Learnings from my first international conference-JSConf.Asia 2019
Back in 2014 when I started my career, I did not know what it took to be a good UI developer. Apart from learning HTML, CSS and jQuery, I had no idea how to take things to the next level. Then one day I found a roadmap for web developer which looked like a complex tree structure. It included all the things one could learn to be a ‘good web developer’. Now that I had a ready-reckoner comprehensive list, the next step was to figure out how to learn them.
Despite having a fairly successful background in conventional education, I am a strong believer of out-of-the-classroom, peer-learning methods. Keeping my extrovert nature in mind, I thought of giving conferences a try, to satiate my thirst for knowledge. I had a dream to attend JavaScript conference and, by God’s grace, it came true! 👼. I was awarded with a scholarship to attend JSConf.Asia 2019 in Singapore. What could be more exciting than this 😁.
I had an amazing time at conference and I thought of jotting down my learning for you all.
#1: Attend with Goals:
If you are working in a small scale startup, and you have little or no exposure to a variety of points of view, you can miss new trends that can impact future results. Artistic.css by Agnieszka Naplocha opened a new door to amazing world for us. She demoed how to combine the power of CSS with modern art and create beautiful layouts. I fixed three goals for this conference; LEARN, CONNECT and APPLY. Learning became natural when I started talking to other attendees. I attended many full length talks and two hands-on sessions. But I had to miss few of them so that I could meet and greet with as many developers as possible, and connect with them over social media to catch up later. Cheers to new friendship 🍻.
#2: Stop by the booths:
Booths / kiosks run in the veins of every conference. They are like the ‘carnival area’ of any conference. I was super excited as well as nervous at the same time on my first day. After finishing registration process followed by mouth-watering breakfast I headed over to the booths before the start of the main event. I had great conversations at Twilio, Applitools and Here Technologies etc. stalls in the conference, where I asked the representatives to demo their products, and also give an overview of their tech stack plus how their tools/products can help me in software development lifecycle. At the end, I walked away having learnt something new, and also with some cool JS swag!
#3: Review talks and workshops in advance:
The conference was jam-packed with 40+ amazing talks, lectures and workshops on topics like Artistic CSS, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Node.js , Progressive Web App, React, Web Accessibility, Web Assembly, Web Components, UX and what not. There were short coffee breaks, strategically placed in between, to ensure networking on the go. Sitting and listening to talks one after another may get boring and tiring as well. Make sure you plan your day in advance. Remember that you may not need to attend every talk in person. You can always watch them on JsConf youtube channel later. You may instead choose to spend the time connecting with the speakers or other attendees and understand what they are up to. Networking is one of the main reasons people cite for attending conferences.
#4: Be fast when it comes to learning :
We have all heard ‘slow and steady wins the race.’ But in today’s fast-paced world, that old proverb does not seem to fit. Web development is a constantly changing field where new frameworks and libraries are getting introduced every other day. You can’t afford to be slow. Laurie Voss Co-founder/Chief Data Officer of @npmjs, gave an amazing talk Javascript: Who, Where, What, Why and Next . It helps us to know which framework is being most loved among developers and a lot about future of JS. I would highly recommend this talk.
#5: Do not have high expectations and have fun:
Do not have high expectations that you will master the framework / library in one or two days. It opens the door for new learnings and you will need to invest some time later. Participate in the games and pre/post social nights 🍹, you will love them.
#6: Remember the phrase ‘Sharing is caring’ :
Do not just keep the learning to yourself. Make sure to share conference swag and your experience with other communities and devs. I am hoping that this post will motivate you enough to bring your buddies and fellow developers in next JS conference.
I came back feeling inspired and motivated. Thank you JSConf Asia for providing me scholarship! It was truly an amazing opportunity, and I hope to continue growing in the Frontend community!
Thank you for reading this article. If you have enjoyed it, please feel free to click the 👏 button to help others find it and leave a comment about your experience at conference.
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