Forem: Lydia Ingabire

From Doubt to Determination: My Voyage into Coding

Lydia Ingabire — Mon, 18 Jul 2022 11:27:00 +0000

Hello! My name is Lydia Ingabire.

Today, I am honored to share my journey of conquering my fear of becoming a software developer as a woman.

In high school, I studied management and ICT, where programming (languages such as C, C++) was a principal course. But truth be told, I never dreamt of being a programmer growing up. I was young and immature, seeking easy paths. Despite this, I admired programming as a brilliant career, albeit thinking it was reserved for geniuses.

After high school, I commenced university studies in accounting, yet counting money failed to ignite my passion. Unsure of my future direction and burdened by financial constraints that led to dropping out, I found myself working in hotels to make ends meet by 2016.

In late 2018, programming re-entered my life when Andela launched its program in Rwanda. An email invitation to join the Andela Learning Community (ALC) sparked my interest. For the first time, I knew what I wanted to pursue. As I filled out the form to join ALC, I reminisced writing "HELLO WORLD" as my first line of code, feeling like the most ingenious programmer alive.

In 2019, I took a leap of faith, quitting my job to delve deep into the world of programming. Reflecting on my journey, Andela played a pivotal role. It equipped me with foundational skills, from crafting simple webpages with HTML & CSS to creating APIs, utilizing Github & Git for version control, fostering collaboration, honing problem-solving skills, and nurturing teamwork. I cherish the friendships made and the mentorship received during this transformative journey.

The path was fraught with highs and lows. I encountered numerous failures and steep learning curves on my quest to become a developer. At times, I contemplated giving up, but my unwavering conviction in programming kept me going, even through tear-filled moments.

When the Covid-19 pandemic struck in 2020, presenting yet another obstacle, I refused to be deterred. Amid lockdowns, I seized the opportunity to further my education, joining Microverse, an online school that trains developers. Despite the challenges, the journey was vibrant, connecting me with peers from over 50 countries. Microverse reignited my confidence, introducing me to new programming languages like Ruby & Rails, alongside invaluable technical and soft skills.

After six months of intensive learning, I secured my first job as a Technical Support Engineer, followed by subsequent opportunities as a software developer. The overwhelming mix of emotions—crying, laughing, and gratitude—ushered in a sense of fulfillment, akin to seeing the light at the end of a long tunnel. While many opportunities continue to come my way, I remain aware of the journey's ongoing nature.

To those embarking on similar journeys, facing setbacks and uncertainties, I urge you not to give up. Remember why you started, and persevere through challenges. Despite grappling with imposter syndrome, I press on, fueled by my passion for programming and the desire to continue learning.

Thank you for reading my story.

Pair-Programming: the advantages of this system

Lydia Ingabire — Wed, 13 Apr 2022 14:37:12 +0000

Always developers do their utmost when they are empowered and inspired, it means that when they are equipped with the tools and resources they need they will deliver better products and it will be faster. They are many methods that can help developers to be efficient in their work today, I am going to talk about pair-programming which is one method that boosts efficiency.

What is pair-programming?
Pair-programming is when two developers work on a project using only one machine, one works as a driver who codes while the other serves as an observer who checks the code that is being written and offer help where is needed. They switch roles after sometimes then the driver becomes an observer and vice versa.

Advantages of pair-programming
The pair-programming strategy has many advantages but lets me list some of them:

Better code: This means when you are coding together it will be easier to detect bugs and errors compared to when you are doing solo programming and this will increase the quality of your codes because you might not notice how bad your codes are when you are alone but together you can share ideas to deliver the best work
Time management: We can understand how quickly you can finish one project when you are working on it as 2 developers than when you are doing it solo. This means when you are 2 you don't spend much time on maybe one error because you help each other to figure out the issue than when you are working alone, which makes the process quicker and easier.
Sharpen interpersonal skills: Collaborating on one project helps developers to develop and appreciate communication and teamwork.
Creativity: When you are coding solo it is easier to stick to one solution that comes first to your mind, but when you are collaborating you will first explain to your partner how you think you can approach the issue, by sharing your idea your partner may disagree with your solution and share his/her ideas so this discussion might lead to more effective solutions.
Sharing knowledge: When you are coding together everyone has different knowledge and experiences, collaborating will help each one to learn new things from each other

As a developer who personally used pair-programming I would encourage anyone to try it out it is so much fun and educative at the same time.

