Apple spotlights developers revealing how they started

Ahead of November's national celebration of education, Apple has asked developers to share their tips on making a career in coding.

National STEAM day on November 8, 2022, celebrates education in science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics. All of these can be needed in a career spent coding apps for the App Store, and Apple has highlighted what developers say new coders need to know.

"[Inspiring] creators — from college roommates who bonded over their love of sneakers to a pair of engineers looking to help fellow moms find quality childcare — are sharing their unique journeys that led them to entrepreneurship through app development and the App Store," said Apple in a statement. "[They] offer insights for those looking to take the leap into coding and underline the endless opportunities available for aspiring app developers at all stages of life."

The developers include Anne K. Halsall, who was a member of the Apple Entrepreneur Camp's 2022 intake. She says that for a long time, she believed coding was just this fun side project, not something that would lead to work.

"What was strange for me was that that was always like a hobby — something I pursued for fun, kind of in the privacy of my home," she said. "I didn't have opportunities to bond with other kids about this, because I didn't know any other girls who were into computers."

"And when I went to college, it never occurred to me to do this as a career," she continued. "[However, it] was the thing I wanted to do and the thing I was passionate about. So as much as I tried to do other things with my life, I ended up in technology inevitably, in spite of myself."

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Halsall is now the co-founder and chief product officer behind childcare platform Winnie. Her fellow co-founder Sara Mauskop also spoke to Apple, this time about coming late to coding.

"I always tell people you're never too old to learn to code," she said. "I discovered it in college, and I thought I was already behind because some people at my college had learned to code in high school, but it turns out you can learn anytime, even much later in your career."

"At Winnie, we're really supportive of hiring people from nontraditional backgrounds," she continued, "like parents returning to the workforce, or people who see coding as a new career path after their first career."

"It's been now six and a half years of building Winnie, and we built it kind of throughout our childbearing years," said Mauskopf. "It wasn't really an option for us to wait to have kids till after we were done with our startup because this is a long journey."

"And if you're successful, this is a 10-plus-year journey you're on," she continued. "If you want to wait till your kids are grown, you're letting a lot of time and opportunity pass you by."

For further developer tips, ranging from looking for mentorship and helping others, to building a community around you, see Apple's complete interview with more developers.