Amy Roberson is a natural born creator. She spent her undergraduate years at Georgia Southern University, practicing 3D Design in the mediums of pottery and sculpting, while also conducting research on ceramic glazes. After seven years in fine arts, she has decided to pivot to a tech career that continues to let her creativity shine through.
Roberson recently graduated from The Iron Yard’s 12-week iOS Development cohort and has gained experience building apps in Swift, even launching her own app, Mixed Up, in the App Store. She has developed an appreciation for Xcode and Trello, and has plans to delve deeper into iOS frameworks and the world of cybersecurity. A true visionary, she’ll be sure to bring new perspectives to your office. Snag this creative spirit before it’s too late!
What program are you graduating from?
I graduated from the Mobile Development Bootcamp at The Iron Yard. This program was a 12-week, full-time course focusing on iOS Development. During the course, I built apps in Swift, exploring many features including Delegate and MVC design patterns, networking services, and Core Data functionality.
What is your previous education?
Before attending The Iron Yard, I went to Georgia Southern University. There, I earned a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts, with a concentration in 3D design. While I am not currently pursuing a career in the arts, I truly value my previous education. As an undergraduate student, I presented my research into ceramic glazes at the National Council for the Education of the Ceramic Arts. Through this opportunity, I not only increased my knowledge of the materials, but I was able to build my skills as a presenter and public speaker. As I build my career in technology, I plan to continue researching and presenting the information I learn as a developer.
What was your work experience before aspiring to become a developer?
Before getting into development, I spent seven years learning and working in the ceramic arts. I created my own pottery and experimented with glaze materials, as a self-employed artist. I also worked as a studio assistant and instructor. I helped students create their own designs and helped to maintain studio equipment and tools.
What startup/tech projects have you worked on?
I recently released my first app, Mixed Up, on Apple’s App Store. This app began as my final project for The Iron Yard, and is now a fully functional app that enhances the home bartending experience. Mixed Up allows users enter their ingredients and see drink recipes they can mix based on their inventory. The app features classic cocktail recipes and lets the user create their own recipes for future references.
What tech/tools are essential to you as a developer?
As a native iOS Developer, I could not function without Xcode, while it is not always perfect, it is a great all in one tool. A second runner up would be Trello. Trello is a great management tool for tracking progress of my projects and resources.
How do you stay informed & on top of emerging trends?
Most of my information about mobile development comes from the iOS Dev Weekly newsletter. For more general reading, I like to look at HackerNews and the conversations on Tech 404. To get more of a local view, I like to attend local meetups. There are so many Atlanta technology meetups, I’ve attended at least one each week since graduating.
What are your best technical or creative skills?
My best work is done in the UI and visual realm. As a former artist, I am used to creating designs and patterns to engage users. To incorporate these skills into my programs, I focus on creating views that direct the user through specific input paths. While creating my app MasterMind, I used UX patterns to simplify the gameplay by limiting the user’s interactions with the inactive sections of the board. This allowed me to simplify my code because I was able to bypass many user input validation steps. I have really enjoyed using the design skills I learned as an artist to create better user experiences and simplify my code at the same time.
What’s next on your list to learn?
Next, I plan to further my knowledge of the Apple frameworks. There are so many tools and libraries available it’s hard to know where to begin, but I really want to focus on security when it comes to code, and how to best protect user information. Every program handles some amount of user data that needs to be protected and secured in some way, either through encryption or access controls.
Why the interest in the technology field?
I have always enjoyed creating. As an artist, I created pottery and sculpture. Now as a developer, I am able to create so much more. Once I realized the full potential of development, I decided I had to learn how to code and engineer my own programs.
Are you interested in working for a startup, mid-sized company, or a corporate giant?
I am really open to any sized company. I believe the culture of a company is the most important factor. I want to find a company that will encourage me to continue learning. I also hope to find a company interested in pursuing collaborations, whether that means developing a new feature for a client or joining the company Bocce Ball team.
Interested in checking out Amy’s credentials? Check out her website, Github, and LinkedIn.
