Nevertheless, Evgenia Coded

I'm a self-taught frontend developer...

And that journey hasn't been an easy one.

I started tinkering with frontend when I was a teenager. I loved message board roleplay games and wanted to style the boards but had no money, so I had to improvise. I built pretty formidable skills but I hadn't even thought about turning it into a profession before my friend Anya, also a frontend developer and a fellow woman in tech, asked me why hadn't I.

You see, up until that moment, I thought I couldn't be an engineer. It was a thing boys did; what I did felt more like a hobby, a fun way to pass the time. Girls were better at languages and communications anyway, or so I was lead to believe. I went to college and started as an American Studies major. It wasn't my thing. Eventually, I dropped out and took some time to figure out what my thing was.

And then, Anya asked me that question. And then, another friend paid me to write some CSS for her. Encouraged by them and with some guidance from Anya, I spent the next six months or so learning JS and building my portfolio.

Getting my first job wasn't easy. I had to take a long break in my job search, disappointed, but I took this time to solidify my knowledge. I got out there again, and this time, I got an offer.

Fast-forward to now. I've switched jobs (this is my second tech one), and I'm officially an engineer for almost a year now and a lead frontend specialist on my small team with 3+ years of experience. When I think of that, I'm pretty much amazed at how far I've come.

Everything's possible if you give yourself time and don't give up.

On sexism in tech and beyond

I'm a lucky woman.

Russia is a very sexist country. When the whole world celebrates International Women's Day, most Russian women get flowers and speeches like "be beautiful and happy". There's a wage gap, a glass ceiling, no law against domestic violence. The tech scene here is no better.

Still, I have never experienced most of the things my fellow women and non-binary folks in tech describe. I was lucky to find good teams with men who believed in me and teached me and never belittled me. When I decided to become a programmer, my family supported me too. I wish every person had this luck.

By lucky I mean that my immediate teammates and superiors wereand aregreat. But I still had my share of troublesome encounters.

This is the worst one by far.

At my first job, a work acquaintance waited until my teammates left and hit on me. He took my coat without permission to help me put it on, which I didn't ask for, and offered me a ride home. He was very insistent. I declined repeatedly, and he had trouble taking no for an answer. He was married. That evening, I came home in shambles and had a panic attack. I never told anyone at the company because I was scared. I felt very unsafe after this whole experience. In part, this was the reason I worked from home a lot more than before and eventually switched jobs.

It does get better though. Even in Russia.

At my first job, I was the only woman in all the programming teams for more than a year. Then came another one, to an adjacent department; when I left, my former team specifically looked for another woman to join them. My current one is split 50/50, and our team leader is a woman. Work environments are getting more supportive too. Some even have proper International Women's Day celebrations!

My advice for allies to support self-identifying women and non-binary folks who code is...

Listen to them. Give them a safe space to share ideas, perspectives, and whatever they're going through. Believe their experiences and trust their judgement. This is the most important thing.

The second most important thing? Elevate them! Encourage them and loudly support them, be their advocate. Especially the younger ones. I didn't have much support when I was a kid, and if I had one, who knows? I might've already conquered the world. :)