We’re happy to introduce you to another member of the Firebase team, Rachel Collins! You might know Rachel, aka RachelDosh, from her work helping answer community questions through the Firebase community support channel. Most recently she spent time working with some dedicated engineers and product managers to help prepare Firebase’s content for Google I/O. The team collaborated on new technical features, but also to put together concise documentation, videos, and blogs to communicate new launches to our developer community. Read on to learn more about Rachel!
An animated GIF of Rachel Collins
How did you get started with Firebase?
I was introduced to Firebase in my first year as a software engineer – we used Firebase App Distribution to get our Beta builds into the hands of our internal and external testers. The Firebase and Android documentation helped me out during that first job quite a bit! I'm glad to have landed on a team whose content I'm familiar with.
What are you working on right now?
I've been writing blog posts for the [Firebase Blog](https://firebase.blog/), scripting some new videos to help Android and iOS developers get started in Firebase, updating existing codelabs to the latest technologies (like SwiftUI and Jetpack Compose), and preparing for Firebase Summit 2022. I'll be in-person in NYC!
What was your favorite conference experience?
The first technical conference I attended was the Grace Hopper Conference in 2017 when I was a college student. Google sponsored me to attend, and I learned so much from the variety of technical talks by top technologists who were all women! My favorite talk emphasized that a computer science degree can lead you down multiple job paths in the technical field. Yes, many of us become software engineers, but we can also be program managers, data scientists, and DevRel-ers! That talk and the conference really inspired me to make tech my career.
What was your favorite personal purchase over the last year?
I bought a cast-iron tea pot, and I love it. I love the routine of making tea. Green tea after breakfast, and chamomile at night before bed. I've never liked coffee, so I'm glad to have found an alternative hot beverage to enjoy!
Where can we find your work?
You can find me on Twitter [here](https://twitter.com/rachelatgoogle).
This monthly mini-profiles series features Firebase team members, aka “Firebasers”, from all around the world. Follow along to learn how these members of the team got started with Firebase, more about the Firebase products they work on, advice on how you can get started, and more. To read all the profiles in this series click here!
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How did you get started with Firebase?