DEV Community: Kim 🙃

Open Source learning in the cloud

Kim 🙃 — Thu, 28 Jul 2022 13:29:58 +0000

The future is built on the success of yesterday. It requires a need for new tools and new understanding of how to work together and how we build software.

Building on your terms using your favorite tools, languages, and third-party integrations is integral for developers and development teams to innovate their business. Software Development is the world’s largest team sport. It is open, collaborative, and flexible.

Getting started with Open Source on Azure has never been easier. Today there now exists dozens of modules and learning paths on Microsoft Learn. These learning resources are built to enable you and your teams with first-class, hands-on learning to sharpen technical skills and gain expertise designed for IT Pros, Developers and Data Scientists.

Azure can help you innovate today, tomorrow, and in the future

Microsoft is committed to helping our customers create better solutions through Open Source. With the increase in open-source adoption, it is imperative that the solutions and frameworks runs smoothly in the Cloud.

Microsoft’s open source contributions span multiple areas from operating systems to programming languages and from Data & AI to the Web. We also focus on cloud native development making writing microservices and using Kubernetes easier with projects like DAPR, Helm and Keda.

We are empowering every developer and every organization to harness the full potential of Open Source on Azure.

Linux is the fastest growing platform in Azure

Linux has played an outsized, unique role in the development of an open source culture at Microsoft.

Over half of all the cores our customers run on Azure are running Linux and we are heavily invested in enhancing the performance, reliability, security, and resiliency. We are proud to offer a seamless end-to-end Linux on Azure experience.

Microsoft has even developed its own Linux distro, CBL-Mariner, as an internal Linux distribution for cloud infrastructure and edge products and services. It's released under the open source MIT License and you can check it out on GitHub at CBL-Mariner repository.

Focus on building apps, not managing databases with fully managed Open Source Databases

Database depicted by blue cylinders in a triangle formation
Across our Azure managed databases, we bring top quality, enterprise-ready features to open source so customers that build on OSS DBs can focus on their applications and let us manage their databases. You get the best of both worlds – all the benefits of the true open source communities coupled with the enterprise-ready features of Azure such as scale, high availability, security, and global reach, across our fully managed Azure Databases for Postgres, MySQL, and MariaDB. These databases are 100% community edition versions, with open extension support.

Gain flexibility of choice for modern app development

Developers need flexibility of choice to be able to leverage their skills and build apps in their language of choice. Whether you build apps with Java, Node.js, Python, or .NET, we support your tools, your languages, and your integrations of choice.

Optimise with Machine Learning & AI

Azure ML allows you to build AI on your own terms in the open-source frameworks of your choice. You can build, train, and deploy ml models using open source python machine learning libraries and platforms, such as PyTorch on Azure.

You can also understand, protect, and control your data, models, and processes to build trusted solutions, with machine learning toolkits that are fully open source. Build AI you can trust with responsible machine learning and conversational AI experiences with Bot Framework Composer.

Join us this summer

Open source software enables organizations and individuals to collaborate, to create building blocks, and to improve productivity so that we can create better solutions for our businesses. It’s creating new ways for all of us to work together and Microsoft Azure provides you with the best capabilities to meet your needs to work with Open Source.

For my Canadian Cloud enthusiasts, join us this summer for a learning journey across a handful of carefully selected Open Source learning content from Microsoft Learn. We wish we could include it all, but these few will be a great way to get started with Open Source on Azure! Sign up at aka.ms/learnathon or aka.ms/learnathon.fr

Together, we can advance the open world of tomorrow.

Developer Digital Meetup Tour... and more!!

Kim 🙃 — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 12:30:24 +0000

Hey Canadian devs! This fall devs across Canada will come together to discuss various topics from APIs to microservices, meetup style!, to continue to share, connect, and learn in this new virtual world. It's put on by my team at Microsoft Canada and is called the Developer Digital Meetup Tour

Meetups will take place every Tuesday (except the week of Canadian Thanksgiving) between 1PM-230PM PDT | 4PM-530PM PDT. Join early as the sessions may be shorter than 1.5 hours as listed.

There will be 5 digital meetups on the tour:

Let me know if you any of you have any questions and what you think in the comments!

