by Zuzana K

How we can empower moms by helping them learn how to code

I recently applied to become a MomsCanCode coach, and I was accepted! I am over the moon! But what does it mean? What will I do as a MomsCanCode coach?

I am going to support other moms who are learning to code.

Why am I talking about moms in particular?

It is quite common for women, once they have children, to take time to re-evaluate their career choices.

Do they want to continue doing what they were doing before having children? Is it even possible? Or do they need to find something else that will be a better fit with their family life?

It is also common for moms to realize that yes, they do need to find something new. Something that will allow them to be there for their family without constantly feeling guilty for their choice.

Web development is one of these areas.

This is not to say that learning to code is easy. Oh no, it isn’t. It is a hard, grueling process, that makes you question everything you know and tear your hair out in the process.

Picking up a new skill is hard. Picking up a technical skill for someone who may not have been very technical before is frightening.

But it is possible.

Web development is a vast field, and it needs people from all areas. It requires the hard-core back-end geeks who thrive swimming in the lines of code, never seeing the light of UI.

It also needs the creative arty folk, who understands that things not only need to be functional, they need to look good.

It needs people to apply knowledge of human psychology to understand why specific user interfaces work, and why others don’t.

Web development needs people with all kinds of skills and backgrounds. And this is what makes it such an attractive career to get into.

There are many online resources out there.

Too many, in fact. It is easy to get overwhelmed and lost. Go from one tutorial to the next. To have a go at many things, not learning anything well.

Contrary to other careers, you don’t need a degree to get hired. Web development is one of the fields where you find people with all sorts of backgrounds. From humanities to science — anything goes.

But that also means that you need to know it well. You need to have a good portfolio. You need to prove to the potential employer that you are a good fit, even though you don’t come with a Computer Science degree.

MomsCanCode is a membership-based community that supports and encourages women — specifically moms — to have a career in technology. To work while being there for their children.

To Dream Big and Aim High!

My role as a coach will be to cheer them on their way and to hold them accountable for their progress.

I will host a 30-day challenge where I will set a goal for my participants to accomplish. I will provide the curriculum and create a list of tasks and resources to help them along the way.

I will host co-working hours to encourage other moms to come and code, from their kitchen table or their sofa, with kids on their lap, if need be. It’s OK. I have been there. It is where I am right now!

My challenge will be about Accessibility

I am passionate about web accessibility, and I want other people to understand why. Accessibility is not just about making your website accessible to screen readers. There is so much more to it. And I would love to share what I know.

The challenge will start on in the Autumn of 2018 and I will post more details before it goes live. You can follow me on Twitter for updates.

Can’t wait for you to join me.

Let’s make the web accessible!

Join the MomsCanCode FaceBook group to see updates or follow us on Twitter or Instagram.

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