Breaking Barriers in Education and Technology. The Artisan of the Day Is Fathima Fasna.
Fathima Fasna’s journey into software development began in Sri Lanka, where pursuing an engineering degree was itself a challenge. “Coming from an autocratic society, where girls don’t do higher studies, especially not in computer or engineering, it was challenging for me to complete that degree,” she explained.
After graduating, she worked as a university lecturer before taking her first programming role in 2017, where she was introduced to Laravel 5. That moment would define her professional path.
Discovering Laravel at Work
Before Laravel, Fasna worked with CodeIgniter and hand-coded many components from scratch. Laravel immediately changed her approach to development.
“When I used Laravel, it had all the libraries and small parts I used to spend so much time building myself,” she said. “It helped me finish tasks quickly and without worrying about security because so much was already built in.”
For more than five years at her first company, she relied on Laravel to grow as a developer and deliver software faster and more reliably.
Moving to Morocco and Joining the Global Community
Eager to attend Laravel conferences but limited by finances and travel, Fasna made a bold decision: she sought opportunities abroad. She eventually relocated to Morocco, where she could more easily connect with the global Laravel Community, and is currently working at ABL Aviation.
“The very first thing I did was apply for conferences and giveaways,” she said. “Fortunately, I got a chance to attend Laracon EU for the very first time, which had a big impact on my life.”
At the conference, she saw Laravel creator Taylor Otwell and many others who had inspired her career. “It was like fulfilling one of my biggest dreams, and it happened because of the Larabelles community,” Fasna said.
Laravel as a Career Catalyst
Her move to Morocco also came with new professional opportunities. One job interview led directly to another when a recruiter heard her talk about Laravel. “The HR said, ‘We are looking for a Laravel developer, would you like to hear about that?’ That opportunity has shaped my career ever since,” she recalled.
On that project for her current company, Fasna used Laravel migrations to rebuild a legacy database from scratch, complete with indexes and schemas, and leaned on the framework for UI and overall application design. “Without Laravel, I wouldn’t be able to do anything in my professional field,” she said. “I am always grateful for the support I get from the community and the framework itself.”
Though she missed the chance to attend Laracon US due to visa issues, Fasna is determined to be there in future years. For her, Laravel has been the foundation of her career and the doorway to a global community of peers.
“I’m so happy to share my experience,” she said. “Laravel has given me both opportunity and community, and I will always be thankful for that.”
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