Vanessa Devhi | SheCodes Foundation

Vanessa Devhi

🇿🇦 South African living in Brits, 🇿🇦 South Africa
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Vanessa's Story I first became interested in coding during my job search after graduating with a Bachelor of Development Studies. I spent hours every day scrolling through Eskom, mining companies, and YES program portals, refreshing pages, emailing CVs, and missing deadlines because opportunities were scattered and hard to track. One day, I thought: what if there was one simple website for youth in my township that listed all these programs, with alerts and application tips? I did not know how to build it. I started watching YouTube videos on how websites work and realized that behind every job portal I use, there is someone who coded it. That curiosity turned into excitement. I opened free coding tutorials and wrote my first line of HTML. Seeing "Hello World" appear on my screen felt powerful - I had made something from nothing. I then researched women in tech and found SheCodes stories. Women with no tech background were building their own websites and getting jobs. That showed me coding is not just for computer science graduates; it is a creative tool anyone can learn. From then on, I saw coding not as something intimidating, but as a practical skill to solve real problems I see around me.

🙋‍♀️ Vanessa's Motivation

My motivation for learning to code with SheCodes is to bridge my background in Development Studies with technology for real impact. As a Development Studies graduate, I have studied how communities are left behind by lack of access to information, jobs, and digital services. I realized that development today is digital. If I cannot build solutions, I can only write about problems. I want to learn to code because I want to create, not just analyse. I want to build platforms that connect unemployed youth to opportunities like YES and Graduate programs, tools that help women in my community start small businesses online, and simple websites for local NGOs that cannot afford developers. SheCodes inspires me because it is built for women who are often told tech is not for them. I have no coding background, and that is exactly why I need a supportive, beginner-friendly space that proves women can become builders of the future. This is more than a skill for me - it is a way to become employable, financially independent, and to use technology as a tool for community development.

🤹‍♀️ Vanessa's Hobbies

Outside of my studies and job search, I enjoy simple, grounding activities that keep me creative and connected to my community. I love reading, especially books on African development, community work, and inspiring stories about women leaders. Reading helps me understand different perspectives and gives me ideas for how I can contribute to development in my own township. I also enjoy writing. I keep a small journal where I write down community challenges I observe around me, job opportunities I find, and ideas for small projects that could help unemployed youth. Writing helps me organize my thoughts and stay hopeful during the long job hunt. For fun, I like listening to music and spending time with family and friends. We often have long conversations about life, work, and our future plans, and I love learning from other people's experiences. I also enjoy exploring online. I spend time watching educational videos, learning new digital skills, and following women in tech who motivate me. I find it fun to try new things on my laptop, like editing a CV template or learning a small tech trick. Lastly, I enjoy walking around my community, volunteering where I can, and attending local events. Being around people reminds me why I studied Development Studies - I genuinely love people and community growth.

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Vanessa's coding training

Vanessa has gained access to SheCodes Basics and SheCodes AI Basics at no cost. Together they are a 6 week coding training that’ll take her from a complete beginner to building her first websites and AI projects.

She'll learn the foundations of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, plus how to build with AI and modern development tools. She'll also get to build her own online portfolio to showcase to potential employers!

📦 Foundation students get access to these coding workshops:
1. SheCodes Basics (3 weeks)
2. SheCodes AI Basics (3 weeks)
She’ll gain access to each portion after finishing the preceding portion. She’ll build up her coding knowledge gradually along the way. 🙌

SheCodes Workshops are Highly recommended by 250,000+ women

Employees from these organizations highly recommend SheCodes.

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The SheCodes Foundation Mission

Women hold only 25% of coding jobs and earn 30% less than men. In many developing countries, over 65% of women lack bank accounts, making it difficult to invest in their education.

The SheCodes Foundation is changing that. We provide women in developing countries with free coding education, equipping them with the skills to build a better future. In partnership with SheCodes, we offer training in product development, design, and management, empowering women to thrive in the tech industry.

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Why learn how to code?

Coding knowledge creates new job opportunities, improves your analytical thinking, and enhances your personal or professional skill set.

Get a Job in Tech

Learning how to code provides you with new career opportunities and helps make you a more marketable employee in our increasingly technological job market.

Expand Your Skill Set

Master coding to boost creativity, logic, and efficiency—valuable for any career path.

Sharpen Your Analytical Thinking

Improve your problem-solving and analytical skills, giving you a competitive advantage in today’s workplace.