Rachel in Words

A note from the author: I originally wrote this blog post in 2017 and it was originally published in  Medium . I no longer teach young people how to code in my spare time - changing life circumstances, a deadly pandemic and shifting what was meant to be a social program online made this incredibly difficult. But I wouldn't rule it out for the future. Either way, I hope you enjoy this post. If you're interested in teaching young people how to code, visit the Coderdojo website. Coderdojo was the organisation that I was involved in that allowed me this experience. For that I'm forever grateful.

My boss once said to a stakeholder, “The developer [me] is a web accessibility expert and that’s one of the reasons why I hired her.” Before I write any further, I would stop short of calling myself an accessibility expert. Yes, accessibility is always the first thing I think of when I build a website or web app, before I even think about gathering business requirements or collaborating with the designer/art director to design the aesthetics. But I’m not part of the disability community. My experience in every day life is not the same as theirs. I only know what I know because of research, experience and actually doing user focus group testing with that particular audience, interacting with them and getting to know them. It’s comprehensive and it ensures that I ensure all bases are covered and we build the best app/website/software possible, but it isn’t the same. But know this, and it’s important that you do: you don’t have to be part of the disability community to keep inclusivit...

Photo by Sai Kiran Anagani “So how does one learn to code?” “I just want to build an app quickly. What do I need to learn?” “I want to build a website for my photography business. Can’t be that hard, right?” “I signed up for a course that says I can learn to code in thirty days. Can I really?” Almost everyone I speak to when they find out I write code for a living. A quick Google search of ‘how to code’ or ‘how to code without a computer science degree’ will yield a myriad of step-by-step quick solutions on how to be a coding wizard in a matter of days. There are websites like  Lynda  and  Treehouse  in which you can learn to code for a small subscription. Some people spend years at University studying programming. Some people are self-taught. All of them are valid. But what people fail to consider is that no solution is perfect. For some people, they could watch a couple of online tutorials and become a coding master. For most, that’s not necessarily pl...

Since becoming an adult all those years ago, at this stage of my life I have not achieved the following, even though I really wanted to: Meet the right guy Get married, with a kid and a white picket fence But I have achieved the following:  Started and ran my own business, which I still do but only on a part-time basis.  Lived in a major metropolitan city on literally the other side of the world. Even if it was only for a short while.  Travelled the world extensively, and yes I do recognise my privilege in being able to do so.  Completed undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at University and technical college.  Was diagnosed with a serious illness and came out the other side alive.  Picked up a camera, which started my newfound obsession with photography. Consequently, I've had my photographs featured in different publications around the world.  Got the Dream Job. Who knows how long I'll keep the dream job but the point is, I got it. ...

That's me on a computer posing for a promotion campaign.  Like many people in this field, it was a no-brainer. I knew before I was supposed to know. Also like many others, I started somewhat young. But unlike many others, I didn't come from a family of 'computer people' - or even technical people at all. My parents had very limited knowledge/experience in computers.  My interest in computer science began when I was a teenager. It all started when my best friend, another friend of ours and I decided to skip school one morning to travel to Sydney to see the band Hanson, as they were making a television appearance at  Channel V Studios . You guys remember Hanson, right? Three brothers from Oklahoma, long blonde hair? MMMBop? Hanson circa 1997. They don't look like this any more. We got there really early and lined up with all our fellow Hanson fans. Hanson weren't due to appear for another five hours (yes you read that right) but we were there anyway....

In 2012 I participated in a global photography project called 'A Day'. The idea was that on the 15th May 2012, people were encouraged to pick up their cameras and photograph their day. Then in the end all these photos would be collated together and we could see how different the same day is for people from all walks of life. The website for A Day is now no longer online but I still have my photos. I uploaded them to my Flickr account . Feel free to check them out. I decided to do it again on the 15th of May of this year, just to really see how different my life is now compared to back then. There were some obvious changes. For instance: Then: I was working full time and running a business. I was running myself to the ground trying to juggle the both of them. But that was the only way I could survive back then. Now: for the most part, I'm self-employed. Then: Sydney. Now: Wollongong. Then: single. Now: ... still single. Then: 90kg Now: 75kg But wi...