Meks McClure on Communication, Diversity, and Ergonomics

Welcome to another episode of Elixir Wizards, a show focused on conversations with software developers from around the world on the Elixir language and other modern web technologies. In today’s episode, we speak with Meks McClure, a Full Stack Software Engineer with an unconventional background in Biology and Philosophy. Meks found their passion for programming after building a website for a Mexican non-profit, Permanencia Voluntaria, using wix.com. Seeing people use the website and how it helped the community inspired Meks to pursue a career in programming. They are currently based at NewAperio, a software development company, as a Junior Developer. In today’s show we find out more about Meks’s professional background, NewAperio and the services they offer, more about their unconventional training background, challenges transitioning to a new career path, the importance of effective communication in the workplace, the significance of Pride Month, Meks’s very cool desk setup, and much more! Tune in today to learn more from today’s special guest, Meks McClure! Key Points From This Episode: A brief breakdown of today’s topic and introduction to our special guest, Meks McClure. We find out about NewAperio and what services they offer. How long Meks has been based at NewAperio. Find out what the NewAperio tradition is for people celebrating their work anniversary. A light-hearted discussion about singing Happy Birthday to colleagues. Meks gives us a rundown of their professional career. We find out more about Meks’s non-traditional programming background. How long they have been using Elixir for and how they initially got started in it. The lessons they learned from their Flatiron and Elixir development experience. What was most difficult transitioning from working Ruby to Elixir. Keeping a balance between learning and meeting productivity targets. The moment when Meks felt like they were making good progress transitioning. Some advice they have for people learning Elixir. Other projects that Meks is currently working on and programming languages used. How boot camp is different from real-world situations, in terms of programming. We find out about Meks’s current Star Wars obsession. The importance of finding enjoyment outside of work. Meks shares their personal journey to becoming the person they are today. A conversation about the importance of Pride Month and keeping an open mind. A highlight of some communication challenges that come with remote working. Why empathetic and effective communication is essential in the workplace. We reflect on some recent networking opportunities and conferences. The approach at NewAperio to networking and conferences. Details about Meks’ desk setup and why it is called the ‘Moon Lander’. More about their desk setup: keycap preferences. How learning Elixir changed the way Meks thinks about programming in general. Meks explains their approach to writing code. What their ultimate combination of programming languages are. What opportunities or weaknesses that a polyglot environment can introduce. *Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: * Meks McClure on Twitter — https://twitter.com/mmcclure0100 Meks McClure on GitHub — https://github.com/MMcClure11 Meks McClure on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/meksmcclure/ NewAperio — https://newaperio.com/ SmartLogic — https://smartlogic.io/ Sundi Myint on Twitter — https://twitter.com/sundikhin Owen Bickford on Twitter — https://twitter.com/owenbickford/ SmartLogic — https://smartlogic.io Moon Lander — https://www.zsa.io/moonlander/ Difficult Conversations — https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/331191/difficult-conversations-by-douglas-stone-bruce-patton-and-sheila-heen-foreword-by-roger-fisher/ Kailh Speed Silver (Linear) Mechanical Switch Kit — https://www.amazon.com/Silver-Linear-Mechanical-EVGA-Keyboard/dp/B09N9BXW7Z Special Guest: Meks McClure.