Posted by Kübra Zengin, North America Regional Lead, Google Builders
A Path to Programming
“I used to be hooked from the beginning,” says Jennifer Bailey about programming. At all times enthusiastic about the best way programs work, Jennifer, now an educator in Colorado, discovered her path to programming in an unconventional approach. She first earned a Normal Academic Growth diploma, in any other case often known as a “GED” in the USA, from Goals Group Faculty, when she was solely 15 years previous.
Ever a fast learner with the ambition to excel, she then secured an affiliate’s diploma, bachelor’s, and grasp’s diploma in Utilized Science. With levels in hand, she taught herself C Sharp whereas working at a neighborhood agency as a software program developer constructing desktop functions.
When one among her mentors from Goals Group Faculty was retiring, the varsity acknowledged Jennifer’s programming experience and employed her to show laptop science in 2011. The administration then requested her to create the school’s certificates in cell utility growth from scratch. To construct out a curriculum for her new task, she wanted to seek out some inspiration. As Jennifer sought out assets to curate the content material for the school’s new program in cell growth, she discovered a neighborhood Google Developer Group (GDG), a company the place native builders got here collectively to debate cutting-edge programming subjects.
Discovering a Google Developer Group in Northern Colorado
She attended her first occasion with the group that very same week. On the occasion, the group’s chief was educating attendees to construct Android apps, and different builders taught Jennifer the way to use GitHub.
“I went to that in-person occasion, and it was every little thing I hoped it might be,” Jennifer says. “I used to be simply blown away that I used to be capable of finding that useful resource at precisely the time after I wanted it for my skilled growth, and I used to be actually blissful as a result of I had a lot enjoyable.”
The neighborhood of welcoming builders that Jennifer present in GDG drew her in, and for the primary time at a technical networking occasion like this one, she felt snug assembly new individuals. “That preliminary occasion was the primary time I felt like I had met precise buddies, and I’ve been concerned with GDG ever since,” she says.
A Life-Altering Group
As time progressed, Jennifer began attending GDG occasions extra typically, and ultimately supplied the assembly area at Goals Group Faculty the place the group might collect. After she made the supply, the group’s organizers invited her to grow to be a co-leader of the group. Quick-forward to the current, and her management function has led to quite a few thrilling alternatives, like attending Google I/O and assembly Google builders from everywhere in the world.
“By taking part in GDG, I ended up with the ability to attend Google I/O,” says Jennifer. “This neighborhood has had an enormous influence in my life.”
Ongoing Schooling
Jennifer’s native GDG gives help for Android that helps different learners whereas additionally remaining useful to her educating of laptop science topics and the Android IOS cell developer certificates.
“What retains me engaged with Google know-how, particularly with Android, is all the updates, modifications, new concepts and new know-how,” she says.
Jennifer notes that she appreciates the Android ecosystem’s continuously evolving know-how and open supply instruments.
- After turning into fascinated with Android, Jennifer found that the extra time she spent studying and delving into Android, the extra she realized and gained experience that she might apply to different platforms.
- Jennifer’s Android experience has additionally led to her turning into an writer for Ray Wenderlich, for whom she contributed to Saving Knowledge on Android and Android Accessibility by Tutorials and a video course on constructing your first app utilizing Android and Kotlin. “I like Jetpack Compose loads, and I’m very enthusiastic about Android accessibility, so I can’t wait to replace that ebook,” she says.
- She served as editor on an article about “Lazy Composables” on lists.
Constructive Profession Influence
In Jennifer’s view, involvement with Google Developer Teams positively impacted her profession by exposing her to a neighborhood group of builders with whom she is deeply linked, offering assets and instruction on Android, and offering her with a management alternative.
“I’ve met such a various sampling of individuals in Google Developer Teams, from all totally different industries, with all totally different ranges of expertise–from college students, self-taught, to somebody who’s been in know-how longer than I’ve,” Jennifer says. “You by no means know who you’ll meet on the market as a result of GDG is stuffed with attention-grabbing individuals, and also you by no means know what alternatives you can find by mixing with these individuals and evaluating notes.”
For those who’re trying to develop as a developer, discover a GDG group close to you. Be taught extra about Google Developer Teams and discover a neighborhood close to you!
