persona!
Besides that I like to be around people what kind of rules out the careers mentioned above.
What else? I love to invent silly taglines and titles, can wiggle my ears (up and down) and can explain movies to my friends, when they again have missed all the subtle hints….
Perfect material for a decent developer, don’t you think? ;) “
###Why Rapid?!
Because we learn at a high pace ;) but also because the project we chose to start with is called RapidFTR. It’s a Ruby on Rails/Android application that lets aid workers collect and share information about unaccompanied children in emergency situations, so they can be reunited with their families. We will help upgrading the current app to version 2.0.
###Things we learned so far:
* how to use a Mac (yap, involving terminal commands and funny symbols )
* how to use Twitter (just have to overcome our general fear of actually using it).
* learned the English words for all the punctuation marks.
* the importance of going to conferences - you get free tshirts there!
* real coding stuff like git, GitHub, Ajax, jQuery, RSpec, Slim, DOM, rubocop, Ruby keywords, TDD, code coverage, etymology of foo, bar, etc. ! :)
* how to be a good programmer in terms of style, community involvement etc…
###Things we are amazed by:
* all the hearty support we experienced so far! So many people in the Ruby community as well as SoundClouders have been very kind and super encouraging. From making us feel welcome to offering classes on whatever topic people are experts on!
* our coaches/mentors/supervisors obviously! Erik Michaels-Ober (SoundCloud), Klaus Fleerköetter (ThoughtWorks), Steffi Tinder (ThoughtWorks) and Tam Eastley: thank you so much for your dedication and patience! And for motivating and inspiring us!
* how much you can learn in 7 weeks!
* how many different things you actually have to learn in order to make a Rails Application work
###Things we would change about the Summer of Code:
* turn the program into “Winter of Code”. We realized that the current “Summer of Code” makes one too excited about coding and thus you spend most of the time in front of a computer, neglecting the beautiful sunshine outside.
* we would not choose SoundCloud as an office again. It’s just too fabulous, too cozy, too many goodies for the employees, too good food …. the result being that we’re now totally spoiled.
###Anyways…
… if you’d like to stay tuned about our Summer Code, check out our blog!
… and if you’d like to hire us, don’t be shy - message us on Twitter or XING!
The summer is reaching its halfway mark, so we’re hard at work thinking about how to keep supporting our students when it ends. For a handful of selected women, RGSoC has marked a turn in their lives: they have spent hours coding, learning, and discovering a new world of programming possibilities.
But sooner than they (and we!) realize, their summer will be over, and it will be time to move on.
That’s where you come in. We are looking for awesome companies all around the world who are willing to offer internships or junior developer positions to Rails Girls Summer of Code alumni.
If your company was unable to sponsor the summer of code this year, this is a great opportunity for you to still show your support. If you already sponsored this year, keep it coming!
Hiring a RGSoC graduate is a great idea. You’ll gain an employee with real hands on experience in the programming world, and who has already pushed working code to well a known and visible codebase. Your new employee will be an expert at communicating ideas within a team, and will not be afraid to submit code for review. Need more proof? RGSoC students are very excited about learning, and have oftentimes given up a previous career in order to pursue their goal, making them all the more motivated. This past work experience merged together with hard-earned tech savvy just might fit in perfectly with your company, making them an asset to your team.
As this is a worldwide program with students all across the globe, we are looking for exceptional companies in or around the following locations:
Australia
Sydney
Colombia
Barranquilla
Finland
Helsinki
Germany
Berlin
India
Pune
Mysore
Macedonia
Skopje
Peru
Lima
Poland
Warsaw
USA
Atlanta, GA
Washington, D.C.
Seattle, WA
Chicago, IL
Los Angeles, CA
If you’re looking for talented women who are eager to continue learning, or just want more info about how you can help out after RGSoC, please get in touch!
Hi – I’m Jam! I’m an IT Project Manager by day– and a Fullstack Rails Dev (in the making) by night. A year ago – learning to program never seemed like a possibility. I – of course thought you had to have a Bachelors in Computer Science and be able to solve some complex algorithm in your sleep for someone to actually pay you to do it. The big decision to go for it anyway came to me when was challenged by an employer who said I wasn’t an ”A” player because I didn’t have a technical degree - which challenged me to prove them wrong. If it hadn’t been for Rails Girls DC and the awesome DC Ruby community, I would have never believed I had what it takes to defy that belief. I attended my first Rails Girls Workshop in June of 2013, having no experience whatsoever. A year later, along with Britney - we planned the June 2014 Rails Girls DC Workshop – which was an amazing experience. Outside of the - my loves: West African Dance, Indie Music (all genres), Fashion and reality tv. My goal: to design and build e-commerce for fashion brands.
I recently enrolled in Tealeaf Academy which managing that, in addition to RGSoC and my full-time job has totally killed my summer social life – but I’m getting closer to my dream – and that’s all that matters. I’ve finally decided to follow the advice of the masses and create a blog to document my journey to learning design and code, with sprinkles of randomness in between. Follow me @justjamonit/@rbywoo and blog: rbywoo.com
