Dr Seuss once said that “we have brains inside our heads and feet inside our shoes so accordingly we can steer ourselves in whatever direction we choose.” For others, however, the paths are a journey in surprise and circumstance. Brieanna Macnish proudly belongs to the second category. She was only two years old and had five part-time jobs. But, she wanted to be an artist.
Fast forward to 2020, and Brieanna is a Junior developer at Envato. She was also one of the latest graduates of Envato’s Developer Apprentice Program. This 12-month intensive learning program aims to open new doors for female developers looking to enter Australia’s tech sector. “Even though I didn’t finish high school maths, and believed my strengths lay in creative fields only, I discovered a passion for writing small programs that automate tedious work from my many customer service and administration jobs. Macnish says that when Macnish imagined the appearance of someone who coded for a living, it didn’t look like her.
“I had no idea what the tech industry looked like. However, I began to research software development and realized that it was a good fit for me. I wanted to work with people who are interested in solving interesting problems and building things that others can use. I had a gut feeling that software development would give me these things. So far, it has.
Development of New Directions
Macnish is among five graduates of the program since its inception in 2017. This was a source of pride for Mario Visic, Developer Mentor, and program manager. “The proudest moment for me is when the apprentices graduate, and they go into full-time positions as Envato developers. It’s also great to get feedback from people outside the program, who tell me that one or more of the graduates or apprentices is amazing.”
Visic created and developed the grassroots program in-house. It includes both classroom-style instruction and hands-on work with developers in teams throughout the company. Every apprentice learns practical software development skills in broad areas like planning, estimations, communication, collaboration and writing code. They also have to monitor their changes and track them through production. Deep dives into technical knowledge are available in Ruby, Ruby on Rails and JavaScript CSS. They also cover HTML, Ruby on Rails, Ruby on Rails, JavaScript HTML, HTML, object modeling, tooling, source control, and many other topics. Only two apprentices are accepted each year. If the apprenticeship is completed successfully, a job as a junior developer is available.
Visic says that the focus of the program was learning real-world programming. He also emphasizes the importance of working with existing teams and not building projects that won’t be in production. The program is also quality-focused by keeping the number of apprentices low. These are the two main ideas that guide the current apprenticeship program. Visic and the teams hosting the apprentices constantly reflect on how things work, continuously tweaking the program’s day-to-day operations to make it better for them. It’s more than a classroom. Envato’s apprentices are making real improvements to their products. They’re not only learning, but also creating projects that will never see the light. Visic says that they are having a significant and meaningful impact on all we offer. Anthony Burgon, Chief Technology Officer at Envato, agrees that the program had a positive impact on all of Envato’s developers. It sends the message that we are committed to providing more opportunities for female software developers. This is another way that we can support diversity and inclusion as a company. This program allows for thoughtful learning throughout the company within a supportive environment. Our apprentices work as developers in our teams which, in turn, helps everyone in our learning and growth culture.
A Well-Supported Journey
Macnish reflects on her apprenticeship and how it supported her in ways that she could not have imagined. I was stunned to discover that the company wanted to help me achieve my long-term success. Coming from an arts industry that is highly competitive and where resources and opportunities are limited, it was a refreshing experience to have resources and support for my growth.
Mario (Visic)’s focus on building skills slowly and methodically in a measured manner was really surprising to me. We were told to not do any ‘homework’, and that we were not running a marathon but completing our apprenticeship. It wasn’t necessary to be a genius from the beginning, but to be open to learning and willing to grow. The program was supportive and people-focused, which helped me to achieve long-term success that I had never experienced in my professional career. This has been my experience so far with the entire company, not just the Apprentice program. It is a great feeling.