Elm Town Elm Town 86 – Wonder: Linking notes for active growth with Joël Quenneville
Sep 2, 2025
Joël Quenneville, a software crafter at ThoughtBot, shares his enlightening journey from wedding photography to tech wizardry. He delves into the intricacies of Elm programming, explaining the critical role of JSON decoders in maintaining data integrity. Joël also reveals his creative note-taking techniques, showcasing how systems like Zettelkasten can foster personal growth. He discusses turning experiences into active learning opportunities and emphasizes the importance of mentorship and community engagement in honing one's skills.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
How A Simple Web Page Sparked A Career
- Joël Quenneville discovered web development when he built a website for his photography work and saw his code appear in a browser.
- That immediate visual feedback hooked him and turned a hobby into a career.
Three Mentors, Three Months
- Joël did a three-month apprenticeship at ThoughtBot with a different mentor each month working on real client projects.
- The program let him learn with mentorship without billing pressure, accelerating his growth.
Finding Elm Through A Colleague
- Joël found Elm after a colleague mentioned it and the MVU pattern clicked for him as similar to a game loop.
- Elm revived his interest in front-end work when JavaScript frustrations had pushed him away.
