Forem: CodeNewbie Staff

Here's How to Join Us at CodeLand 2022

CodeNewbie Staff — Sat, 04 Jun 2022 00:16:39 +0000

Cross-Posted from CodeNewbie Community

With CodeLand 2022 coming up in a little less than two weeks, we wanted to stop by with a quick reminder about how and why you should register for this two-day virtual conference from CodeNewbie and DEV 🌈

1. Register for CodeNewbie Community

CodeLand is taking place virtually on CodeNewbie Community this year — a space built on Forem that exists to champion, connect, and spotlight early-career programmers and people learning to code. In order to get the most out of CodeLand and to register, you'll need a free account on CodeNewbie Community.

>> Click here to register for CodeNewbie Community

Once you're set up with an account, say hi in the welcome thread and then hop into one of our CodeLand discussions.

2. Reserve your ticket for whatever amount you feel comfortable with

While CodeLand isn't free for the CodeNewbie and DEV communities to host, we do everything we can to make this event accessible to those across all stages of their careers. We know that students and entry-level professionals don't always have extra money lying around, so it was important for us to allow our attendees to choose the cost off their ticket. Yes, that includes $0!

With that said, we greatly appreciate those of you who do opt to pay for your ticket. The proceeds from our ticket sales goo towards paying speakers and activity hosts and making the event as memorable as possible.

>> Click here to grab your ticket for CodeLand 2022

3. Mark your calendar & browse the program

CodeLand is taking place on June 16 & 17 and both days will be jam-packed with inspiring talks from the community. We're also thrilled to have three headlining speakers joining us: Angie Jones, Kelsey Hightower, and Tracy Chou.

>> Browse the complete program of talks and read more about our headlining speakers here

4. Join us for two fun activities

We're also excited to share that there will be two additional features of this year's event that will break up the format of the day, get your brain working in a different way, and be a lot of fun.

Towards the end of day one, we'll be featuring a yoga wellness break to help you pause and encourage mindfulness. Immediately afterward, we'll close out the day with a fun digital scavenger hunt complete with multiple opportunities to win some amazing prizes. Then at the start of day 2, we'll announce our lucky winners.

We hope to see you at this year's event! In closing, here's some actual footage of us racing towards CodeLand 2022:

CodeLand 2022 is less than three weeks away 🤯

CodeNewbie Staff — Fri, 27 May 2022 21:48:10 +0000

Cross-Posted from CodeNewbie Community.

Hello, dear community!

As you might know, CodeLand. -our annual conference for early-career software developers (and their champions)- is coming up on June 16 & 17, 2022. We couldn't be more excited to bring you what's sure to be two days of virtual inspiration, motivation, and learning!

Over the years, CodeLand has evolved a great deal and each chapter in its history was carefully designed to fit the needs of our growing community at the time. For 2022, you'll see in the program that there's a particular focus on web accessibility — because that's what the CodeNewbie and DEV communities asked for! We aim to please 🌈

Tickets start at $0

There's so much to get excited about at CodeLand this year that it's hard to pick a "most exciting" feature, but one thing we keep hearing is particularly awesome is that the event will be pay-what-you-want again — starting at $0. We believe it's important to deliver a conference that's accessible in every way for our global audience of folks just starting out in their careers. Being at that stage can mean that money is often tight, and we want to meet you all where you're at.

Amazing speakers

CodeLand would be nothing without our highly curated talks from prominent figures in the industry and our inspiring community members alike.

This year, you'll get to hear from keynoters Angie Jones (advocate for developers at every level and IBM Master Inventor), Kelsey Hightower (influential cloud computing and open source leader), and Tracy Chou (a pioneer for and advocate of online safety and anti-harassment tooling, not to mention a Time Magazine 2022 Women of the Year award winner). You'll also hear from 15 amazing individuals from the CodeNewbie Community who have relevant stories and guidance to share with you.

>> Browse the CodeLand Program

Register to join us

In order to join us at CodeLand and get the full virtual experience, be eligible for prizes and giveaways, and participate in activities, you'll need to register.

>> Register for CodeLand

We look forward to seeing your name on our "guest list" and your presence at this year's event 💜

Kelsey Hightower to Speak at CodeLand 2022!

CodeNewbie Staff — Tue, 03 May 2022 16:29:28 +0000

Cross-Posted from CodeNewbie Community.

CodeLand 2022 is a welcoming virtual conference for early-career coders and their champions, taking place on June 16 & 17. We're hard at work building an inspiring, practical, and inclusive program of talks, activities, and more.

CodeLand 2022 is produced by CodeNewbie and DEV, two software communities built on Forem.

Learn more about CodeLand here and register here.

We're thrilled to share that Kelsey Hightower will be joining CodeNewbie Founder, @saronyitbarek, for a fireside chat at CodeLand 2022! 🎉

Here's a bit more about Kelsey Hightower to help get you excited for this conversation...

