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From the Trenches

by Erika Green - Application Developer
The 42 Silicon Valley team that went through FileMaker's training in 2018.

“FileMaker is Apple’s Best-Kept Secret” – every employee ever at FileMaker, Inc.


When I first signed up to participate in 42 Silicon Valley’s FileMaker Internship program, the above quote was the first thing I ever heard about FileMaker software. Hyperbole aside, I must have heard this at least ten times during my training at FileMaker headquarters. The question is: what does that even mean?

About Me

Before I delve into FileMaker, a little bit about myself for context: I have a master’s degree in Viola Performance from the University of Denver. Prior to 42, the only coding experience I had was trying to create websites from the original HTML in high school.

About 42 Silicon Valley

If you don’t know what 42 Silicon Valley is, it’s a self-paced learning institution in Fremont, CA. It’s free and provides free housing so that you can learn how to learn. 42 Silicon Valley teaches you how to be an insatiably curious and self-driven programmer, unafraid of failure. Be warned, though: It’s hard, especially if you don’t come from a coding background. Despite this, if you’re prepared to work, the rewards are great. Case in point: the FileMaker / 42 SV Partnership.

About the Internship

The FileMaker / 42 SV Intern partnership between the school and FileMaker, Inc. provides interns to Platinum Level FBAs. In case you’re unaware, FBA is short for FileMaker Business Alliance partners. After being accepted into the program, we had a month to learn the FileMaker platform. We then spent three days training at FileMaker, Inc. Headquarters with Cris Ippolite from iSolutions. After our training with Cris, we created a group project based on one of the Developer Conference challenges. We presented our solution and then interviewed with a few FBA partner companies for internships. I consider myself extremely lucky to have landed an internship with Codence. I’m so grateful for the chance to work with such a great group of people.

If you’re reading this and considering an internship with Codence, you should do it – they’re great! One of the things I like best is that everyone is excited about FileMaker development – it’s contagious! I’m also impressed with how willing the developers are to take the time to answer any questions you have.

About the Best-Kept-Secret

So, what does “FileMaker is Apple’s Best-Kept Secret” mean now that I’ve got two months of experience with FileMaker development under my belt and landed a sweet internship?

To me it is this: If you want to create custom application solutions in a sixth of the time it would take you otherwise, get FileMaker. If you want to get some UI/UX design experience and relational theory in while you’re at it, learn FileMaker. If you need a “Workplace Innovation Platform” to help solve problems too small for enterprise solutions yet too big for appliance apps (like Microsoft Excel), FileMaker gives you the tools to build your own great software. There’s a huge online community and everyone is willing to help you. One of my fears entering into the program was that FileMaker was a siloed platform. But it’s really not – you can integrate with websites, APIs, SaaS applications, and even GPS or IoT instruments!

Interested in what FileMaker Inc. has to say about the FileMaker / 42 SV partnership? Check out FileMaker’s announcement here: FileMaker, Inc., a subsidiary of Apple Inc., and 42 Silicon Valley today announced a partnership to develop the next generation of custom app developers.

Want to know more about what 42 Silicon Valley does or try your hand at the first round of acceptance tests?

Do you need a custom FileMaker business or accounting solution, or want to know more about how AWESOME my team is? Look no further than Codence.

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