Your Django Story: Meet Teresa de la Torre

This is a post in our Your Django Story series where we highlight awesome ladies who work with Django. Read more about it here.

Teresa is a Python and Django developer and co-founder of Kaleidos, co-founder of Taiga and member of PyLadies Spain. You can follow her @tdelatorreh.

How did your story with code start?

Some years ago I decided to change my career to something that I liked and allowed me to work on it. So I decided to leave my job and started to study a bachelors degree. Then I did an internship in the FOSS area of a company and got hired afterwards.

 

What did you do before becoming a programmer?

I went to the university and I studied Optic and Optometry, I liked Physics and Medicine so it seemed to have a bit of both (formulas and eyes preserved in formaldehyde) but, because of a difficult familiar situation I had to drop out and then, the part-time job I had for covering my student expenses turned into a full-time job and my source of income.

I worked in fast food restaurants and also as a salesperson. I guess that I got tired of working face-to-face with customers, people don’t have an off button :)

 

What do you love the most about coding?

I don’t know… So many things can be done! You are learning constantly, you never get bored.

It’s a job that changes continuously and you have to be able to endure the frustration, you are comfortable in a project because you know the programming language but another project begins and you have to start over again. For example, I have had to learn CoffeeScript, Backbonejs and jQuery in my last project and I hadn’t used them before.

I think what I like is the amount of possibilities you have of not getting bored.

 

Why Django?

When I had my first job I started using Python and Django and I’ve continued using it since then. I use it also in my spare time, it is a great framework, it has a very strong community behind and a very detailed documentation.

 

What cool projects are you working on at the moment/planning on working on in the near future?

In my job I’m working on a well-known tourist platform. In my spare time I have just finished the web page of my boyfriend’s rock band (I guess that I owed it him, he has written many songs dedicated to me).

At the end of this November I plan to give 2 Python workshops and 2 talks about motivation (to help increase the number of women developing software). Also I want to participate more actively in open source communities.

 

What are you the most proud of?

I am very proud to be part of Kaleidos. A company which tries to make things in a different way and be able to actively take part on it… it’s the best thing that has happened to me in my professional career.

Also I am very proud of what I’ve accomplished and what’s still to come…

 

What are you curious about?

I consider myself a very curious person, I think that the curiosity is the base of learning but, I would like to have days of 30 hours to be able to do everything I want.

Lately I’ve been interested in knowing why there are so few women developers and to think about what I can do to change the situation. I suppose that the motivation talks are a first step on that direction.

 

What do you like doing in your free time? What’s your hobby?

One year ago I fulfilled a girl’s dream, to have a horse! I spend a lot of my free time riding a Rohan (that is the name of my horse).

Yes, I am a Rohirrim, the only “rider of Rohan” who exists currently! (it is a very bad word play :D).

Also I spend time reading and watching cinema about science fiction or fantasy. I love travelling, trekking and mountain biking.

 

Do you have any advice/tips for programming beginners?

I don’t know if I am the right person to give advice but my key is the perseverance, I can’t let myself get discouraged. Sometimes it’s very difficult but if you continue working hard you will make it.

Thanks Teresa! :)

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