GDE group spotlight: Alba Silvente Fuentes

Monika: What merchandise are you working with? What’s your skilled focus, and what instruments make your day-to-day work simple and environment friendly?

Alba: Most of my work on the frontend is finished in Vue 3, with the brand new Webpack for the ecosystem known as Vite, with semantic HTML, Tailwind CSS, and typically with Nuxt.js—relying on the specifics of the undertaking. More often than not I am creating net functions, though just lately I additionally labored on creating Chrome extensions.

I often deal with the frontend half—constructing elements—however I additionally like to bear in mind the undertaking structure, particularly making an allowance for maintainability, efficiency, and scalability. That is why the content material I am creating in the neighborhood contains subjects like Atomic Design, Jamstack, and design programs—I prefer to study new architectures that catch on.

And if there are instruments that may’t be missed in my day-to-day, these are: VS Code synchronized with my account so as to add extensions resembling Volar, Eslint, and Prettier; Notion to doc my work and for content material creation; Chrome extensions like Toby, Net Vitals metrics, and Axe; and Fig.io for the terminal.

Monika: How did you get right here? When did you resolve to deal with net growth and frontend?

Alba: I studied picture and sound engineering in telecommunications, so nothing instantly associated to net growth. Throughout my research, I realized the fundamentals of coding with C and C++. Once I realized I had a knack for programming, I made a decision to observe that path and dive deeper into net growth. Throughout my third 12 months of faculty, we have been required to do an internship, and since I wasn’t certain what I wished to do, I selected an internet company—there I used to be taught PHP, HTML, CSS, and jQuery, working as a full-stack developer.

This made me notice that I really want frontend growth, I actually preferred what I used to be doing and wished to focus simply on that. So I began studying about frontend frameworks—Vue, React, and Angular. I attempted all of them to lastly fall in love with Vue.

Monika: What do you assume is the following large factor for net applied sciences?

Alba: For me, the following large factor is concerning the modifications happening with browsers like Chrome. The best way we’re bettering CSS, the usage of WebGL, and different JavaScript APIs, the accessibility requirements, and so forth. We will create a world inside a browser, similar to in video video games, or deal with making it accessible for everybody, inclusive.

The longer term is to enhance the best way we use the online, in order that efficiency is now not an issue as a result of we now have it lined by all of the rising applied sciences. And so we are able to deal with creating worth, digitizing our day by day duties and automating what wastes our time.

Monika: What is the thought behind your podcast “No me da la vida”?

Alba: Once I grew to become a content material creator, I began writing articles in English. At the moment, I moved to the Netherlands and thought it might additionally assist me study the language to make use of it professionally.

My first language is Spanish, however again then I didn’t take into consideration creating something particularly for the group in Spain. The thought emerged after I met my co-host—I assumed it might be good to create one thing collectively. So we joined forces and determined to offer the podcast format a strive.

One thought led to a different—we wished to create an area the place much less well-known individuals may speak about their experiences within the trade, however determined to deal with girls. It was additionally a chance for us to satisfy nice professionals. Because of the podcast, we acquired to know them and set up relationships.

In fact, the last word aim was to trade information and study from our company. It is hardly ever concerning the frontend; the co-host and I are each frontend builders, so we preferred the thought of having the ability to herald individuals with different roles within the tech trade to inform us extra about themselves. To date, we have had an opportunity to talk about AI, product administration, and way more. It is fascinating.

Monika: How do you retain your viewers engaged?

Alba: That is an attention-grabbing query! Really, I am fortunate to be working with an skilled. My co-host, Miriam, is creating content material for social media, so we now have this half lined. We shoot many brief clips and share these on TikTok and Instagram, but additionally on our LinkedIn profile. The thought is to get individuals within the subject—solely reveal a little bit of the dialog and encourage them to seek out out what’s subsequent.

We additionally agreed that we must always invite the actually engaged followers—individuals who know us and our work. We determined to construct a group on Discord to have all the pieces in a single place, this manner it is simpler for our viewers to observe the podcast. It additionally creates a chance to work together, and trade ideas.

We’re planning to prepare reside coding classes or occasions at Twitch, Discord and such. It’s going to give us a chance to truly work together with our group, chat in actual time and have enjoyable collectively. We need to get to know our viewers and with podcasts, the choices are restricted.

