The beginning...

(This is my first post here so I'll use the prompt as an intro.😊)

México, late 80s, my father brought an Atari XE "home computer" to our home. While I was playing Moon Patrol and Super Mario clones, my dad bought a BASIC book, started coding in the XE, and that was my first exposure to a programming language.

Years later I discovered the internet, and it was love at first sight: I wanted to make THAT stuff. I didn't know how at the time, so I went to Uni to study Computer Science. I was bad in physics and my math level was (and is) kind of average, but I made it!, in the meantime, I learned HTML and very basic CSS on my own. I had a couple of unpaid internships, I got jobs as a .NET developer, I've dealt with a boss who said to my face that "women are detail-oriented, that's why we don't hire them", HR guys asking me in interviews if I want to get married/have children in the future because then I won't be a good option in their hiring process ... and now, after years of personal matters, depression, work gaps and self-taught, I'm still coding.

I continued to code in 2019 because...

I know it's a bit silly, but I love the excitement I feel when something I built works on the right way in the browser or people/clients like the websites I created. In the last year I've been doing online courses (Freecodecamp, CodeAcademy, Udemy, and of course, lots of googling) to polish my skills and learn new ones, and now finally I'm starting to feel confident about Javascript or responsive design concepts. 🙈

My advice for other women and non-binary folks who code is...

Don't give up and never stop learning. We're in a time when you can learn everything online for free or a very low cost. Read the experiences of other women in tech or follow them on Twitter (or DEV.to!), try to get involved in initiatives that support women on STEM (if you're an introvert like me, this could be difficult, but you can share it on social media). If you're already working in the field in a stable position: help or mentor other women/nb/girls, and ask for better salaries or benefits like child support/remote work in your company/startup.

My advice for the allies to support women and non-binary folks who code is...

Hire them: full time, remote work, as a freelancer, regardless of their age, studies or marital status. Give them equal pay and benefits. Support them in the workplace, events, conferences. Don't doubt about their knowledge or harass them in social media. Diversity and inclusion are needed in this industry.