by Rails Girls is a global community created to encourage women to explore the field of technology. The idea behind Rails Girls goes way beyond learning how to code; it’s all about bringing ideas to life. In Brazil, many cities have already hosted these initiatives, and on June 28th, another edition of Rails Girls São Paulo took place.
The event featured the collaboration of five members of the RGSP organizing team, three guests who joined a chat about leadership, two representatives from the event host, Smart Fit, and 34 participants, including the two of us, who are sharing this story. It all came together with support from sponsors, including Codeminer42.
Codeminer42’s sponsorship of the event means a lot to us, as we had the opportunity to represent the company during the event. By the way, if you are considering joining our team (which you should!), know that you will have the financial support from Codeminer42 to attend RailsGirls and many other cool coding events!
The impact this event would have on our lives was clear right from the start, when we saw women in tech leadership roles walk into the room. What was supposed to be just another casual chat turned into a spark that lit up something in each of us. The glimpse of what we could achieve in our careers was right there. We got the chance to talk with them and realize that every one of those leaders started out just like us: with fears and challenges. They had to prove themselves and gradually carve out their space in a field that’s still mostly led by men.
Rails Girls Archive: Leadership conversation panel
That representation made us see ourselves in them, not as people who are somehow less or too far from that reality, but as equals. We all share the same feelings, even if our realities are different.
That opening chat was a great icebreaker before we started coding. It tackled many of the career challenges on our minds today and really encouraged us to voice our questions in a natural way. A common thread we saw, both during the event and in the final testimonials, was that everyone felt a real sense of security to put themselves out there. This only happens in a space where people aren’t feeling judged or inferior for what they don’t know. And for that, the Rails Girls organizers deserve all the credit for creating such a welcoming and friendly space.
Between lines of code, questions, and solutions, the exchange of experiences built much more than just technical knowledge. In each group, there were participants with lots of experience and others who only knew the programming basics. There were people from different cities and states, people with established careers, students, and others still looking for their first opportunity. This diversity broadened our perspective on what programming can do for us, and especially what we can do for each other.
Digging a bit deeper into how we can help each other, both of us got the opportunity to be mentors to two different groups. And that experience has been one of the richest of our careers. First, because we got the chance to pass forward some of the knowledge we accumulated over the years, which is one of the points of acquiring knowledge in the first place. Second, because we got to experience something we believe happens to everyone, in different moments of life: we learned a lot while teaching. And very few things are as fulfilling as hearing that “Oh, I get it now!” from a fellow programmer.
One of the most special characteristics of the RailsGirls event is that it’s not only a safe space for us women to connect, but also to code our way out of our own insecurities. Or even better: to make peace with our insecurities as we code. While asking questions when coding is normal and even encouraged, we know it can also be a bit intimidating. But there’s a mental muscle we flex each time we push past that fear and ask the question anyway. If we keep flexing it, eventually we realize we don’t fear not knowing things anymore. RailsGirls is an event that allows women to build that strength, so that they get to grow stronger in their software engineering careers.
Rails Girls Archive: Rails Girls atendees
Rails Girls São Paulo was so much more than a workshop. It was a reminder that community and representation matter just as much as technical skills. We left the event feeling inspired, supported, and reconnected with the reasons we chose this field in the first place. Whether you’re an experienced developer, a beginner, or somewhere in between, there’s a place for you here.
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