Our podcast additionally has a bit known as “Cuéntame tus Penurias” (“Inform me about your hardships”)—the company inform tales of how they failed or suffered of their jobs working within the tech trade. The tales are usually not essentially tech-related, they might sort out psychological well being, authorized points and so forth. The viewers can relate, but additionally provide some recommendation or assist discover a answer to the issue. Such a engagement is essential as a result of it exhibits that we’re all simply people.

Monika: Do you see the trade altering, turning into extra inclusive?

Alba: As a content material creator and blogger I’ve met many individuals in the neighborhood, most of them inclusive and all the time reflecting on their actions, however I may say I reside in a kind of bubble.

Individuals who take heed to our podcast and type a group round it are very inclusive and open-minded, however the factor is I do not actually go away that circle that always. My closest surroundings is extraordinarily pleasant and inclusive. However alternatively, I believe we have to begin someplace. We will begin to enhance some issues with a sure group of individuals, and they’d later unfold the phrase.

Monika: What’s essential whereas constructing a group?

Alba: I consider that it is essential to have the suitable individuals organizing the occasions. At any time when I attend a meetup right here in Amsterdam, I can really feel that the organizers are relatable and human—going by difficulties, optimizing the best way they work and speaking about it overtly. They might admit they really feel nervous earlier than a speech, and it makes the viewers really feel higher round them.

For instance, watching ready tutorials on YouTube will not provide the similar feeling.The creators of these do not make errors, until it is a livestream, you do not see their actual reactions, they’ve scripts ready for that.

Communities—for instance, Google Developer Teams—are nice, since you really feel that you may fail reside, they usually’ll nonetheless love you. It is superb to really feel that individuals round are simply the identical as me, and we are able to develop collectively.

Monika: What’s your story as a Google Developer Skilled in net applied sciences? Would you advocate this system to a pal?

Alba: My story as a GDE goes again to the start of the pandemic, after I was creating lots of content material. I met just a few group members, considered one of them was Debbie O’Brien, who’s additionally a GDE and an incredible supporter of girls in tech. She appreciated my work and inspired me to use to the GDE program. Solely downside—again then I didn’t know what it was! I used to be simply beginning my journey with the dev group. It by no means occurred to me that I could possibly be known as an Skilled.

I adopted Debbie’s recommendation and created a portfolio of all my contributions. The appliance course of went rather well, and I believed my information and expertise are actually helpful to the group.

Being a GDE is actually cool. I am studying a lot from the group! I now unfold the phrase about this system and hope a few of my buddies and colleagues will give it a strive quickly.

Monika: What are your actions in the neighborhood in addition to running a blog and podcasting? Do you do open supply?

Alba: Once I first acquired concerned in open supply initiatives, I created extra documentation than precise code. Now I am engaged on some boilerplates and demo initiatives for the brand new and upcoming applied sciences, for instance, Nuxt 3. My aim is to assist individuals who need to begin constructing an app shortly—they’ll simply use these items of code. I’ve by no means created a library of my very own, I simply contribute to and attempt to enhance those who exist.

I used to be additionally fairly engaged in hackathons—contests the place organizers ask you to construct an app, make it open supply, and put together documentation for it. You wouldn’t get the prize if any of these have been lacking. And I gained a type of! I created a Potato Temper Generator. You possibly can learn all about it right here.

I additionally host workshops the place I train individuals how you can code a web site from scratch utilizing Jamstack applied sciences, a headless CMS, and a Static Web site Generator. I actually want internet hosting these workshops over delivering speeches. I really like seeing how individuals are studying as we go—you do not have that in a chat. After a speech, it’s possible you’ll obtain some suggestions, however you will not see somebody’s finalized undertaking. I really like how everyone seems to be typing collectively throughout a workshop.

Monika: And what makes an excellent workshop?

Alba: It is advisable to all the time clarify the fundamentals to ensure everybody understands. I attempt to clarify every step intimately — the attendees must know the method. I additionally all the time create a bit of glossary of recent phrases to be regarded up through the class.

Through the workshop, it is essential to set time to debrief and test the completely different initiatives’ standing after finishing every step. I encourage the attendees to ask questions as usually as they want.

So to sum up—it is all about communication. Ask the suitable questions, strive to not lose individuals’s consideration, simply be there for them. That is one of the simplest ways to show somebody one thing new.