Becoming a Front-End Developer: Q&A With Madeleine Andersson

For this month’s Women of Color Talk Teck we had the opportunity to interview Madeleine Andersson, front-end developer at Bontouch.

J/EMMSTECH - Could you please tell us a little about yourself? 🙋🏽‍♀️

M - I grew up in Dalarna in a small town called Ludvika and moved to Stockholm in 2015 to start studying computer science and information systems (”data- och systemvetenskap” in Swedish). I live with my boyfriend who also works as a front-end developer!

J/EMMSTECH - How did you decide on this career path? What has your journey been like? 🖥️👩🏽‍🎓

M - Video games sparked my interest in tech as a child and later when I was around 15-16 years old blogs were really popular so that’s actually when I first dabbled in coding! I was writing HTML and CSS and learning how to use WordPress and other blogging platforms. At that point I didn’t think about turning it into a career though and working in tech wasn’t obvious to me at all when it was time to apply to universities a few years later.

After considering many different educations I ultimately decided on a bachelor’s degree in computer science and information systems that was focused on interaction design and human computer interaction. It allowed me to study both human behavior and tech which made it very appealing!

I ended up really liking the programming courses and chose to apply for front-end developer jobs by the end of my education. I decided to take a position as a software developer trainee at Accenture Interactive after graduating which after a few months transitioned into me being a front-end developer consultant at an e-commerce client. I later moved on to another company called Bontouch where I currently work and here I have continued to work with front-end development in a few different projects. 

J/EMMSTECH - What is your favorite thing about being a developer? 👩🏽‍💻

M - I really like the analytical and problem solving aspects - looking through your code after working on a problem and feeling like you’ve solved it in a smart way is such a great feeling! 

Coming from a more design focused background I also very much enjoy the visual aspect and working close to designers. I love turning a prototype into a fully functioning solution and making sure it’s pixel perfect!

J/EMMSTECH - What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced in this academic/working field? ⚡

M - As not only a woman in tech but also a woman of color in tech I am aware that people may have certain biases against me. Because of this I have experienced a lot of stereotype threat (i.e. a fear to confirm a negative stereotype) which has led me to put a lot of additional pressure on myself.

J/EMMSTECH - As a front-end developer at Bontouch, what are you working on right now? Would you like to share a recent accomplishment with us? 

M - I’ve mainly worked with a JavaScript framework called Vue.js during my time at Bontouch. Currently, I am mostly focusing on accessibility and I recently finished an accessibility audit where I evaluated how well a website conforms to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Based on the audit I am now making improvements to ensure that the website is inclusive to as many people as possible. 

I think that accessibility is such an important aspect of web development but it is unfortunately often down-prioritized so I am very happy to have the opportunity to focus on it now and make the web a more inclusive space!

J/EMMSTECH - In your opinion, what are the three top skills a person needs to be able to work in your field?

M - Three traits that I think have helped me a lot in this field is being curious, stubborn and analytical. Soft skills are also very important though (even though they may not be highlighted as often as other skills when talking about being a programmer) and for example being a good communicator and being humble and empathic are also very important in my opinion! 

+Advice!🌟

What advice would you give to women that want to get into front end development?

We need more women in this field - so if you’re interested don’t suppress that feeling due to fear or doubt! Try it out by taking a course for example, or you can learn on your own through any of the many free resources online!