A Celebration of Women™
is elated to Celebrate the Life of this young woman leader, one that has risen above extraordinary circumstance, serious health challenges. A woman that took action and today devotes her life to bettering the lives of others through education; with a special passionate about technology education, entrepreneurship, women in tech.
WOMAN of ACTION™
Heather Payne
Hi! My name’s Heather Payne.I’m 26 years old and I live in Toronto, Canada. I’m the founder of HackerYou and Ladies Learning Code. I was ShopLocket’s first investor and the founding director of Toronto’s Mozilla-backed youth digital literacy initiative. I’ve been learning to code since 2009 and yes, I coded this website myself. Now I’m learning Ruby on Rails.
There’s never been more energy around the importance of learning to code.
But sometimes online tutorials, one-day workshops and Stack Overflow don’t cut it. Neither do most university or college courses, in our opinion. At HackerYou, we’re on a mission to offer the best learning experience for anyone who wants to learn to code. The recipe? Hands-on, project based learning from industry-leading professionals. Small classes, and a 10:1 ratio (or better!) of students to instructors. Hosted in learning environments that inspire.
And because our courses are part-time in the evenings, HackerYou fits into your life. Make 2013 the year you finally learn to code, so that you can climb the corporate ladder, upgrade your skills, or start an exciting new career. Check out our upcoming courses here.
Ladies Learning Code is a Toronto-based not-for-profit organization that runs workshops for women (and men) who want to learn beginner-friendly computer programming and other technical skills in a social and collaborative way. Today we have chapters across Canada, a thriving girls’ program called Girls Learning Code and a permanent workshop space in Toronto. Oh, and we’re just getting started.
Want to get involved? EVENTS.
I grew up just outside of Toronto.
In high school, I managed a McDonald’s and also started my first entrepreneurial venture: I sold custom-printed t-shirts and used the profits to buy my prom dress. In 2009, I graduated from the Richard Ivey School of Business at (what is now known as) Western University. Back then, I had a different plan for myself.
I was going to join a Fortune 500 company and work my way up.
I spent my last semester of university on exchange in Hong Kong and liked it so much that I decided to stay in Asia after graduation. I moved to a small coastal city on the Chinese mainland called Xiamen and studied international relations under a scholarship from the Chinese government.
‘I spent most of my time there learning to code’.
In mid-2010, I returned to Toronto and spent a year in a corporate gig before realizing that I’m better suited for the world of startups. In May of 2011, I found myself in Los Angeles and stumbled upon a Python workshop for women organized by the PyLadies. I had an incredible time. I was so inspired that, when I returned to Toronto, I tweeted about how we should have a group in Toronto for women who want to learn how to code. And that was the start of Ladies Learning Code.
Today, we have chapters in Vancouver, Ottawa, Halifax, London and Calgary, a permanent workshop space in Toronto, and a thriving girls’ program. Since our first workshop in August 2011, over 4000 people have learned a new technical skill at a Ladies Learning Code workshop. Haven’t checked us out yet? You can check out our upcoming workshops and events here.
Are you also passionate about technology education, entrepreneurship, women in tech, or one of the other things I’m into? Let’s connect!
Send me an email at heather [at] heatherpayne.ca, find me on Twitter, or just send me a note.
Oh, and yes, I’m available for speaking gigs. 🙂
Most days, you’ll find me hanging out at the Centre for Social Innovation near Bloor & Bathurst. Wanna visit?
Heather Payne talks Ladies (and Gents) Learning Code
The idea for HackerYou came in early 2012. We’d learned a lot about how to teach beginners to code in a fun and interactive way, and we knew we could create an amazing long-form learning experience. Our first courses, an Introduction to HTML & CSS and an Introduction to Responsive Design (both led by Wes Bos), sold out and were an overwhelmingly successful. Now, HackerYou runs multiple courses a year and corporate training.
We’re looking for Toronto’s most creative 8-13 and 13-17 year old girls.Know anyone like that?
Introducing Girls Learning Code – tech camps, workshops and events for girls who want to change the world. Please also check out our Kids Learning Code co-ed tech workshops! Read more here!
FIND HEATHER HERE:
heather payne’s blog | @heatherpayne
Heather Payne (@heatherpayne) on Twitter
About # Ladies Learning Code
Heather Payne | LinkedIn
Heather Payne | Women And Tech
About | HackerYou
A Celebration of Women™
welcomes this woman leader into our global alumni with open arms, embracing collaboration in bettering the lives and health of women everywhere, especially in the important world of technology.
Brava Heather!
Heather Payne – WOMAN of ACTION™
November 22, 2013 by Team Celebration
Filed Under: Uncategorized, WOMEN of ACTION™, YOUTH of ACTION™ Tagged With: #allwomen, A Celebration of Women, acelebrationofwomen.org, China, Chinese mainland called Xiamen, code, computer code, computers, entrepreneurship, Fortune 500, girls, Heather Payne, Heather Payne - WOMAN of ACTION™, Hong Kong, IT, Kids Learning Code, Ladies Learning Code, technology, technology education, Toronto, university, websites, Woman of Action, women in tech, women.
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