Mothers who code
The chances of finding fulfilling employment that allows Stay at Home Mums to balance their career goals and family commitments are slim. What does it take to redefine your professional orientation after giving birth?
Solving the mystery of professional success and motherhood (without leaving your child behind)
Interview with Hana Harencarova | Founder of Moms Learn To Code and Sei Online
Hana first felt in love with paragliding but little she knew that her passion would take away from home and onto a new life in Switzerland. She met and fell in love with a fellow paragliding enthusiast and after a whirl – wind romance she got married and started a family. You may think at this point this is Hana’s story and you would be forgiven as so many woman before her are considered to be just that, mothers and wives, and we are led to believe this is the end of their story. Not for Hana.
Hana Harencarova
Moms learn to code
Hannah set up Moms Learn To Code to help teach women a new life skill which can create a new stream of income. Programs such as hers, allow people to earn from the comfort of their own home, great for new mothers who do not wish to go back to a office environment. While Moms Learn to Code is aimed at women in Switzerland and Germany, many other coding tuition providers, such as Bay Valley Tech based in California in the USA are also available – so, whether you prefer face-to-face tuition or online learning, there are plenty of fantastic coding tuition providers out there.
Once we have children, as mothers, we are expected to put our careers on hold. For most of us, the chances of finding fulfilling employment that allows us to balance our career goals and our commitments to our family are slim. As a mom I realized I need to redefine my professional orientation and soon after the birth of my daughter I started my freelance business as a web designer. It was something I always wanted to do and with all the changes in my life, this was a great moment to do that. Yet I struggled to find the right courses for myself.
Especially since I had a young child and whilst there are plenty of options for where to take a young child, finding courses that gave me the flexibility to look after my baby and study was a lot more difficult. So now, two years later, I decided to tackle this problem by starting a coding courses for moms, where they can take their babies with them. This way they can learn new skills without leaving the little loved ones behind. ‘Moms learn to code’ gives young mothers the chance to learn web design and programming skills.
I always loved to teach at university, and I missed this kind of personal contact. I decided to empower women in finding their ways into tech. I run courses in Zurich as well as live events, online courses and also give private lessons.”
Hana Harencarova
You have a background in psychology, you are an active paragliding pilot and you even own a paragliding school with your husband. On top of everything, you are creating websites for entrepreneurs and businesses, you teach women how to code and of course, you have a young daughter. How do you find the drive to do so many things at once?
I always loved to solve problems. The new ones, the challenging ones. I was bored by the routine and searched for something new. After finishing my PhD in psychology I was ready for the next challenge. Learning to code gave me the opportunity to merge my psychological and technical skills. Thanks to my psychological background I can analyse and understand my clients’ needs as a business owner and what their clients are looking for. This enables me to create user-oriented products with a strong emphasis on results. Sei Online is a web design company. While you create bespoke solutions, there are numerous other businesses which provide similar services.
What is unique about your solution? Do you have a different approach?
Effective design is not just about looking good. It creates a connection between you and your customers, it builds trust and motivates your visitors to action. If you need your website built from scratch or you want to redesign your current web page to better suit your business’ needs, this is what we do best. Our complete web solutions bring all you need from A to Z. Whether it’s a complex presentation of your services or a simple business web page, we’re are able to make a distant dream a reality.
I create modern websites for my clients which create a relationship with their customers. The user experience and technical perfection are in the priorities. The whole process is also designed in a way that the client can to give us as little or as much input as is needed. It’s important to keep the process simple and agile. So I can react to client’s needs promptly and the results are immediate. Thanks to my background in psychology I understand the decision-making processes and the behaviour of the visitors. That enables me to create websites which motivate the visitors to engage with the company.
Every customer project is unique and that’s why I love my job. Creating a web page is like a baby being born. Each one is very special and beautiful. And that makes my job so exciting and satisfying. Helping my clients to thrive and free them from the technical struggle by providing them with a high-end online presence which leads to more or better clients.
What’s the biggest challenge you have faced thus far?
Balancing the time between work, family and learning. Me and my husband we are both self-employed and we both take care of our daughter so we need plan for who works when each week.
Where do you turn for inspiration and why?
Inspiration comes unexpectedly. It’s more about being prepared to listen and write it down than going to look for inspiration. To be honest, I get the best ideas usually during the night or after some good tea. Being free to decide when I work gives me a great advantage. I let myself to be inspired by those random moments and people who come along in my life. This freedom is what I strive to offer to other young mothers, who just like me, have the right to have professional success. Having or starting a family shouldn’t stop anyone from learning to code, starting their small businesses and become successful entrepreneurs.
Connect with Hana
