FarMar
Hello! My name is Rachel Pavilanis. I am an aspiring software developer, attending the Seattle-based Ada Developer's Academy as a member of Cohort 6. Ada Developer's Academy is a year-long software development training program, with six months of intensive in-class work followed by a five month internship at a sponsoring Seattle-based company. In this program, I am learning Ruby, Ruby on Rails, JavaScript, and HTML/CSS. I am also gaining practical experience working on project teams and a strong foundation in computer science fundamentals. I will graduate in July of 2017, and will then be working as a full-stack software developer.
Prior to this new venture, I worked in the field of school psychology for five years, providing school-based school psychology support while also adding district responsibilities like Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) Coach and Preschool Transition Coordinator.
I am originally from Michigan, but I have lived in the Eugene, Oregon area for approximately eight years, with my partner and two small dogs. In my spare time, I love to read fantasy novels, explore the beautiful Pacific Northwest, and write/record songs.
Almost four weeks have passed since my last update, and in some ways it feels like four months! In our final two weeks of Intermediate Ruby, we completed two major projects that consumed 25-30 hours each week. The first was a pair-programming project where we were tasked with building a basic Scrabble game. In that week... read more
I just finished my third week at Ada Developer’s Academy. As I settle into my routine at Ada, I keep having the same thought – “So this is what it feels like to love what you do…”. This thought brings about scary, overwhelming, intoxicating, and unfamiliar feelings. I always thought I would live... read more
I have thought a lot about why I want to be a software developer over the past six months, partially because the application and interview process at Ada necessitated that I do this, but also because I wanted to be very thoughtful about taking this step toward a new career. Since I announced... read more