What I loved most about the NewBCamp conference, Providence’s first Podcampish unconference, was the raw desire to learn. From the newbies to the seasoned vets, there was a constant murmur of eager conversations. Perhaps it was because we were hanging out at a school cafeteria – it was held at the Johnson and Wales University downtown campus. Being an exceptional culinary school, they apparently have a dining hall every other room. And that is what it felt like for me. Those lingering conversations with friends and professors in the undergraduate days when you first discovered learning is fun.
And this learning was fun. It was an unstructured, unpretentious, go-at-your-own-pace taste testing of an impressive array of technology topics – from social media to web design to wireless hardware to virtual worlds. I’m in the biz and I still had a hard time deciding which sessions to attend. Of course, I had to check out fellow Bluer Adam Darowski’s talk on web standards – his passion for the subject evident as always. I learned I need to quit being lazy and using the “face” tag. Luckily I don’t write much html anymore. I also caught Brian Jepson’s session on mobile lifecasting. I learned how to blog from the beach. Good thing I live in the ocean state. Unfortunately I missed some of the afternoon, but many of the presentations are linked from the website.
And the real highlight of the day was my parting gift. Conference make-it-happener Sara Streeter presented me with a delightfully festive bag with a very crafty, very Rhodie business card holder with 4 custom designed NewBCamp cards titling me the “Vice President of Cheerfulness”. I’m interpreting this to mean I was an early-encourager of a concept she and the rest of the hard working NewBCamp folks hyper-achieved tenfold. Or that I just smile a lot. Regardless, I’m now making it my personal mission to find 4 other newbie ideas, people, functions, concepts, or cafeterias to encourage and support and give a “cheerful” card to. And hopefully there is another NewBCamp soon so Sara will give me some more cards.
Tags: johnson & wales, NewBCamp
This coming Saturday (wait, I guess that’d be tomorrow!) I’ll be presenting at NewBCamp at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI. This is the first NewBCamp and this will be my first time giving a presentation in front of people I don’t know (unless you count my clicky-clicky as Pam presented at DEMOfall07).
NewBCamp is an unconference, meaning it is an event organized and run by the people. Sara Streeter (a Johnson & Wales student—who I happened to go to high school with) has been organizing the event. She’s gone from “zero” to “event” in no time, like she’s done this many times before. She’s secured sponsors. She’s gotten eighty or so folks to register in advance. There’s even an afterparty booked with live music after the event (as AS220 in Providence).
Unconferences typically don’t have a pre-determined speaker lineup, but with this being a first-time event I think Sara did the right thing by making sure a good number of the slots were claimed. There’s still plenty of room to be flexible, but there’s enough planned so the “first time event jitters” can be eased a bit.
I’m speaking about Web Standards. Since this is NewBCamp, it is for newbies. So, I’m going to try to keep it as uncomplicated as possible. The main sections of my presentation are: (more…)
Tags: johnson & wales, NewBCamp
Last month, Sean and I gave a presentation to some students from the Johnson & Wales University School of Technology that focused on helping graduating students find a job in the tech industry.
To follow up on our presentation, I wanted to share some tips we have for college tech students as they prepare to join the workforce. (Thanks to Sean & Michelle for pitching in.)
- Research the Companies You Are Interviewing With. Companies have information about their history, their products, their mission, and perhaps even blog posts about what the culture is like. There is no excuse for not being thoroughly prepared. Also, Google the people you are interviewing with. They’re Googling you. My interview with BatchBlue was actually quite casual and a big reason for this is that we already knew so much about each other.
- Self Learning is Key. What you learn in college is just the base and you must build on that. Read voraciously and make a goal to learn at least one new technology every year. Preferably something that will keep you competitive in the job market. It is your responsibilty to stay employable.
- Get Involved. Sean specifically told the J&W students that the first thing he does is Google a candidate’s name to take a look at their industry involvement (for example, if they’ve pitched into any open source projects). Read other blogs. Comment on them. Offer opinions. Offer code. Take part in the conversation. There are also local technology groups you join. In Providence, we have RINexus (an online community) and Providence Geeks (monthly meetups for burritos, drinks, a tech presentation, and great conversation).
- Start a Blog. I firmly believe that the blog is the new resume. It is incredibly handy to have a place to document your classwork, project work, technology-related ideas, and even everyday non-tech musings. Also, potential employers can now have a wealth of information about you to evaluate when making a hiring decision. The tough reality is that when you are just coming out of college, you tend to be light on experience. The blog is a great way to show them you know what you’re talking about.
- Get an Internship. Get internships at companies that interest you. It is by far the easiest path to getting a job offer and you get a chance to “interview” the potential employer on the job.
- Make Sure You Have Solid Writing Skills. Your first impression on an employer will not be face-to-face. It’ll be via a resume, email, or some other written medium. Present yourself well. Pick a tone that works well for you. Avoid typos.
- Be Nice. Your network of people is hugely important in your career and the more people you know, the better. Help people out when you can in work and in life and you’ll find that good karma coming back to you again and again.
Tags: graduation, J&W, johnson & wales, students, tech industry
