---
title: "Behind The Code: Jennice Colaco, Backend Developer"
description: "Jennice Colaco is a backend developer who has worked on Shopify’s Marketing Technology team for 10 months. She holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Computer Engineering from the University of Toronto, and describes her team’s work as building tools that help merchants market products to customers. She treats programming languages as problem-solving tools, is improving her Ruby skills, and uses byebug to step through code line by line when debugging. Her workday combines early planning, coding, pull-request reviews, pairing sessions, and Slack collaboration, while difficult problems are approached through reading, research, whiteboarding, and asking peers for support. She is taking an in-house Ruby course and describes Shopify’s culture as supportive of individual growth, with ongoing conversations about healthy work environments."
---

# Behind The Code: Jennice Colaco, Backend Developer

[Shopify](https://yomu.fyi/company/shopify) · Toni Akinwumi · Jul 26, 2018

**Type:** Explainer

## Summary

Jennice Colaco is a backend developer who has worked on Shopify’s Marketing Technology team for 10 months. She holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Computer Engineering from the University of Toronto, and describes her team’s work as building tools that help merchants market products to customers. She treats programming languages as problem-solving tools, is improving her Ruby skills, and uses byebug to step through code line by line when debugging. Her workday combines early planning, coding, pull-request reviews, pairing sessions, and Slack collaboration, while difficult problems are approached through reading, research, whiteboarding, and asking peers for support. She is taking an in-house Ruby course and describes Shopify’s culture as supportive of individual growth, with ongoing conversations about healthy work environments.

## Context

A career profile of Jennice Colaco, covering her education, backend role on the Marketing Technology team, development practices, daily routine, learning activities, and views on workplace culture and entering the software industry.

## Takeaways

- Colaco views programming languages as tools whose suitability depends on the problem, so she is developing a stronger understanding of different languages’ advantages and disadvantages.
- She uses Ruby’s byebug to step through code line by line, saying this makes small mistakes and seemingly random errors easier to identify.
- For challenging work, she reads and researches the problem, then uses pairing, peer support, and whiteboarding to test ideas and surface questions.

## FAQ

### Why does Colaco use byebug when debugging Ruby?

She finds stepping through Ruby code line by line is the best way to understand what is happening. It can make small mistakes easier to catch, including in errors that initially seem random.

### How does Colaco approach difficult problems?

She first reads through the problem and then researches it after grasping what it involves. She also pairs with teammates or peers, talks through solutions, and whiteboards problems to uncover useful questions.

### What does Colaco say about Shopify’s work culture?

She values an environment where people can grow and receive support in that growth. She says Shopify recognizes that people work differently, supports varied needs, and holds ongoing conversations about improving the work environment.

**Tags:** [Debugging](https://yomu.fyi/topic/debugging), [Ruby](https://yomu.fyi/topic/ruby)

- Source: [Shopify](https://shopify.engineering/behind-the-code-jennice-collaco-backend-developer)
- Source URL: https://shopify.engineering/behind-the-code-jennice-collaco-backend-developer
- Ingested by Yomu: 2026-09-17T14:12:56.708Z

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