HOW I DEMONSTRATED GROWTH MINDSET RECENTLY

Lydia Ingabire — Thu, 19 Mar 2020 15:46:56 +0000

Everywhere in the world, you will hear people pronouncing the word "mindset". Let us take a few minutes to talk about mindset and you will find it interesting.

What is Mindset?
.Our mindset is our mental attitude that has taken shape, based on our life experiences, background, our environment, our education and the ideas and beliefs we have.
.Is how you view capability and intelligence.

What is a Growth mindset?
It is the belief that you are in control of your ability, and can learn and improve. Yes, hard work, effort, and persistence are all important, but not as important as having that underlying belief that you are in control of your own choices.
here are the examples of a growth mindset:
.Anyone can be good at anything
.Skills comes only from practice
.Practice makes perfect etc.

A person with growth mindset will not give up easily when he/she fails instead will try all her/his best to continue learning to be good in what she/he wants. That is very different with a person with a fixed mindset you will hear them saying for example:
.She's a natural-born singer
.I'm just not good at reading etc..

How do you develop a growth mindset like how I did recently?
.Acknowledge and embrace imperfections:
Hiding from your weaknesses means you’ll never overcome them, to acknowledge them will help to improve.

.View challenges as an opportunity:
Having a growth mindset means appreciating opportunities for self-improvement.

.Replace the word "failing" with the word "learning":
When you make a mistake or fall short of a goal, you haven’t failed; you’ve learned.

.Celebrate growth with Others:
If you truly appreciate growth, you’ll want to share your progress with others.

.Take ownership over your attitude:
Once you develop a growth mindset, own it. Acknowledge yourself as someone who possesses a growth mentality and be proud to let it guide you throughout your career.

Recently I demonstrated a growth mindset by applying again in the Andela Stackup Program, it was not easy to apply again after failing more than 3times. I remember when I started learning programming I was convinced that it will not be an easy journey because I had to start from zero coding skills I knew it will require a lot of effort and hard work.

I did my best to learn software programming, attending pieces of training which were prepared by Andela, reading books, taking online courses.. i tried many things to be a confident programmer. When I failed for the first time in the Bootcamp it did not hurt me so much because I attended just to test myself if at least i am learning something. When I failed for the second time it hurt me but not that much I felt bad, yes but I took it as an experience and learning.

When I failed for the third time I started to see that things will not be like how I was thinking it will be and it hurt me so much and I thought that maybe am in a wrong path, I used to work in hospitality when I started learning to program i resigned intentionally so that I can be focused but when I failed 3rd time i felt like going back and just stop.

That is when the growth mindset came in I had to think again why I started learning to program and I found out that I am very passionate because you can't just wake up taking such a big decision there might be reasons behind. I replaced the word "failing" with "learning" and it worked, I looked back when I was just starting with zero skills and then was like even if I failed but I learned a lot, so I decided to keep my head up and to focus on learning not passing just to join Andela because at the end of the day what you want is skills you can work anywhere if you are skilled.

I want anyone who will read this blog post to develop this mindset you will not delay to start seeing improvements in how you view life and challenges and your decision making will be different.

HOW TO BUILD A USER INTERFACE FROM START TO FINISH

Lydia Ingabire — Thu, 12 Mar 2020 12:29:25 +0000

Today I am going to write about an interesting topic I have always wanted to write about that is a User Interface(UI). While designing UI you will have more fun because it's all about styling, colors.. which is really interesting. But before going deeper into how to design UI you can ask yourself what is User Interface?

User Interface(UI):
-is the point of human-computer interaction and communication in a device. This can include display screens, keyboards, a mouse and the appearance of a desktop.

-It is also the way through which a user interacts with an application or a website.

-It is a set of commands or menus through which a user communicates with a program.

Before starting designing UI it is good to think about users who will use it that will be a good starting point because UI focuses on anticipating what users might need to do and ensuring that the interface has elements that are easy to access, understand, and use to facilitate those actions.

Everything based on knowing your users, including understanding their goals, skills, preferences, and tendencies. Once you know about your users you can start designing.

“Obsess over customers: when given the choice between obsessing over competitors or customers, always obsess over customers. Start with customers and work backward.” – Jeff Bezos

Here are the best practices for designing an interface:

.Keep the interface simple : the best interfaces are almost invisible to the user. They avoid unnecessary elements and are clear in the language they use on labels and in messaging.

.Stay consistent: Users need consistency. They need to know that once they learn to do something, they will be able to do it again. Language, layout, and design are just a few interface elements that need consistency. A consistent interface enables your users to have a better understanding of how things will work, increasing their efficiency.

