This week I interview Phoebe Voong-Fadel about her childhood as the daughter of refugees, and how she self-studied coding and became a professional developer at the age of 36.
Phoebe worked from age 12 at her parent’s Chinese take-out restaurant. She was able to study history at the London School of Economics, before working in higher ed.
She left her job to raise two kids due to the high cost of childcare in the UK, and spent years self-studying coding before becoming a software developer at age 36.
I recorded this podcast live and I haven’t edited it at all. I want to capture the feel of a real live conversation, with all the human quirks that entails. As with all my podcast episodes, I start by performing a classic bass line. Can you guess what song this bass line is from? It’s from 1989.
Phoebe has earned multiple certifications from freeCodeCamp, and also published a number of articles on our publication.
How Phoebe went from stay-at-home mom to Front End Web Developer at age 36
You can watch a video version of my interview with Phoebe here:
Or you can listen to the podcast in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. You can also listen to the podcast below, right in your browser:
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I’m not sure I believe this story. I’ve never heard of anyone who became a developer at the age of 36. It just seems too unlikely.
I don’t know, this all seems a little too good to be true. I’ve heard of people who have tried to learn to code and failed. I don’t want to waste my time if there’s no guarantee of success.
For those who are interested in learning more about coding, I recommend checking out the freeCodeCamp website. They offer a variety of free courses that can help you get started.
I love this story! It’s so inspiring to see someone who’s made such a big change in their life. I’m rooting for you!
So, you’re telling me that all I have to do is listen to this podcast and I’ll become a developer? I guess I’ll give it a try, but I’m not holding my breath.
Oh, wow, a stay-at-home mom became a developer? That’s amazing! I’m sure all the other stay-at-home moms are just as impressed as I am.
I disagree with the guest’s claim that coding is easy to learn. I’ve been trying to learn for years and I still can’t get the hang of it.
This podcast was so inspiring! I’m a stay-at-home mom who’s always dreamed of becoming a developer, but I never thought it was possible at my age. This podcast gave me the hope and motivation to finally go for it. Thanks for sharing your story!
I’m just picturing this stay-at-home mom sitting at her computer, coding away, while her kids are running around the house screaming. It’s a hilarious image!
This podcast was really motivating. I’m a stay-at-home mom who’s been thinking about going back to school to become a developer. This podcast gave me the confidence to go for it.