Your Django Story: Meet Felice Ho
This is a post in our Your Django Story series where we highlight awesome ladies who work with Django. Read more about it here.
Felice Ho is a former financial technology professional and self-taught developer from New York City. She is passionate about coding for social good, empowering women to work in technology, and mentoring the next generation of coders. She loves technology because of its ability to help others and change the world. Felice also enjoys yoga, salsa dancing, and travel.
How did your story with code start?
My story with code started back in high school but I did not realize I was meant to become a programmer until a few years ago. Curiosity with code turned into an eagerness to learn more while using it at work. After learning about ‘meetups’ from several developers, I decided to browse through tech events. My first events were web design talks but I eventually found my way into study groups and hack nights where I learned resources to teach myself how to code.
What did you do before becoming a programmer?
I quit my job and left a career working in professional services for private equity clients. I was a financial analyst for a few years before joining a software provider doing report development and then another fintech company implementing web-based solutions. I found my way back into coding after leaving it in college.
What do you love the most about coding?
Coding is awesome because it enables you to build anything you can dream of. It changes so often you can never be bored! I love that it challenges yet motivates me, and reminds me to find ways to use something I already love to help people. There is always something to be learned when coding.
Why Django?
I experimented with different frameworks and languages, but I immediately connected with Python/Django after attending PyCon and Django meetups in the city. Combining the ease of learning Django with the versatility of Python, I knew my home would be in the both of these communities. It was intuitive and the people I met made the decision easy for me.
What cool projects are you working on at the moment/planning on working on in the near future?
I am in the middle of a career transition and taking this opportunity to volunteer. In particular on projects to help my local community or initiatives to support the next generation of coders through mentoring. I also plan to work on a project that will help fellow yogis and travelers!
What are you most proud of?
I am proud of making the decision to invest time in myself and my passion. I hope to use technology to do great things for people who truly need it.
What are you curious about?
Technology has become a huge part of our lives and I am curious to see how we can use it in productive ways to create a meaningful impact on society. I hope to see how we will close the gap, both the need for more programmers and for more women in technology.
What do you like doing in your free time? What’s your hobby?
I love to practice yoga or dance salsa. Yoga grounds me and teaches me how to become a better person every day. Salsa works my brain in a different way by testing my coordination and giving me a creative outlet. I also like to read and only recently learned how to relax after years of picking up too many hobbies!
Do you have any advice/tips for programming beginners?
Never give up, it gets easier! Just keep practicing and don’t be afraid to ask for help because programmers are constantly learning and technology changes too often for us know everything. Have fun with it, remember that feeling you get when you figure something out, and share it back so the community can keep growing!
How did attending a Django Girls workshop influence your life/career? What did you get out of attending a Django Girls workshop?
Attending a workshop helped me pick the language and the framework! As an attendee, I have immense gratitude for the people who have shared their knowledge and space with me. As a coach, thank you for the opportunity to share with others what the tech community has shared with me.
Thank you so much, Felice!
If you would like to suggest someone to be featured in the Your Django Story series (or would like to nominate yourself!), please email us at story@djangogirls.org!