“The more users’ expectations prove right, the more they will feel in control of the system and the more they will like it.” – Jakob Nielson

.Be purposeful in page layout: Consider the spatial relationships between items on the page and structure the page based on importance. Careful placement of items can help draw attention to the most important pieces of information and can aid scanning and readability.

.Strategically use color and texture: You can direct attention toward or redirect attention away from items using color, light, contrast, and texture to your advantage.

Keep moving forward: It is often said when developing interfaces that you need to fail fast, and iterate often. When creating a UI, you will make mistakes. Just keep moving forward, and remember to keep your UI out of the way.

These are the basics elements you need to know if you want to be the best UI designer:

Input controls
allow users to input information into the system. If you need your users to tell you what country they are in, for example, you’ll use an input control to let them do so. these are a few examples of Input controls:

.Checkboxes: Checkboxes allow the user to select one or more options from a set

.Radio buttons: Radio buttons are used to allow users to select one item at a time.

.Buttons: A button indicates an action upon touch and is typically labeled using text, an icon, or both

.Dropdown lists: Dropdown lists allow users to select one item at a time

.Texts fields: Text fields allow users to enter text. It can allow either a single line or multiple lines of text.

Navigational components
help users move around a product or website.

Informational components
share information with users.

Containers
hold related content together.

if you really want to be a User Interface pro please visit these website you will thank me later.
https://www.w3schools.com/html
https://www.w3schools.com/css
https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/html-and-css-course/

BOOTCAMP CHALLENGES AND HOW I HAVE ADAPTED IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS

Lydia Ingabire — Thu, 05 Dec 2019 07:42:15 +0000

Bootcamp has been a good experience so far and time goes by so quickly I can't believe we only have 2 days remaining to finish the Bootcamp. But even if we had good experience, challenges were there as well let me share some of the challenges I faced during the Bootcamp and how I have adapted.

In this Bootcamp they introduced a new program called STACK UP it was a bit challenging because when we came to the Bootcamp we were expecting that after passing the Bootcamp we shall join Andela after 1 month maybe but for the STACK UP we will have to wait for 3month before joining, it was not a good news for some of us who had their plans before this was one of the challenges we faced.

I like to say that when you want to move forward in life you have to find the best in every situation, for the STACK UP even if it might sound bad before but it's a good program as well because after explaining for us what is all about I figured out that after finishing those 3months of the STACK UP you will be proud to say that you a software engineer because during this program you will be able to level up:

-Technical skills: We will be able to meet brilliants minds I mean software engineers who will help us to increase our skills in programming

-Team skills: I know that in Andela you have to work in a team so with STACK UP we shall get an opportunity to increase these skills so that it can't be a problem in the future

-English speaking: We need to speak English professionally so with STACK UP we will be able to level up our English and also our public speaking
I know STACK UP will be an amazing experience so to speak

The second challenge I faced is because I did not have a background in software development I had to use all my strength to be able to work on the Bootcamp project. imagine coming from Hospitality and start to code this might sound impossible before but with passion and determination everything is possible.

I have adapted by being focused and always thinking why I started, I was very passionate about technology so when Andela came it was an opportunity for me to realize my dreams so when am feeling like quitting this gives me strength to move forward, this requires a lot of research, sleepless nights and to be open to the feedback.
When they tell me where to improve I take it positively and as an opportunity to grow. and of course, being in a group of different people who has their background, their way of thinking it is challenging but it is even colorful to get to meet new people and learn from them.

I am looking forward to seeing what the future holds in this career I can't wait to see myself growing in this field and inspire new generation as a Girl who came from zero coding skills to a senior Developer.

MY EXPERIENCE IN BOOTCAMP SO FAR

Lydia Ingabire — Thu, 28 Nov 2019 23:15:57 +0000

Have you ever traveled to another country where you get to discover their culture, meeting new people, visiting good places and getting new experiences? I compare this with my experience in Bootcamp so far.

Before I join Bootcamp I had my point of view of how things will be and how challenging it will be in fact I was thinking that it will be a place where you just go and code without doing anything else, but guess what!! so far it has been a good experience because things went differently of how I was thinking it will be.

The first day of the Bootcamp we started the day by doing a warm-up which included playing some funny games it is really a good motivation for the people who had a point of view like mine it is like giving you another picture of the Bootcamp and also after warm-ups they introduced to us the learning facilitators who will be assisting us the whole week and this is really terrifying at first because you might think that they will be there just to show your mistakes but so far how I was expecting things to be is very different with the truth they are there to help you and assist you not to criticize you.

