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Hello, I'm Micaela Reyes
Software Engineer and Data Analyst.

Code. Passion. Freedom. Making a Difference.

I am a software engineer with 15 years of experience, specializing in backend and web development. Recently, my interest has shifted to data analytics, aiming to tackle social disparities and promote economic empowerment through technology education.

Along with my team at CodeHappy.ph, we provide specialized Python training that emphasizes practical data skills and core software engineering principles.

In the Python community, I'm quite active. I serve as the Director of Operations for Python Philippines (PythonPH) , mentor at PyLadies Manila, an active participant in the PyCon APAC community, and a Python Software Foundation fellow. For me, it's all about people coming together to do cool stuff with technology.

My approach to life combines practicality with idealism, driving me to confront and reshape established norms in my areas of passion.

The Future of Technology


I dream of a future wherein humans have advanced greater than the advancement of technology; wherein technology has already become an extension of ourselves. Not a future wherein we're always overwhelmed by it.

Life, Work and Community


I love coffee, good food, reading, walking and going on adventures.

I've also been watching Naruto a lot lately. My favorite character is Shikamaru and the line "Death is not the end. It's the loss of conviction that is." :D

Fun fact: I'm an introvert but I love having friends. I love meeting people who are passionate about their craft, getting inspired and learning something from them.

I'm on a personal mission to teach Programming and Software Development for the future generation of tech professionals and leaders in the Philippines.

So together with my husband, I started a Python training company called CodeHappy. I believe this is one area of focus where I'm able to do just that while promoting software craftsmanship and fostering healthy engineering cultures. :)

I love creating "safe spaces" where people get to do things that feed their souls and bond with other humans.

I also like contributing to causes I care about in my small corner of the world in the most practical way I can.

Python Community

- How I contribute:

I spend a lot of my free time as a volunteer for PythonPH doing admin work, handling overall operations, and coaching and mentoring the next gen leaders so we can continue to organize meaningful events and programs for the tech community in an enjoyable and sustainable way.

- Why I contribute?

I first got introduced to Python and the world of open source when I attended my first PyCon PH in 2012. Since then, several amazing things happened. The community also became my most reliable support system throughout my career.

I discovered that tech is a very democratizing career, skills pay the bills, and that there are lots of crazy cool people in the Python and open source community.

It just feels good to be part of that ecosystem and give back :)

Random stuff I personally recommend...


Non-Tech

  • - Essentialism by Greg McKeown
  • - Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Héctor García and Frances Miralles
  • - Company of One by Paul Jarvis
  • - The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick) by Seth Godin
  • - The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
  • - Invest Your Way to Financial Freedom: A simple guide to everything you need to know by Ben Carlson and Robin Powell
  • - The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins
  • - The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness by Eric Jorgenson

Tech

  • - The Passionate Programmer by Chad Fowler
  • - Soft Skills: The Software Developer's Life Manual by John Sonmez

Beans

  • - Kenya
  • - Kilimanjaro
  • - Costa Rica
  • - Indonesia Kalosi
  • - Indian Monsoon
  • - Ethiopia Geisha
  • - Colombia Supremo
  • - Mt. Apo
  • - Sagada

Cold Coffee Drinks

  • - Dirty Horchata
  • - Black Sesame Latte

Playlists

  • - Carole and Tuesday
  • - Naruto Shippuden Openings
  • - Coffee Shop Vibes
  • - Lo-Fi Cafe
  • - This is Idealism

Artists

  • - Dicta License
  • - Malay
  • - Gwen Stefani

Podcasts

  • - Talk Python to Me by Michael Kennedy
  • - Python Bytes by Brian Okken and Michael Kennedy
  • - Teaching Python by Kelly Paredes and Sean Tibor

  • Oliver Queen : Ray, when I'm out in the field, my bow, my arrows, those are just tools. I'm the weapon.
  • Ray Palmer : That's poetic.
  • Oliver Queen : My point is that if you rely on your suit more than you rely on yourself... it's going to get you killed.
  • ~Arrow


Programming Language: Python (version 3.7 and above)

Python is my programming language of choice for work and hobby projects because it's very powerful yet still simple, practical and fun to use.

I mainly use Python for web development and scripting.

For a start, if you want to learn its basic syntax, you can follow these tutorials:

  • - A Magic Carpet Ride to Python - 30-min to 1-hour quick introduction of what Python is and its many possibilities + code labs and exercises for the very basic syntax.
  • - Python for Everybody - if you want to take what you learned a little bit further.

You can also check out this video: Top Concerns of Python Beginners (Taglish) if you're still trying to decide if Python is the right tool for you.

Web Development Framework: Django

Django is my go-to web development framework because it allows me to build web apps from scratch faster. Also, when working with teams, I just find the code easier to maintain when I use it since the framework is very opinionated and has very good documentation.

For a start, if you want to learn how to build a simple web app using Django, you can follow this tutorial:

Text Editor: Sublime Text 3

I don't use an IDE because I wanted to train myself to be productive without needing a "crutch". Vim is too hardcore for me so I chose Sublime Text instead - it's light and simple enough to have all the necessary stuff I need (syntax highlighting, set indentation (tab) to 4 spaces and show whitespaces).

If you want to try using Sublime Text, you can download it from sublimetext.com

You can also copy my Sublime Text settings here.

Operating System: Linux (Ubuntu 20.4 LTS)

I've used Ubuntu for my dev machine since I started learning Python in 2012 because at that time, I found that most Python tutorials use Linux in the examples.

I had to force myself to setup an Ubuntu VM so I can use it whenever I practice writing code in Python. Then eventually, I set it up as my main OS because my 3rd job required me to use an Ubuntu dev machine.

In the end, switching to Linux was a good thing because it forced me to become comfortable using the command-line.

Version Control System: Git

I first discovered Git at PyCon Philippines 2012. I started using it ever since I started to collaborate with other people on PythonPH projects. This was also required at my 3rd job and onwards. It's a great tool!

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