Imagine if you gave her
the power of code.

Mandisa has been working as a web developer for over 2 years. She discovered her love of coding through the Code4CT programme in high school and after school she trained as a web developer in CodeSpace’s 4 month Web Development Intensive course. Mandisa’s studies were made possible through the Tech Leader Young Professional programme which funds the upfront cost of a young person's IT training, connects them into employment and allows them to repay the cost of their training retrospectively.

“I love being a solution finder in a world of problems. When you’re coding something, you have to understand every aspect of the program, because all of it is interconnected. As in the real world, there are no shortcuts in coding. So when I finish a project and present it to people, I’m proud of my work. I’m proud of myself. Too many people in this country spend all of their energy finding and describing our problems, but do absolutely nothing about them. The purpose of coding is to take a problem, plan how to solve it, and then actually reach that solution. That’s why I love coding.”

“The ability to code is the ability to conquer obstacles. This sets me apart from all of the people who complain and never take action.”

I code because I love solving problems. I like to think of coding as being presented with a blank canvas problem and experimenting with the best, easiest, and fastest approach to turn that blank canvas into a beautifully crafted and efficient solution. With code, there is always the opportunity to be both creative and innovative.

"I code because most of the challenges our world is facing today will be solved by young women like me who are passionate about coding."

Kholiswa was a part of Code4CT throughout high school. She then received a scholarship to complete CodeSpace’s intensive web development training programme that fast-tracked her into a career as a developer.

Since she was in primary school Azraa has had a dream of making robots and now she is studying Electrical and Mechanical Engineering at University of Cape Town. She spent a day exploring the university town, Oxford, discovering post-graduate study opportunities and learning more about Machine Learning from a research group at Oxford University.

The trip culminated with the Booking.com Technology Playmaker Awards, a global celebration of technologists leading in their field which exposed Azraa to a worldwide network of tech leaders.

With code you’re never truly finished. It can always be modified and improved. I’ve expanded this lesson into life on a broader scale. Coding taught me that you can always reinvent yourself and constantly look for ways to improve.

With code, there is always more than one solution for every problem. The same is true of life. Being part of Code for Cape Town exposed me to a world in which success can be found outside of the norm. I learnt that it is possible to achieve what you want and become the person you want to be without following just one route.

"The mindset of coding lets me code my way through any scenario in life."

My burning curiosity to understand the Internet and phone applications made me want to start coding. Then the realization that coding allows you to learn something new every single day that made me stick with it. “Being part of Code for Cape Town exposed me to a future in which I can be in charge every step of the way, I just have to be curious enough to learn how to do it.”

Coding offers the most incredible experience of being stunned that you can create something entirely new and then immediately wanting to do more, to know more. The key is understanding that learning takes time and to not get frustrated when it looks like the people around you are moving faster than you.

“Being part of Code for Cape Town exposed me to a future in which I can be in charge every step of the way, I just have to be curious enough to learn how to do it.”