Pronouns: He/Him, They/Them
Title: Principal Engineer @ Google Cloud
Based out of: Camas, Washington
Bio in Kelsey's words: "Minimalist."

Kelsey is a self-described curious and motivated self-learner. He gained an interest in computing at a young age, and started his IT career by opening a small consulting shop 20 years ago. From those beginnings, his career progressed quickly, eventually passing through the halls of Google, Puppet Labs, New Relic and CoreOS. Kelsey is a system administrator by trade, a programmer by necessity, but a problem-solver at heart.

With a passion for helping others, many successful speaking and teaching engagements under his belt, and a proven track record of getting things done and enabling others, Kelsey endeavors to solve the many problems facing IT culture by equipping people with the mental and computational software they need to succeed in the competitive world of technology.

We're so excited to experience this fireside chat between Kelsey Hightower and Saron Yitbarek at CodeLand 2022! 🌈

"What's a 'fireside chat'?"

In the world of events, conferences, and broadcasting, the term "fireside chat" is used to describe an informal yet structured conversation with influential leaders whose insights and thoughts many communities could benefit from accessing.

We think that our audience of early-career developers will learn a great deal from this fireside chat with Kelsey Hightower — one of the most respected figures in cloud computing and open source software.

"What's next on the road to CodeLand 2022?"

We will be announcing one more fireside chat in the coming weeks. Stay tuned to CodeNewbie Community and @codelandconf on Twitter for news and updates. In the meantime, you can browse the program here and register for the event here. ✨

Announcing CodeLand 2022's First Keynote Speaker: Angie Jones!

CodeNewbie Staff — Tue, 19 Apr 2022 17:15:59 +0000

Cross-Posted From CodeNewbie Community.

CodeLand 2022 is produced by CodeNewbie and DEV, two software communities built on Forem.

Learn more about CodeLand here.

We're thrilled to announce our very first keynote speaker for CodeLand 2022: Angie Jones! 🎉

Many of you are likely familiar with Angie Jones through her consistent and passionate advocacy for the next generation of software engineers all over the internet and tech industry. You might have even connected with Angie on DEV or Twitter. Or maybe you heard her episode of the CodeNewbie Podcast all about the basics of test engineering?

If you're not familiar with Angie, you're probably gathering that she's a very inspiring leader in the tech industry and a wonderful fit for the CodeLand program.

Here's a little bit more about Angie Jones to help get you excited to hear her keynote at CodeLand 2022 🌈

Pronouns: She/Her
Title: Global Vice President of Developer Relations @ Block
Based out of: New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A.
Bio: Angie Jones is the Global Vice President of Developer Relations for TBD54566975, Block’s decentralized finance division. She is an award-winning teacher and international keynote speaker who shares her wealth of knowledge at software companies and conferences all over the world. As a Master Inventor, Angie is known for her innovative and out-of-the-box thinking style which has resulted in more than 25 patented inventions in the areas of metaverses, collaboration software, social networking, smarter planet, and software development processes.
Fun fact: "As a side project, I developed a fun fashion game, Diva Chix, played by hundreds of thousands of members!"

We're so excited to hear from Angie Jones at CodeLand 2022! Please join us in giving her a warm CodeNewbie welcome 🌈

What's next on the road to CodeLand 2022?

We will be announcing more talks from the community and opening up registration on April 26 — if you submitted a talk to our CFP, be sure to check your email then! More keynote announcements will be shared in the coming weeks. Stay tuned to CodeNewbie Community and @codelandconf on Twitter for news and updates. ✨

The CodeLand 2022 CFP closes soon. Submit your talk today! ⏰

CodeNewbie Staff — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 17:48:28 +0000

Cross-posted from CodeNewbie Community

The CodeNewbie team wanted to stop by with a quick reminder that the CodeLand 2022 Call-for-Proposals is closing on March 29, 2022 at 11:59 PM UTC. If you would like the opportunity to speak at the tech industry's friendliest remote conference for early-career programmers and their champions, this is your chance!

Talk Submission/CFP Info

• Visit >> cfp.codelandconf.com for instructions, full details, and to submit a CodeLand talk proposal through March 29, 2022 @ 11:59 PM UTC.

• Check out >> this post by CodeNewbie Founder, Saron Yitbarek for an FAQ on our CFP and more high-level details.

CodeLand 2022 Fast Facts

@saron covered most of what you'll need to know about CodeLand 2022 in her helpful post (linked above), but because it never hurts to get a refresher, here are some helpful facts about this year's event 🌈

Location: CodeLand will be held virtually on CodeNewbie Community.

Dates: Thursday, June 16 and Friday, June 17.

Time: Six hours per day – 4-10 PM UTC (check out World Time Buddy to convert to your local time zone).

Format: A mix of pre-recorded talks, keynotes, interactive activities, and live speaker panels on both days.

