Atlanta Tech Meetup’s Selfless Act Exemplifies Community

Ari Waller — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 20:49:06 +0000

Which is a better JavaScript or Java? Well, when the chips were down, and an anticipated conference, ngAtlanta, was canceled for both paid attendees and sponsors, the answer to that question really did not matter. What did matter was the actions the Atlanta Java Users Group (AJUG) took to ensure the ngAtlanta community were taken care of in their time of need.

If you think putting on a successful conference is easy, think again. It takes a lot of experience and know-how, and even then, a wrong decision can be costly enough to tank the whole event. The leaders of AJUG, Vincent Meyers and Pratik Patel, have learned through many years of experience (and bumps and bruises along the way) how a disappointment like this can impact the morale and confidence in the tech community.

Perhaps this is why when I commended Vincent on their heroic actions he humbly and simply stated, “we could do it, so we did”.

Every year, AJUG puts on Devnexus, the largest independent software development conference in the country. This year, with the Georgia World Conference Center (GWCC) as their venue, 2400+ attendees as well as scores of sponsors, gathered in Atlanta. With only 2 weeks to spare, Vincent and Pratik heard the disappointing news, ngAtlanta was canceled, and those attendees and sponsors who had paid were “out of luck” as no refunds were being offered.

The AJUG and Devnexus team swiftly jumped into action. With the help of Angel Banks, an Atlanta tech community hero who is a director of the Atlanta Women Who Code chapter and organizer of Refactr.Tech an Atlanta tech conference with a focus on diversity and inclusion, they contacted paid attendees, sponsors and speakers scheduled to participate in ngAtlanta. They used their venue at the GWCC to put on a conference-within-a-conference for the ngAtlanta community which included meeting space, audio/video equipment, parking, food, parties, raffles, and swag. Oh yeah, they also made all Devnexus conference sessions, and an extra conference day available those who had already paid to go to ngAtlanta.

This year, I was honored to be part of a technical conference that not only exceeded the expectations of those who attended but also took swift action to unify the community.

Ari Waller is the Meetup Event Manager for JFrog. JFrog, the Liquid Software Company, is a proud sponsor of the Devnexus and the Atlanta Java User Group

Picture:https://ya-webdesign.com/explore/community-transparent-background-design/

My Career Morph into a Swamp Community Tradition

Ari Waller — Mon, 25 Nov 2019 18:47:41 +0000

I must confess that when I first heard about the Meetup Event Manager position at JFrog my first thought was…“OMG! T-Shirts!” Having worked with technology professionals all of my career, I have seen some nice swag, but I have always considered JFrog T-Shirts as an elite-class unto themselves. People even list them on eBay and yes I bought one!

OK, cool swag aside, joining a software company with a technical meetup focus requires there to truly be an ongoing commitment to open-source and free community software offerings. Was JFrog that kind of company?

So let’s rewind a little. I started my career in the technical recruiting industry. I learned early on that keeping up with technology trends, and translating these into career satisfaction for a "happy life" was a passion of mine.

While working with technologists looking for their next position was something I excelled in, engaging with the technical community had its challenges. Sure, I placed technology professionals for a living, but that does not mean everyone I meet is in my crosshairs. I get it though...when you receive 50+ recruiting emails per week and your voicemail is full every day about "jobs", the response is warranted. What could I do to try and lower some of these defenses?

About 5 years ago it hit me… I’ll offer technically specific career guidance at meetups based on current IT career and salary trends in the market. I wanted a platform to be authentically transparent, and become an “open source” confidant for those who wanted career guidance. I could make placements, and provide expertise to the community!

So for the past few years, I would speak quarterly within the PHP, Java, Python, Angular, .Net, Business Analysts technical meetup and “boot camp” communities. I found a new level of professional satisfaction in the reciprocity of honest career-oriented dialogue in a non-intimidating setting.

Fast forward to a few months ago when I began to look for a new position. I initially focused on different technical recruiting leadership roles as one would expect. That was until a friend in the meetup community told me about JFrog’s Meetup Event Manager position. As I learned more about it, a metamorphosis of sorts took place within me. I was more excited about this than anything else I was working towards. Applying my background and experience in the community was not only "an option", but my new desire. I have had the luxury my entire career of waking up and loving my job. For me to continue that path, I knew this was something I had to explore further.

When I researched JFrog, I learned that the technical community was a priority for JFrog starting from the first Artifactory OSS version in 2006. Since then they have added other open source tools and free resources to make the work lives of Software Engineers and DevOps professionals happier and more productive. That’s a mission I can get behind if they will give me the opportunity!

I was humbled and ecstatic to have been offered the position. The icing on the cake for me was when I learned on my first day that we were releasing the free to use JFrog Container Registry, a cloud-native, hybrid software download for Docker and Helm. I joined a company that regularly invests in its community roots. For me, this was a satisfying confirmation that I was in the right place. That, and those amazing T-Shirts!

Forem: Ari Waller

Atlanta Tech Meetup’s Selfless Act Exemplifies Community

My Career Morph into a Swamp Community Tradition