My Journey • Got interested in computers & Internet when i was in National Service (1996-1998) • Studied History and Political Science in NUS (1998-2001) • Taught myself web design • Worked part time as a web designer (HTML, CSS)
My Journey • Co-workers were IT graduates from Temasek Polytechnic (3 girls) • They taught me programming in Cold Fusion • Picked up PHP in 2001 on my own • Client only had Linux server (not Windows)
My Journey • Ran my own web hosting business after university • Joined a digital agency in 2006 (Comwerks Interactive) • Started the Singapore PHP User Group in 2006 • Organised the first PHP Conference Asia in 2015
What you should focus on? • Be curious, ask questions, find out how things work • Learn about Web Technologies (PHP is a good starting point) • Learn about Mobile App Development (iOS, Android) • Learn other programming languages • Develop a product mindset
“Hmm one think I will wish I knew is Java is a very important language to learn OOP concepts! So put effort in it! I used to think Java is crap in Poly, but then I realised the benefit of OOP and how Java does it in Uni/ work and realised it is important!” Lester Chan Singapore Polytechnic (2001 - 2004) Head of Engineering at Tech In Asia
“I think attending conferences + meetups like PHP ones had helped me understand tech a lot more. Also, taking interests in building useful projects can help spur greater interests in what we do. When we see projects getting used, it reinforces our learning.” Sam Mauris Yong Ngee Ann Poly (2009 - 2011) Undergraduate at NUS School of Computing
Why grow as an engineer? • Better understanding of how products are build • More experience, can give better advice to business owner • Understand limitations & improve your BS detector • Be able to recommend better user experiences
• Singapore Geek Girls is a local initiative for females to connect, share, contribute, mentor and learn from each other. • We want to empower the next generation of women in technology through fun, informal and interactive activities.
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