Structure: Just like last year, the conference will be split between two days. You'll be able to view featured talks on your own time or watch alongside the global community on the livestream with emcee commentary. Keynotes and live panels will be played on the community stream and distributed afterward for self-paced viewing.

Cost: Free access to all keynotes, talks, and panels. (note: registration will be required to be eligible for prizes and giveaways and to experience CodeLand in its entirety).

Registration: Opens on April 26, 2022.

CodeLand 2022 Sponsorship Info

If your company is interested in sponsoring CodeLand 2022, please fill out the form located here. Once we receive your information, you will receive a copy of our sponsorship brochure via email.

We hope to see a talk proposal from you at CodeLand 2022: a motivating community gathering for early-career software developers and their champions. 🌈

Bekah Hawrot Weigel: Career-Changer, Coder, Mom

CodeNewbie Staff — Wed, 09 Dec 2020 15:57:12 +0000

Welcome to our first “CodeNewbie Community Spotlight” — a series where we interview an individual from our community and highlight all that they’ve accomplished. We can’t wait to celebrate our CodeNewbie community in a new and different way each month!

Name: Bekah Hawrot Weigel

Pronouns: She/Her

Location: Ohio, USA

What got you into coding?

After going through a personal trauma, I was having a really difficult time. It was hard to concentrate. It was hard to go to my job. It was hard to feel whole. My husband is a developer, and he kept encouraging me to learn how to code. I was really annoyed — I had enough on my plate with a new baby and a physical and mental health crisis, but I ended trying freeCodeCamp just to get him to stop asking. And what I found was the cycle of traumatic memories stopped when I was coding. I focused on the code and the learning and the errors, and I felt relief for the first time in a year. So for me, it was therapeutic. And to quickly find some amazing communities (including CodeNewbie!) gave me the support and reassurance that I needed to keep pushing forward.

What’s your dream role?

Honestly, I value connection with the people I work with over everything else. So my dream role will always be working with people who are kind, empathetic, willing to listen, and let me learn. In terms of product, I would love to build something that improves the medical field. Right now, I have an open source project to monitor postpartum wellness. If I ever get that into production and if it helps even one woman with an early diagnosis of a postpartum mood disorder or to reach out for help, I would consider that a dream come true.

What made you decide to join a community as part of your coding journey?

One of the things I learned about trauma is that being in isolation is never a good thing. Having a community around you to support you, cheer you on, help you to learn and grow can make the difference between progress and failure. When people talk about mentors, I always think about the ones who helped me through the journey of coding, and not necessarily the ones who walked through my codebase. It’s because of them that I kept moving forward and eventually learned to believe in myself. That might come naturally to some people, but it took me a while to get there.

“When people talk about mentors, I always think about the ones who helped me through the journey of coding, and not necessarily the ones who walked through my codebase. It’s because of them that I kept moving forward and eventually learned to believe in myself.”

What is something you’re particularly proud of?

I am so proud of creating a Virtual Coffee! I started it after I lost my job temporarily due to COVID, and I was really struggling. To combat my feelings of loneliness, I invited anyone on Twitter to have coffee for an hour via Zoom. And it’s grown into an online community of developers at all stages who mentor, create educational content and provide a safe community at no cost. I was really excited to be supporting our community maintainers and contributors for Hacktoberfest. There’s a wonderful closeness and intimacy with this group that I’ve not found anywhere else.

Tell us about a struggle you’ve overcome.

I’ve already touched on working through trauma and losing my job, so I’ll add making it through my first year as a developer. I had a ton of self-doubt. As a career changer, a woman, and a mom, I didn’t see many stories like mine. In fact, I saw a lot of stories of women like me leaving tech. And it took a long time to realize that the struggles I was going through were the struggles that everyone else goes through. It wasn’t that I wasn’t smart enough or that I wasn’t moving fast enough; it was that I needed to figure out my process and the best way to communicate with the other developers I’ve worked with. They’re growing pains. And now I’m confident that if I don’t know how to do it or what’s even happening with the code, that I’ll be able to figure it out.

What is one fun fact about you?

I have written one memoir, three screenplays (two were co-written), and three pilot episode specs for fun!

To read more about Bekah’s coding journey, you can follow her here on DEV @bekahhw. One post we particularly loved was this vulnerable and powerful piece:

ADHD, the Quarantine, and Me

BekahHW ・ Aug 3 '20

#productivity #motivation #womenintech

See you next month for another CodeNewbie Community Spotlight! 💚

CodeNewbie Check-in Thread

CodeNewbie Staff — Tue, 19 May 2020 20:36:09 +0000

You are encouraged to use this thread to:

Ask for help (all questions encouraged)
Explore topics you’re curious about
Share something you’ve written or read
Celebrate your wins
Stay accountable to your goals
Support your fellow programmers

Happy Coding!