Clojure? That's a terrible idea! (by Ewa Trzemżalska)

SUMMARY

Ewa Trzemżalska recounts her improbable shift from midwifery to Clojure programming, defying warnings about its syntax and job scarcity, emphasizing community support and rapid growth in functional programming.

STATEMENTS

Ewa began her professional life studying midwifery and graduating from massage school, while renting Airbnbs, but felt unfulfilled and unhappy, leading her to pursue programming despite her chaotic personality.
Friends and close ones discouraged her from development, viewing it as unsuitable for someone disorganized, yet she started learning basics through online courses and attended the Giggers Carrot Workshop for underrepresented groups, building an interactive photo gallery.
Her first job came easily after meetups focused on JavaScript, involving HTML, CSS, and AngularJS, where she implemented designs but discovered she disliked visual work and frontend alignment challenges.
Influenced by friends using Clojure, she inquired about it but received warnings about its weird syntax, lack of junior jobs, scarce resources, and the need for JVM or JavaScript knowledge before starting.
Ignoring advice, Ewa installed Visual Studio Code with Calva, completed Clojure Koans, and built personal projects like a word counter, weather CLI app, and Krakow-specific air quality tool for winter pollution.
Excited by ClojureBridge London, she flew there, built her first ClojureScript web app, felt welcomed, and joined Krakow's small local community, where encouragement from Norbert Witovic led to her first talk on being a beginner.
Job searches for Clojure juniors yielded only senior roles, causing doubt; she nearly switched to a Udacity Python full-stack course but persisted after spotting a non-senior Clojure opportunity, acing a take-home but missing the job due to skill gaps.
Clojure appealed for its single way of doing things with functions, no classes or objects, built-in efficiency, non-interfering language design for business problems, and immutability that managed her chaos better than Python.
Her first Clojure job at a startup involved an Expo ClojureScript Android app for water bottle orders, which was overwhelming with remote solo work, Git workflows, spaghetti code lessons, and added JavaScript complexities.
Transitioning to LiveKid as a junior backend developer meant scaling from four self-written namespaces to over 400 in a team of eight, facing tool mastery, bug fixes, giant stack traces, and work-life balance issues, but she grew by asking smart questions and documenting for newcomers.

IDEAS

Clojure's functional purity allows beginners to focus on problem-solving without the distractions of object-oriented complexities like classes and mutable state.
Niche language communities, such as Clojure's, provide intimate support that mainstream ones lack, turning small local groups into powerful launchpads for careers.
Publicly documenting a novice journey, like a blog post, can unexpectedly amplify visibility and attract opportunities from companies seeking fresh talent.
Immutability in programming acts as a safeguard for disorganized minds, preventing the escalation of errors that mutable variables often cause.
Entry-level scarcity in specialized languages like Clojure forces self-directed learning through projects, building deeper skills faster than rote following of popular paths.
Giving first talks as a complete beginner not only boosts personal motivation but reveals a supportive audience eager to mentor, demystifying professional fears.
Startups using ClojureScript reveal hidden layers of ecosystem challenges, like JavaScript interop, that test resilience but accelerate real-world adaptability.
Juniors in senior-heavy teams compel knowledge sharing, improving overall code quality and forcing even experts to articulate concepts clearly.
Switching to more "popular" languages mid-passion can erode enthusiasm, while waiting out doubts in a loved language uncovers tailored opportunities.
Clojure's productivity edge enables quick empowerment for newcomers, making them feel "powerful" sooner than in verbose languages like Python.

INSIGHTS

Niche languages like Clojure thrive on community intimacy, where personal stories and mentorship eclipse the isolation of broader tech ecosystems, fostering rapid inclusion for outsiders.
Persistence amid job market illusions reveals that scarcity often masks waiting games, turning apparent dead-ends into breakthroughs via sustained, visible effort.
Functional paradigms such as immutability transform personal flaws like chaos into strengths, aligning code discipline with individual cognitive styles for enhanced focus.
Sharing raw beginner experiences publicly bridges entry barriers, inspiring underrepresented entrants by normalizing struggles and highlighting communal uplift.
Hiring juniors as investments revitalizes teams, as their questions unearth overlooked issues and refine documentation, elevating collective expertise.
Pushing novices beyond comfort zones through talks or writing catalyzes exponential growth, proving that vulnerability in supportive circles accelerates professional belonging.

QUOTES

"immutability actually saves my chaotic as"
"Junior is an investment not a cost and it's an asset not a burden"
"the language was not in the way of solving business problems"
"I'm Junior so I can ask every question right now"
"pushing me outside of my comfort zone is super great and I think this is the best we can do for newcomers to the field"

HABITS

Attending local meetups and workshops tailored for underrepresented groups to build foundational skills and networks.
Constructing personal CLI applications, such as weather checkers or air quality monitors, to practice and demonstrate practical Clojure usage.
Documenting responses from seniors in shared resources to aid future team members and solidify personal understanding.
Persisting with job applications regardless of full qualification matches, updating resumes, GitHub, and LinkedIn proactively.
Asking targeted questions at optimal times to minimize interruptions while maximizing learning from experienced colleagues.