In this Bootcamp we really liked our learning facilitator his name is Eric Shema he is a cool guy we liked how he was always available to assist and answer when we asked something also I liked how he helped me to improve in the way I write my code and he was always appreciating what you did which is very motivating it is like someone is telling you that you did not west your time. And also in the Bootcamp, we learned that you don't have just to finish your work instead you have to know why you are doing things this way.

In the Bootcamp you get to meet new people, you make new friends from different background who has their way of thinking different to yours it is a bit challenging at first but that is one of the things which makes the Bootcamp very colorful, you learn how to increase your communication skills because you have to be in touch with the learning facilitator telling your progress. Bootcamp taught us how to work in the team which is the skills you will need even after joining Andela.

Bootcamp experience thus far has been amazing. I have learned and experienced so many new things in such a short period, and time has gone by so quickly. I am still discovering all the opportunities that Andela has to offer me. Andela is a great and very welcoming place.

MY REFLECTIONS ON ANDELA'S EPIC VALUES

Lydia Ingabire — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 18:46:13 +0000

In just a few years Andela existed it has proven to be the best company in the world every person who needs to sharpen skills in technology dreams to work. today am going to share with you the reason behind their success.

what is their mission?
is to advance human potential by powering today's teams and investing in tomorrow's leaders. Andela also has its EPIC values which have helped it to become what it is today.

what is EPIC?

E stands for EXCELLENCE:

EXCELLENCE!! you can call it again distinction, quality, superiority, brilliance, greatness, value, worth, etc.
without even saying many things you can tell from the meaning of this word in Andela they want people to be excellent in everything they do, like when writing code they want that you write code of the highest quality and not just to work just to finish but to deliver excellent work.

someone who want to be excellent works very hard to the best of his/her abilities and he doesn't give up easily even when they are many reasons to do so, and you always strive for improvement even if you might fail but you take it as a lesson.

here are 6 keys of excellence:
. Learn from your mistakes.
. speak honestly and kind
. Make your dreams happen
. Take responsibility for action
. Be willing to do things differently
. Live your best life

P stands for PASSION:

PASSION is a strong desire that can get you to do amazing things, it is an emotion to be acted upon, is the fuel in the fire of action when you have passion for something, you love it even when you hate it. and also passion is that love you have for something which motivates you to never stop until you achieve what you want.
Personally, my reflection on this value is that when you are passionate about something you strive to improve, and you inspire those around you and also you work hard.

I stand for INTEGRITY:

INTEGRITY you can call it as well righteousness, fairness, sincerity, truthfulness, nobility, honor, and decency..etc. people with integrity are generally known as trustworthy, honest, and kind. This is the quality everyone should strive for. in Andela they want you to be this kind of a person even if its rare to find people like that but in Andela, they are there.

here are some tips which can help us to show integrity:

. Keep your word. if you want to establish a solid reputation with others you must deliver on your promises
. Keep your commitments
. Pay attention to your environment
. Stay focused
. Surround yourself with honest people
. Take responsibility
. Respect your employees

Integrity is about being honest in everything you do such us knowing the privacy of the company and not share with everyone who is not related. someone with integrity doesn't discriminate against people based on their background, race, country, or their skin color.

C stands for COLLABORATION:

Collaboration requires to respect others and always eager to help when you can, and when you collaborate you have to be honest and straightforward to your peers and you always try to make a better place where you are and a safe place to be.

Let me conclude by thanking ANDELA for their values because by having these values in life there is nothing you will not achieve.

HOW I DEMONSTRATED GROWTH MINDSET RECENTLY

Lydia Ingabire — Mon, 25 Nov 2019 21:29:57 +0000

Let me start my blog post by sharing what I think about what a mindset is as it is what I am going to focus on in this post.

A Mindset is a belief that orients the way we handle situations — the way we sort out what is going on and what we should do. Your mindset has a profound effect on achievement, skills acquisition, and other areas of life. A person with a growth mindset believes their abilities can be gotten through hard work and dedication.

let me focus on one type of mindset which is a growth mindset, you might ask yourself what is growth mindset and what is a fixed mindset.

Growth mindset:
is the belief that you are in control with your own abilities and that you can learn and improve and this is a key to success.

Fixed mindset:
is the belief that you are not in control of your deeds it is like saying you can not learn new things, people with a fixed mindset you will recognize them in many situations they are always negative and they always think that nothing you can do if you don't know something.

