web development
i program for a living.
I love working in environments where computer algorithms, machine learning, human intelligence and empathy are combined in ways that provide much more value than any one of those could on their own.
Currently, I am a software engineer at Stitch Fix where I code mostly in Ruby on Rails but I also work across the full stack. Stitch Fix is an online personal styling service. At the heart of it is a styling algorithm that recommends styles to send to clients based on their preferences and their continual feedback.
My software engineering career started at CrowdFlower, a crowdsourcing business and platform that provides microtasking work to thousands of people world-wide at the same time as completing massive data enrichment projects for enterprise clients. It was there that I first learned Ruby, and then moved on to Rails.
The CEO of CrowdFlower encouraged me to join a group called Women Who Code that I am still part of to this day (in fact, I recently became one of the Ruby Tuesday study group leads). Each Tuesday I meet up with talented women who code in Ruby (among other languages) and we work on whatever we want. In a time and place where there are few female role models in software engineering, I feel this community has been an integral part of my professional development. Last Fall I also joined a group called ChickTech that fosters technical learning in high school-aged girls so I can do my part in giving back. This experience has, in fact, reinvigorated my interest in maintaining a personal website. Most recently, I decided to volunteer at Rails workshops hosted by Railsbridge, an organization that focuses on increasing diversity in tech.