Chat and Build

Last time I did any real programming, the year started with a “2” - specifically, 2000.

I have just wrapped up my first post-uni job, building an in-house accounting-plus-HR app for a big law firm (don’t ask why they didn’t just buy something off the shelf - maybe they liked living dangerously).

That was the last time I tangoed with SQL and Pascal. Since then, I’ve mostly been Project Managing, which means I occasionally peered at code and ran the odd SQL query, but mostly just bossed people around (nicely, of course).

Fast forward to 2024: suddenly, I’m in a course with an assignment to program a network switch - in Python. Yes, you read that right. Me, an auntie who’s spent the last decade selling FPGA-based SmartNICs and crafting technology sales strategies, was now supposed to wrangle Python. Python! My comfort zone is PowerPoint, not a bunch of code lines calling out libraries.

So, I did what any self-respecting, resourceful auntie would do: I asked ChatGPT for help. It was my first time using LLMs for coding, and honestly, it felt like discovering cheat codes for adulthood. (Why didn’t we have this in 2000? I could’ve been the law firm’s CTO by now.)

Recently, I stumbled upon ChatAndBuild (yes, I know about Lovable, GitHub Copilot, and the rest, but ChatAndBuild came recommended by a female friend, and I’m all about supporting female-backed tech). The event was billed as a “vibecoding” session, so naturally, I showed up in my glitziest Elie Tahari cocktail dress, clutching a bag barely big enough for my phone. Imagine my surprise when I walked in and every other woman had a MacBook, a power bank, and a look that said, “Is she lost?” There I was, glamour creature at a hackathon, ready to debug in heels.

Thankfully, ChatAndBuild works on your phone too. You can whip up custom APIs, mobile apps, and even simple Agents - no laptop required (just a little bit of chutzpah). My custom API still needs some debugging before I unleash it on an unsuspecting company in Singapore, but I’m loving the process and learning the art of AI-optimized prompting for software creation.

So here I am: #auntietechs, coding in cocktail dresses, powered by AI, and proving you’re never too old - or too overdressed - to try something new.