Your Django Story: Marion Magné

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

A brief biography, two to three sentences, about who you are, where you’re from, and the work you do.

My name is  Marion, I pursued a degree in Cognitive Sciences and Psychology in Paris then a Masters degree in Public Health with a specialisation in Computer Science Applied to the Medical Field in Bordeaux. I a from France. I currently work as an intern in Technical Support for a company which create software for hospitals, and will work as a Programmer in this same company starting in September.

How did your story with code start?

I started to have an interest in code in high school but didn’t give it much thoughts. I had been told that you had to be good in mathematics, and I majored in literature. After my license in Psychology (three years of college), I intended to pursue a master degree in the field but I wasn’t happy with it. I took a year to explore my interests. I mostly worked as an English and literature teacher, and tried different things. I discovered Django Girls, took some online classes about Computer Science, and found out that I loved it and, more important, was actually pretty good at it. I found out that the university in Bordeaux offered a Masters degree in Public Health, available to many undergraduate majors including my Psychology degree, and which offered a specialisation in Computer Science Applied to Health Field - so I applied!

What did you do before becoming a programmer?

I attended college to become a psychologist and worked as a tutor.

What do you love the most about coding?

It’s very logical. It works a bit like a spoken language with its own structure. And you have to specify everything. It’s kind of a teaching process actually: you have to be very specific about what you want your code to do. And seeing what you build work and be used is really satisfying. 

Why Django?

I am a feminist, and I loved the idea of giving women the same opportunity as men, and encouraging them to try something they have never really considered before. The fact that they didn’t ask for any programming experience was a plus. I was among the beginners, and did not feel judged at all.

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

I am trying to organise workshop about cyber-security to inform people about the risks and how to protect their personal information. And since I’m graduating this summer, I am looking forward to start my career as a junior programmer this fall.

What are you the most proud of?

I tried, even though the odds were not really in my favour. I thought that the worst they could tell me was no. I applied at my college, it worked. I applied as an intern in a software editing company, it worked. And applied to a position as a junior programmer even though I have only started programming a couple of years ago and I got the job!

What are you curious about?

Everything. We hear a lot about big data these days, so I would love to know more about it. And feminism. Sciences in general. And cat behaviour, but mostly to understand why mine chases my mousepad.

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

I read a lot, these days mostly science fiction and essays. I watch TV shows, I play Magic: The Gathering and board games with my friends and colleagues. Classic nerd stuff. And I am part of a french feminist webzine.

Do you have any advice/tips for programming beginners?

Forget what you have been told about. You do not have to be a video game fan since age 5, you do not have to have a degree in Mathematics, and men in this field are not all that bad. I actually have great colleagues who help me progress.

How did attending (organizing, or coaching!) a Django Girls workshop influence your life/career? What did you get out of attending (organizing, or coaching) a Django Girls workshop?

I grew more confident about my programming skills. You can not teach what you do not understand. And it actually gave me good arguments during my interview for a Programmer position! And ideas, too. Why not teach programming in a few years?

Thank you so much, Marion!

If you would like to suggest someone is featured in the Your Django Story series (or would like to nominate yourself!), please email us at story@djangogirls.org!