Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
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![Stanfords youngest instructor on InfoSec, AI, catching cheaters - Rachel Fernandez [Podcast #217]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/GmtOxMl39Tc/mqdefault.jpg "Stanfords youngest instructor on InfoSec, AI, catching cheaters - Rachel Fernandez [Podcast #217]
Today Quincy Larson interviews Rachel An Fernandez. Shes a computer science student at Stanford and the youngest instructor at the entire university. She recently helped organize TreeHacks, Stanfords annual hackathon, which narrowed 15,000 applicants down to just 1,000 participants. They built projects over a single weekend and competed for a million dollars in prizes.
Rachel grew up in Westminster, a small California town with a largely Mexican and Vietnamese population. 70% of students at her high school had family incomes so low that qualified for free school lunches. And Rachel was the first student from there to get into Stanford in years.
We talk about:
- The state of computer science education in 2026
- Her thoughts on C++, a language she teaches at Stanford, and its continued importance
- And her tips for how devs should use AI tools without deskilling themselves
Support for this podcast comes from the 10,113 kind folks who donate to our charity each month. Join them and support our mission at https://donate.freecodecamp.org
Get a freeCodeCamp tshirt for $20 with free shipping anywhere in the US: https://shop.freecodecamp.org
Links from our discussion:
- Rachel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-fernandez28/
- freeCodeCamp book on AI Assisted Coding that Quincy mentions: https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/how-to-become-an-expert-in-ai-assisted-coding-a-handbook-for-developers/
1. freeCodeCamp just published an automation for beginners course. Youll learn how to automate your routine daily tasks by piping together triggers and actions. By the end of the course, youll have your own Model Context Protocol server that can share info between your productivity apps and your agents. (4 hour YouTube course): https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/reclaim-your-time-master-automation-with-zapier/
2. freeCodeCamp also published a full-length handbook on data quality. Youll learn the most common ways that bad data enters a system, and how to prevent them. Youll get exposure to the different layers where data validation needs to happen: front end, back end, database, business logic, and data ingestion. The handbook will also walk you through testing strategies to keep bad data out of your projects. (full-length handbook): https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/data-quality-handbook-data-errors-the-developer-s-role-validation-layers/
3. AI Governance may sound like something only managers need to worry about. But in practice, its us developers who have to actually build the responsible AI systems. You can bookmark this new freeCodeCamp handbook and code along with four hands-on Python projects: a model card generator, a bias detection pipeline, an audit trail logger, and a human-in-the-loop escalation system. (full length handbook): https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/the-ai-governance-handbook-build-responsible-ai-systems/
4. Todays song of the week is Danza Marilù by French disco band LImpératrice. This 2024 banger features a heavily syncopated bass line that I think youll love. The singer subtly alternates between French and Italian. And the music video is unique and all good vibes as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC0ErOoQcUA")
![React Course for Beginners w/ Tailwind CSS [2025]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/IJ85kCdqWao/mqdefault.jpg "React Course for Beginners w/ Tailwind CSS [2025]
React Course for Beginners w/ Tailwind CSS [2025]")
![How to Land Freelance Clients with Small Business Whisperer Luke Ciciliano [Podcast #211]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/IRcL5as-RaE/mqdefault.jpg "How to Land Freelance Clients with Small Business Whisperer Luke Ciciliano [Podcast #211]
Today Quincy Larson interviews Luke Ciciliano. Hes a front-end developer who runs Modern Website Design, a software consultancy that builds solutions for small to medium sized businesses. He taught himself programming in the 1980s and started landing clients in the 1990s.
Hes going to share tips for building your own software consultancy in your city and winning clients.
We talk about:
- How AI tools are actually creating MORE potential small business customers. Not fewer.
- How to engage with clients and close the deal.
- And why long term relationships are the key to building a business as a freelance developer
Support for this podcast is provided by a grant from AlgoMonster. AlgoMonster is a platform that teaches data structure and algorithm patterns in a structured sequence, so you can approach technical interview questions more systematically. Their curriculum covers patterns like sliding window, two-pointers, graph search, and dynamic programming, helping you learn each pattern once and apply it to solve many problems. Start a structured interview prep routine at https://algo.monster/freecodecamp
Support also comes from the 10,104 kind folks who donate to our charity each month. Join them and support our mission at https://donate.freecodecamp.org
Get a freeCodeCamp tshirt for $20 with free shipping anywhere in the US: https://shop.freecodecamp.org
Links from our discussion:
- Lukes website: https://www.modern-website.design/about-us/
- Lukes freeCodeCamp course: How to Make Money as a Freelance Developer: Business Tips from an Expert https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/tips-for-making-money-as-a-freelance-developer-39fae6b76972/
- Lukes many other freelance developer-focused courses on freeCodeCamp: https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/author/Luke-Ciciliano/
Community news section:
1. If youre interested in learning about AI infrastructure, freeCodeCamp just published this new course that will help you pass the NVIDIA Infrastructure and Operations Certification Exam. Andrew Brown is a CTO who has passed practically every DevOps exam under the sun, and he teaches this course. Hell introduce you to key concepts like GPU architecture, CUDA, and use cases for Accelerated Computing. Even if you decide not to pursue the certification, youll still learn a lot from this course. (4 hour YouTube course): https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/pass-the-nvidia-certified-associate-ai-infrastructure-and-operations-certification-exam/
2. freeCodeCamp also published a new course that will teach you full-stack JavaScript development by building your own professional-grade Loom-style screen-sharing platform. You can code along at home as you watch instructor Beau Carnes create a Next.js app, then add screen and mic capturing using standard media APIs. Then youll learn how to store video data in the cloud, and automatically transcribe it. (1 hour YouTube course): https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/loom-clone-next-javascript-mux/
3. You may have heard the term DevOps, or Development and Operations. Well now theres another emerging field, MLOps, or Machine Learning and Operations. freeCodeCamp just published an MLOps for beginners Python course that will teach you how to take your models beyond Jupyter Notebook and into production environments. Along the way, youll learn tools like Hugging Face, MLflow, and Databricks. (5 hour YouTube course): https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/learn-mlops-with-mlflow-and-databricks/
4. Learn how to enjoy the code review process with what Abbey Perini calls “pull request therapy.” She explains her own struggles with perfectionism, her anxiety from hostile reviewers shes encountered in the past, and how shes overcome these hurdles to become a prolific contributor. Abbey also shares tips to help you identify friendly open source projects. (15 minute read): https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/learning-to-enjoy-code-reviews-with-npmx/
5. Todays song of the week is 1983s City of Love by London progressive rock band Yes. I love the sleezy guitar, synth hits, and lurching bassline. This song also has a super open, airy drum sound. Top it off with some vocal harmony and some cynical lyrics and youve got a great late night driving anthem. https://youtu.be/pZ6xV72oxo0
00:00 Welcome and Announcements
03:21 Introducing Luke
04:14 Freelancing Since 2020: What Has Changed?
10:12 Educating Customers and Process Engineering
16:36 Keys to Long-Term Client Retention
22:34 New Business vs. Existing Business Stability
30:50 Communicating Price Points and Deliverables
34:51 The Flow of a Client Inquiry and Consultation Call
41:04 Why Hourly Rates Rarely Matter
45:52 Contracting and Avoiding Problematic Clients
50:39 A Real-World Developer Nightmare Scenario
1:05:37 The Commodore 64 and First Paid Client at Age 12
1:18:44 How AI Tools Impact Client Expectations
1:34:04 Providing Indispensable Value and Referrals
1:38:39 Advice for Young Inquisitive Programmers")
