Developer Spotlight: Emma Wedekind
In this installment of the Cosmic JS Developer Spotlight Series, we sat down with Emma Wedekind, a developer and New York native now residing in Karlsruhe, Germany. Emma is a Software Engineer at LogMeIn and the Founder of CodingCoach.io. Follow Emma on Twitter, LinkedIn or Medium, and enjoy the Q/A.
Cosmic JS: When did you first begin building software?
Emma: I began my Sophomore year of college. I was originally a Biology major but switched to actuarial science, and ultimately found my passion in software engineering.
What is your preferred development stack?
I am a huge fan of React / Redux / TypeScript 
I began learning it about a year ago when I joined LogMeIn and have fallen in love with it! I am also a huge lover of Gatsby for building static sites with React. Cannot recommend highly enough!
What past projects are you most proud of and why?
I built the IBM Q Network website all by myself in just a couple of weeks! I chose to use Vue.js, which was extremely challenging as it was my first time using Vue, but I learned so many incredible skills as a result.
What are your biggest challenges in building software at LogMeIn?
Understanding the underlying architecture. It's built on top of Web-RTC, but there is a lot of proprietary and legacy code which can be difficult to navigate. Debugging can sometimes become a bit convoluted when you don't know which layer to start with.
What was the inspiration for Coding Coach?
I am a huge proponent of mentorship, primarily because I didn’t have a mentor when I was beginning my front-end development journey. Navigating the world of front-end was extremely difficult without a mentor to guide me along. And although there are mentorship platforms out there, they’re often expensive. I wanted to create something accessible to all!
What are some technologies you are excited about or want to learn more about?
I want to really hone in on learning SVG animations this year. I will also be focusing a lot more on how to build robust Design Systems and Component Libraries using React and native web components.
The Cosmic JS Spotlight Series is dedicated to showcasing developers that are building apps using modern tools. Learn how to Contribute here. To stay connected with us follow us on Twitter and join the conversation on Slack.
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Gah! She just turned me gay (ignorant/uncouth rejection of… well look at that selfie, need not say more).
I appreciate so much of what she says, but this reads poorly. A large bit too structured/scripted.
It definitely worked. I agree with everything she says (and I love the React / Vue tides as well), but it’s still a bit too noncommital for me. Maybe because I’m backend, and didn’t find something relevant there to argue with (C#etc/Azure vs JVM/AWS) yet I was looking for a fight.
I enjoyed this overall, is what I’m saying. Thanks for the diversion.