I’m a developer and I think I do a good job. I always give the best I can and strive for perfection where I can and constantly research and try to learn how to accomplish that. Information is what I am addicted to, specifically the kind that might help me move forward in my field. I do this now professionally for more than 7 years. Let me tell you about the, sometimes hard, way I took.

I became interested in computer when we got a C64. That simple little command RUN fascinated me. The whole concept still fascinates me. I loved that blue screen displaying simple interfaces like GEOS or letting us drive around with a Hotwheels car and repainting them over and over again. (I still get the purpose of that game). A few years later I got my first “Computer”, a VTech Genius Leader 5000. It is a computer with a three line display with a couple of educational games on it, including a BASCI editor & interpreter (Yes, I consider it educational). So, I started learning how to write programs in BASIC. A little while we also got an old IBM computer with an Intel 386 processor, 100MB HD, 8MB RAM etc. It was not the best for it’s time, but enough to boot and reinstall Windows 95. From that point on it wasn’t easy to get me away from a screen. And when we got a, for that time “modern”, computer and internet I published my first website on GeoCities.

This was the first time the web grabbed my attention as a platform to work with and on. I researched stuff on HTML & CSS and asked friends I knew were doing the same thing about their learnings. One day the brother of a friend of mine, Simon Dorner, was holding a book in his hand Eric Meyer’s “CSS: The Definitive Guide”, while trying out the stuff on his Power Mac G4 switching between Mozilla and BBEdit. When I showed interested in what he did, he started teaching me. He showed me that table-less layouts are better, he told me about web standards and the whole purpose behind it. I learned a lot from him and I am still thankful for that.

This is how I got into becoming a Web Developer.

School was secondary to me. I didn’t feel comfortable there. I was more comfortable trying to figure out how I could get my computer doing the work for me. I was good in what I wanted to be good in and in topics I was interested in. I could score a good grade when I wanted or needed to. I kept going with motivation barely existing. I felt it was necessary to become a professional in technology. When I was 19 I had enough, I wanted to do what I loved for living. So, I worked as a freelancer doing various jobs for different clients, after a while I realized I am not an accountant. I just wanted to be a developer. I started looking for an employment. After a few months a company hired me as a Front-End Developer. I found myself with a steady income, I moved out of my parents place etc. I was happy, because I had what I felt was my dream job. Since then I switched jobs five times. I worked at companies that had a product or a normal agency, or a mixture. I enjoyed working at all of them!

In all that time I never stopped learning. I never stopped failing. And believe me you will fail a lot. Your head will hit the desk more times than you want, because you forgot that fucking semi-colon. But all that failing kept me going and still does. I never wanted to go to college, because I knew it was not an environment for me to learn. I want to learn what interests me, what I know I will need the next day.

I don’t think that there is one way to reach a goal. I don’t feel that school, college and internship is necessarily the way to go for everybody. In my opinion if someone has a dream, she or he can reach that. And they should choose the way they feel is right for them. And if they love what they do, they will be the best in their field.

I support anyone who gets interested in what I do and how to do it. If somebody comes up to me and asks “Can you explain this to me?”, it makes me happy and I will drop everything and do my best to teach. And trust me if you want to do something, there is always a way. I had a lot of pitfalls, but you have to get up and keep going, always, because you will get more than you ever thought before.

In 2010 a new word in German has been crowned “Word of the Year 2010”. It means to feel ashamed on someone elses behalf and this is what I feel when I read or hear about how some male colleagues in my industry behave towards women. And i have the feeling these reports are getting more and more. Be it caused by more women in tech or by more women taking a stand. I welcome both and do my best I can to support them.

The mindset that these guys advocate, which is basically that women are not capable of being good in technology, is basically bullshit. There are plenty of colleagues out there who are female and without them we would not have decent Web Standards, OAuth, programming in general and much more. I admire them, the same way I admire some men, for what they contribute(d) to the field.

To assume that men are better in technology, because there are more contributions out there from men is wrong. It is a fact that there are less women in our field, therefore more contributions are of male origin, which of course does not in any way mean they are more or less valuable.

I crave for equality in technology and basically in everything I am involved with, therefore: I want more women in tech!

I do my part by helping at Rails Girls events and other workshops to get people started with programming and there are a bunch of guys, good guys, who give their support as well. If you are a woman who is interested in programming i highly encourage you to come to one of these events and see for your self that every male there is in no way to be associated with disrespecting douche-bags mentioned in this post at the top.

Dicovering new music, listening to the latest album of my favorite artists, seeing them live. All that is a big part of my life, therefore i decided to show you my favorite albums of this past year. Of course there are much more albums I listened to, but these are the ones I still listen to.

Mumford & Sons - Babel

What i loved about their previous album was there ability to build up tension within there songs and cause a amazing explosion of emotions. With this album the keep it this way. “I Will Wait” is the favorite of most on this record, it also is mine. I did not yet have the chance to see them live, but i imagine it an amazing concert.

Band of Horses - Mirage Rock

I listened to “Knock Knock” when they revealed the video for it, before the album release. I was stunned. It was much more rocky then I expected. The whole album is more decorated with a lot more drums and and guitar action. Rumors say that even Jimmy Page likes it.

Japandroids - Celebration Rock

And a celebration of rock it is. “The House That Heaven Built”, what a song. When I hear it, I need to bang my head. It is impossible not to. After enjoying it for weeks I had to see them live. I went out of there completely soaked. Not onlye due to the fact that the little venue was packed.

Best Coast - The Only Place

This album ruled my summer. Go out into the sun and turn on “The Only Place”. And dance. This is what it does to you. Here in vienna we don’t have the ocean, we don’t have the babes and we also don’t have the waves, but this makes you feel we do. It will probably continue to be a record I will listen to when I want to escape the city for a moment.

Paul Banks - Banks

Oh, Paul. His solo project “Julian Plenti” was already a good move. Not saying Interpol isn’t good, but somehow his solo projects seem to bring out the best of him and suit his voice even better. Even though it is sometimes rocking it keeps you in a melancholic mood.