Code Ninja Profiles: Lovely
We live in a modern world where equalities exist. Lovely believes that women have qualities that they can use to advance in the field of programming.
Lovely Ignacio
Senior PHP Developer
In an ever-changing world where women can become whatever they want to be, and get to wear the pants at the same time, programming and development is starting to become a reachable summit for those who try to dream different. In this profile, we introduce to you our prized PHP programmer Lovely, who is quite the pioneer herself.
Name
Lovely Ignacio
Reason for being
Senior PHP Developer
Motto
“If you can’t find what you’re googling for; then that means it’s a personal error. In other words, a personal stupidity.”
2 Guys, a Girl, and a Coffee Place
Lovely’s history at Code Ninja is something that can be described in a question: “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” As Code Ninja was established back in 2010, Lovely has already been working with a small team that were to become Code Ninja as early as 2009.
She recalls the humble days before the conception and the birth of Code Ninja where only three of them existed in the whole company. With only two guys and one girl, they would have meetings in coffee shops to discuss their progress and plans for their projects before going their separate ways to continue on their work in the comfort of their homes. For a time, during the early days of the establishment of Code Ninja, their small group managed to secure an office in Regus, Makati for a week when one of the founders from the US arrived for the first time in Manila.
Lovely, the PHP Ninja
Lovely, is in all matters considered as a premier Code Ninja Developer: She is the first developer onboard the Ninja train, and she is also the first female developer in the whole company. Considering this fact and her mileage in the company, she is someone whom all the junior programmers look up to for advice and mentorship. Lovely started out collaborating with other various clients before settling with the Import Genius team where she found her niche.
As one of the PHP developers in Import Genius, Lovely’s task is to maintain the four applications that are involved with the project. These are the Website, Import Scan, the Core, and the API where the internal processes are done.
As part of the team, Lovely has found their motivation to improve their coding standards as a group to be an advantage for her skill development. Guided by Anton, their scrum master, they are currently focusing on the following processes to improve the software development process:
- DDD (domain-driven)
- BDD (behavior-driven)
- And TDD (test-driven)
Lovely says that it is a lot of work, but it improves the coding standard and process of the team. With the efforts of her scrum master and teammates, she says it would definitely go a long way for the project.
Considering Code Ninja as her second home with her career life shaped through the years spent with them, she has learned that challenges faced along the way are easy to conquer thanks to the support and motivation of their leaders. It is by their example that people like her find the courage to take on obstacles and collaborate better with their colleagues. Lovely says that "the success of each member of the team is also the success of Code Ninja".
Girl Power and Coding
Big challenges are often in line when you’re a woman in a role that is dominated by males. Lovely however, finds pride in being a female developer upon realizing her niche.
Despite having the ordeal to rise above the trials put on her by the corporate world, Lovely identifies technical work behind a laptop or a computer something more rewarding for her rather than female dominated roles wherein they are working in the frontlines which are often found in Hotel and Restaurant Management, Marketing, and Sales. Lovely states that she finds personal satisfaction in churning out programs and maintaining websites.
In a world where a female programmer is considered a rare occurrence, Lovely states that the need to prove yourself is very rampant. The challenges she faces push her to step out of the ordinary and think outside the box. However, she has very important advice to female developers who wish to break into the business: “Do not be afraid. Do not be intimidated.”
Lovely states that “we live in a modern world where equalities exist”. She believes that women too have a dominant characteristic present in themselves that they can use to advance in the field of programming. They can utilize this advantage when it comes to dealing with outcomes, nurturing for the people they’re working with and working for. She believes that women have this advantage to excel in this field where they are a rare commodity. And we do believe that she’s right.
A Lovely Motherhood
From one of the senior developer Ninjas in the office, Lovely transforms into another role after office hours as she dons the cape of Super Mom!
Lovely has been married for six years to this date, and is mother to a wonderful daughter who is turning four this year. Ninjas remember the day her daughter was born, since Lovely just left the office and was in the elevator when she started feeling the contractions. That bundle of joy will soon be starting preschool when the school year renews this June.
Lovely is just like every house-wife you know; once she has left her laptop, she’s doing her mommy tasks of playing with her daughter, preparing for dinner, and having quality time with her family. With her husband who is working from home, Lovely is close to achieving the perfect work and home life balance. Currently expecting their second child at the time when this article was written, Lovely and her family are welcoming challenges and changes that are to take place in their home.
However, for Lovely, all of these events happening is a gift waiting to be experienced.
Celebrate Individuality with Code Ninja
Everyone in Code Ninja has a story to tell, and we make sure that you get to know every single person who helps make the world a better place. Do you think you got what it takes to be a Ninja? If you’re looking for a company that is passionate for technology and innovation, come join us at Code Ninja! You can check out our careers page here.