Transitioning from Pharmacist to Software Engineer

This week the tables are turned on Ruby for All because this is a crossover episode with the Rubber Duck Dev Show with Chris and Creston, where Julie was a guest recently talking about leveling up for Juniors. Today, they explore Julie’s growth as a junior developer, her experiences mentoring others, and the impact of podcasting on her career. They also touch on community building, the value of live shows, effective learning strategies, and the importance of feedback in mentoring relationships. Hit download to hear more! 

[00:00:34] Julie’s talks about her week which consisted of adding Apple SSO at work.

[00:01:44] We hear Julie’s background story from being a pharmacist to learning programming and enjoying problem-solving in development. 

[00:03:00] Julie’s been doing Ruby for All, has attended some conferences, and has done some talks, and she tells us how she’s progressed in her career and if development has been everything she was hoping for in a career.

[00:05:26] We hear where Julie’s at in her career now, what she’s interested in pursuing, and highlights how rewarding it feels being a mentor.  

[00:06:59] Chris and Julie discuss the satisfaction of helping others learn and how Ruby for All and speaking at conferences has contributed to her career growth. Although she still feels nervous in from front of a microphone and doing public speaking, she loves the support she receives form collaborators.      

[00:10:17] Chris talks about things he appreciates from a senior perspective, when it comes to junior devs. 

[00:11:45] Julie affirms that doing a podcast has positively impacted her career by allowing her to ask questions, learn from experts, and gain different perspectives.

[00:13:52] Chris asks Julie what senior developers can do to help junior developers learn and progress their careers, and Julie suggests that seniors should avoid using language that discourages juniors from asking questions and shares the benefits of seniors asking recap or quiz questions to solidify knowledge. 

[00:17:18] Chris and Julie discuss the benefits of pairing as a toll for accelerating learning and improving code quality. 

[00:19:16] Julie highlights using her manager to help her figure out where her gaps are and what it takes to go to the next level, the value of setting clear goals and using smart goals to stay focused and make progress in her career. 

[00:23:58] Julie talks about her interest in community building and the importance of networking opportunities for early career developers. 

[00:24:57] If you want to reach out to Julie, she tells us where you can do that. 

[00:25:44] Chris expresses his interest in encouraging more live shows in the developer community and offers assistance to those interested. Julie and Chris discuss the resistance to live broadcasting in the developer community and potential reasons such as fear of failure and low attendance. 

[00:28:07] What is the best way to learn Ruby? Creston throws in his two cents and shares some advice. Chris suggests a good book, Why’s (Poignant) Guide to Ruby, as a fun and effective resource if you’re new to programming, but Ruby in particular. 

[00:30:42] Julie reflects on the importance of understanding how individuals learn and adapting mentoring approaches accordingly, mentioning the significance of feedback preferences. 

Panelists:

Julie J.

Chris Booth

Creston Jamison

Sponsors:

GoRails

Honeybadger

Links:

Andrew Mason Twitter

Andrew Mason Website

Julie J. Twitter

Julie J. Website

Ruby for All Twitter

Rubber Duck Dev Show 

Rubber Duck Dev Show Twitter

Why’s (Poignant) Guide to Ruby