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— Rusty （╹◡╹）♡ (@vibdev) on Threads

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Today we have @vibdev. Let’s get right into the rumor that you are a coding cat 😺, is that true? If so, what type of coding projects do you work on @vibdev?

It is true, here is proof.

During the day I am principal developer at Workday. Mostly writing Typescript/React.

I am a big contributor to our design system https://github.com/Workday/canvas-kit
And am passionate about accessibility and animation.

I am also building some small personal projects in Rust

What is the Workday Design System? Who is that built for?

It is built for internal Workday apps and our partners. Helps us keep consistency across our many apps.
It is pretty similar to Chakra UI

Let dive into accessibility for a bit. @vibdev what are some accessibility requirements for websites which web developers should know about?

We support WCAG AA at work which has a slew of requirements.
But what I think the most important thing for developers is to learn how to use a screen reader and just test your site with it like you would any other browser.
Nothing will build your compassion like navigating the web with a screen reader.
A lot of sites really suck, you should just aim to reduce the suck

Do you have a favorite screen reader to recommend?

On Mac their is a built in one called “voice over” on windows “NVDA” is the open source option

Why Rust Programming Language?

I am a bit of a backend dummy, but I was shocked how many concepts transferred over. Rust feels like it fixes problems inherent to JS without losing the flexibility. e.g traits are just a straight upgrade of prototypical inheritance.

I also like that the syntax is close in a lot of places:

# Rust or Typescript?
let save_extension = “mjs”;
let filename = [query_json.filename.trim(), save_extension].join(“.”);

Also my IRL name is Rusty so I am actually contractual obligated to shill it

What are some of the personal projects you are building with Rust or what would you like to build with Rust?

http://thread.photos – allows you to split up your panoramas into @threads optimized image carousels.

But the thing I am most excited about is a crate I am building that will allow you to execute JavaScript functions inside a Rust sandbox.
I have a POC where I can even server-side render React. I am hoping to polish that up and share it with the community soon ™

What is your educational/certification background and what type of preparation would you suggest for a person in high school considering a career in programming?

I have a Bachelor in economics. But I didn’t really learn programming till the summer after college when I got a tutor to teach me Java. We built a blackjack game.

And that is what I would suggest, the best way to learn is by doing. Like instead of just doing tutorials pick a simple game and try and make it.

What does it mean to be a principal developer? Do you still code or do you manage more junior devs or both?

It depends on the project. Sometimes I will be more on the architecture side and will spend my days in goggle docs and miro. Other times I might be part of a tiger team that needs to get a project off the ground.
Really what it means to me is a having a breadth of knowledge about our system and the people building it. My superpower is knowing how to find right people to talk to and choose the right technologies to get a job done.
I don’t manage, but mentor and guide the community of practice.

How can people find you elsewhere online?

Thanks Ryan really enjoyed it and enjoy the series overall.
People can find me here and I guess https://github.com/vibdev
Every GitHub follow == one pet for the cat

Full interview on Threads: @ryan.swanstrom • Threads Dev Interview #15 I am finding developers on Threads and interviewing them, right here on… • Threads