WHwhispem·Jan 18, 2026
Hi HN,
I’m Emilie (Em’ on GitHub: https://github.com/whispem).
My background is in literature and linguistics – I spent most of my pre-2025 life far away from computers.
I really started programming in January 2025 through the Apple Foundation Program, where I learned Swift, UI/UX design, and how to build basic iOS apps—even though everything felt new and visual at first!
That playful intro made me realize I could actually learn to code, so I kept pushing my limits.
Since October 27th, 2025, I’ve been diving deep into Rust and systems development, building projects as a way to understand storage engines, distributed systems, and even the basics like command-line tools.
I was even invited to give a talk about my learning journey and beginner perspective at Epitech Marseille on December 16th, 2025, which was an amazing (and slightly terrif
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ying) experience!
My approach is always “learn by building” – no formal CS background, just a lot of note-taking, self-challenges, reading docs, and sharing code/experience in public.
If you’re curious about how a non-traditional background can be (sometimes!) an advantage for learning technical skills, or if you’re coming to Rust/systems from outside tech, I wrote down my full path and lessons learned here: https://github.com/whispem/minikv/blob/main/LEARNING.md
Always happy to connect, share tips for nontraditional learners, or just chat about the joys and headaches of learning Rust and low-level systems from scratch.
You can find everything (good and bad!) on my GitHub profile.
– Em’