By nature, I love technology so much because with technology you came up with solutions to some problems society has and because I did not learn technology at school I decided to learn it by myself which was like dedicating my life to it. learning programming been a way for me to demonstrate a growth mindset but you can ask yourself how?

but before telling you about how I demonstrated a growth mindset let me share what I discovered in this journey about how you can develop a growth mindset:

-Acknowledge your weakness:
Hiding from your weaknesses means you’ll never overcome them.

-View challenges as opportunities:
Having a growth mindset means relishing opportunities for self-improvement.

-Try different learning tactics:
There’s no one-size-fits-all model for learning. What works for one person may not work for you. some may understand very once they read something but others they understand after a lot of research.. some like to use videos but others like to read so you have to know which tactics work for you.

-Replace the word “failing” with the word “learning.”:
When you make a mistake or fall short of a goal, you haven’t failed; you’ve learned.

Recently I demonstrated a growth mindset by attending the Bootcamp once again, I call this a growth mindset because any normal person when you fail more than one time you might start thinking that maybe you are trying something which is not for you. and of course, people who surrounded you might tell you that you have to try something else if you fail.

But because I started learning to program when I took time to think about it I decided to move forward because giving up is the biggest failure of all than to keep trying. And with a growth mindset, I learned to find solutions of my problems even in normal life and when it comes to programming I learned to solve any bug I have by myself before asking help and it really worked so much because by now at least I can deliver something I designed myself.

Looking back when I started this journey I smile because I have come from far but now I can be proud of myself to where I am now.
Let me conclude by encouraging each and everyone who will read this blog post to develop this growth mindset you will never regret it.

HOW I DEMONSTRATED A GROWTH MINDSET RECENTLY

Lydia Ingabire — Thu, 10 Oct 2019 15:15:08 +0000

I used to love programming but i didn't know what is all about until I started to learn it, learning programming been a way for me to demonstrate a growth mindset but you can ask yourself how?
but before telling you about how I demonstrated it let me talk about how you can develop it:
-Acknowledge your weakness: Hiding from your weaknesses means you’ll never overcome them.

-View challenges as opportunities: Having a growth mindset means relishing opportunities for self-improvement.

-Try different learning tactics: There’s no one-size-fits-all model for learning. What works for one person may not work for you.

-Replace the word “failing” with the word “learning.”: When you make a mistake or fall short of a goal, you haven’t failed; you’ve learned.

Recently I demonstrated a growth mindset by attending women workshop to level up my technical skills, I call this a growth mindset because I was invited to attend the workshop right after failing to make it in the Bootcamp when you fail for the first time you might think that its normal that you can try again, but for the second time your point of view might start to change thinking that maybe this is not the things that you can try something else.

So I had to change my mindset by thinking that "challenges are what makes people grow" so when I failed I took it as an experience and when I was invited I didn't hesitate to accept. It was not easy because I had to start learning from scratch even what I thought I know already I had to repeat it what is interesting is that I learned many things like every end of the day I was pretty sure that I am not wasting my time.

And I can't forget to talk about challenges of working with different people who have different personalities, backgrounds, points of views, this is sometimes another challenge I faced during the workshop and it requires a growth mindset to move on with different types of people who can sometimes challenge you and feel like giving up.

In a conclusion, let me say that you can't achieve your goals if you give up easily, and if you are not ready to overcome all the challenges which will come in your way, so keep growing your mindset don't limit yourself.

Women In Tech Workshop challenges and how I have adapted in the last few weeks

Lydia Ingabire — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 07:41:18 +0000

When I was invited to the women Tech workshop I started to think about how the journey will be, if we will be able to understand what we are learning alone but let me share how we have adapted in these last few weeks.

here are some few challenges I faced:

-The first challenge, in general, is always thinking that we have limitations that there are things that are supposed to be performed by Men

-some of us it was the first time to learn Javascript so we have to do our own research so to understand what we are doing

-understanding git workflow was one of the biggest challenges we face during the Women Tech Workshop
but even if the workshop was challenging but it was a good experience we had though, there are some quotes which help me out when i feel challenged:

"We don't grow when things are easy, we grow when we face challenges".

"Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations".

When I was in this workshop there are things which helped me to adapt :

-First of all, I had to be positive every day and try to find the best in every situation I faced

-Every end of the day when I see that I learned something new even if its small it's a motivation for me it showed that I am not wasting my time

-What I liked the most in the workshop is posting every day a stand up this helped me to keep my head up to work hard.

-I can't take for granted that I met new friends who have brilliants minds, they were always a motivation to wake up every morning and come to the workshop.

We learned to be problem solvers, to do our research when we don't understand what we are doing, to work as a team, and to pay attention to details.

It was a good experience we had.