FACTS

Clojure compiles to the JVM or JavaScript environments, necessitating familiarity with those platforms for effective development.
Krakow's winter air pollution is severe enough to warrant specialized CLI apps for real-time quality monitoring.
ClojureBridge London offers workshops exclusively for underrepresented groups to explore the language through hands-on projects like web apps.
Job listings for junior Clojure roles predominantly surface senior positions, creating a perceived entry barrier.
LiveKid dominates the kindergarten management app market, serving numerous real customers with complex, multi-developer backends.

REFERENCES

Clojure Koans: Interactive exercises for learning core Clojure concepts through guided puzzles.
Calva VS Code extension: Tool for seamless Clojure development, including REPL integration and syntax support.
Blog post on starting Clojure journey: Personal narrative that garnered 1,500 views and job inquiries from companies.

HOW TO APPLY

Begin with accessible online courses and workshops, such as Giggers Carrot for underrepresented learners, to grasp basics like HTML, CSS, and simple interactive projects without prior experience.
Explore niche languages like Clojure by installing tools like VS Code with Calva and completing structured tutorials like Clojure Koans, then immediately apply knowledge to small personal projects such as CLI tools.
Engage communities early by attending events like ClojureBridge, joining local meetups, and seeking mentorship, allowing for hands-on building like a first web app while gaining emotional support.
Overcome job search doubts by updating profiles on GitHub, LinkedIn, and resumes, then apply broadly—even if underqualified—while tracking minimum skills from senior listings to guide targeted learning.
In a new role, prioritize asking precise questions at appropriate times, document answers for team use, and embrace challenges like debugging stack traces through practical exposure and Googling to build intuition.

ONE-SENTENCE TAKEAWAY

Persist with Clojure despite warnings; its community and immutability empower chaotic beginners toward swift, fulfilling programming careers.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Companies should create dedicated entry-level Clojure positions to invest in juniors as assets that enhance team knowledge and innovation.
Develop high-quality, beginner-focused resources like tutorials on JVM basics and stack trace reading to lower barriers for newcomers.
Promote Clojure as an ideal first language through workshops, emphasizing its productivity for diverse learners over mainstream options.
Expand initiatives like ClojureBridge to more cities, prioritizing underrepresented groups with inclusive, hands-on events for sustained community growth.
Encourage all team members, especially seniors, to mentor juniors by normalizing question-asking and co-documenting solutions for collective improvement.

MEMO

In the cluttered world of programming languages, where JavaScript reigns supreme and Python promises endless jobs, Ewa Trzemżalska chose the road less traveled: Clojure. A former midwifery student and massage therapist from Krakow, she stumbled into coding amid personal chaos—renting Airbnbs, feeling adrift. Friends recoiled at her ambitions, dubbing tech unsuitable for her disorganized soul. Yet, undeterred, she dove in with online courses and a workshop for underrepresented groups, crafting an interactive photo gallery. Her first gig, implementing AngularJS designs, came swiftly but soured her on frontend drudgery. Clojure, whispered about by friends, beckoned with its functional elegance, but skeptics warned of its alien syntax, JVM mysteries, and job drought for juniors.

Defiance defined her path. Ignoring the naysayers, Ewa installed Calva in Visual Studio Code, tackled Clojure Koans, and birthed personal projects: a word counter, a weather CLI, and an air quality app vital for Krakow's smog-choked winters. A bold flight to London's ClojureBridge sealed her commitment; there, amid welcoming strangers, she built her inaugural ClojureScript web app. Back home, a tiny local community urged her onstage for a novice talk, met with applause and advice that ignited her drive. Job hunts yielded senior mirages, tempting a pivot to Udacity's Python full-stack course. Midway, a rare non-senior Clojure listing appeared. She aced the take-home, bombed the interview for skill gaps, but rediscovered her passion—Clojure's pure functions, built-in efficiencies, and state-free immutability that tamed her inner turmoil unlike Python's verbosity.

The startup breakthrough arrived: an Expo ClojureScript app for ordering water bottles, a far cry from pure backend dreams. Solo remote work amid JavaScript's thicket overwhelmed this stealth junior, teaching Git workflows, spaghetti code pitfalls, and the human side of tech—mentoring non-engineers on commits. A blog post chronicling her saga, prompted by Peter Stromberg, exploded to 1,500 views, drawing interviews. Now at LiveKid, Poland's kindergarten app leader, she navigates 400-plus namespaces with eight developers, fixing bugs in live systems. Giant stack traces loom without deep Java knowledge, but she hones question-asking, battles work-life creep from her estimation woes, and even shepherds a frontend colleague into Clojure.

Six months in, Ewa feels formidable: probing seniors' unasked queries, refining docs for arrivals, shipping features to real users. Clojure's clarity lets her wield power faster than in other tongues. Her verdict? Juniors aren't burdens but investments, sparking team vitality. She calls for more entry gigs, brave hires like LiveKid's, and Clojure as a starter language—productive, unintrusive. Thanks flood to mentors like Norbert Witovic for that debut talk and Bruno Bonacci for this stage. In a field starved for diversity, Ewa's tale underscores a truth: niche paths, fueled by persistent communities, forge the most resilient coders.