In addition, there is the Microsoft Learnathon going on until December. The Learnathon is a self paced gamified learning environment powered by Microsoft Learn, created with 7 different challenges. Join in over the next three months, choose a challenge and upskill on the various topics in that challenge and experience hands-on learning with interactive labs: aka.ms/learnathon - Canadian developers can have a chance to win a Surface Book 3 by participating and completing 1 of the 7 challenges.. plus the first 300 to complete a challenge get access to a discounted certification voucher. Head over to aka.ms/learnathon to sign-up note you have to be Canadian (reside in Canada) to qualify to win the SB3 and obtain a voucher

The free Microsoft Learn platform is more than JUST Microsoft technologies. So for example:

Learning Path Take your first steps with Python
Learning Path Build JavaScript applications with Node.js
Module Create an open-source program by using GitHub best practices

Both are free and made for the community to encourage your on going learning journeys! Let me know if you any of you have any questions and what you think in the comments :)

Static web apps, VS Code, streaming, and Azure

Kim 🙃 — Mon, 14 Sep 2020 13:26:37 +0000

A week and a half ago I got to join @lizziepika from @Twilio to talk about devrel, community, web apps, and more. In that stream on #GreatHairCodeShare I showed Lizzie how to get started with static web apps on Azure using the Azure Static Web Apps service.

This is the write up I said I would do on how to leverage this service in Azure :) - to read the first half of the stream overview checkout my blog post here: What I learned streaming about Azure

The amazing web app I created for the demo: https://github.com/kim-codes/lizzie-demo (that was a joke - it's a very basic web app)

You can watch the stream here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/730261909
The Azure Static Web Apps demo starts at around 34 minutes :)

In the stream, part 1 I walk through creating a fake web app from scratch (with minimal HTML, CSS, and JavaScript), I then push my code to GitHub. I setup Static WebApps in Azure through the VS Code extension. I never have to leave VS Code (this assumes I already setup my Azure account with VS Code - I have done this previously when setting up Azure Functions).

In the initial setup of Azure Static Web Apps it creates a GitHub Action for me on my repo to monitor my main branch for changes. This GitHub Action then triggers in Azure to build my app to production (having built my app from the GitHub repo). Again, all this is done without leaving VS Code.

In part 2, around 50 minutes into the stream, I create an API with Azure Functions and I edit my app to call the API. I push the changes to GitHub which then automatically builds and deploys my app to Azure and the changes are reflected in my production site. Also, all done from VS Code!

Scenario: the scenario may be that you have some web app, built with some fancy JavaScript framework, that you need to ensure is secured and which calls an api that you also want to ensure is secured. You also want it to be globally available (basically put your content closer to users) and you want it to publish automatically. So - what you'll do is host your code on GitHub, enable GitHub Actions (done through the setup of Azure Static Web Apps), the GitHub Action will monitor your repo for changes and automatically build and deploy your app (and API with Azure Functions) to Azure and be served to your users.

For those asking - Azure Static Web Apps supports JavaScript and TypeScript front-end apps including frameworks like Vue.js, React, Angular, and others.

Let me know how you liked the stream and if you've tried Azure Static Web Apps!

What I learned streaming about Azure

Kim 🙃 — Thu, 03 Sep 2020 21:24:21 +0000

Hanging out with Lizzie, talking community and learning about Microsoft Azure #GreatHairCodeShare

Today I got to hang out with one of my favorite people in devrel - @lizziepika from Twilio and talk about some of my favorite things - devrel, Canada 🍁, webapps, and more! twitch.tv/lizziepikachu

To recap what we talked about:

rethink and redefine hackathons
the shift to digital - can you still capture your goals (for events, communities, etc.) and how you rethink community
communities mean different things to different people
not that much difference between junior and senior devs - you're always going to need to learn new things
communication, communication, communication - no matter what role you have, you need to know how to express yourself, how to convey a message so learning those skills are important
overusing the exclamation mark!
Twilio Signal event from last year - favorite parts, attending as a Twilio Champion, being developer focused, developer energy, impactful and diverse projects
- --> scholarship to attend Signal 2020 <--

it me :)

And then I went into a demo for Azure Static Web Apps which I will write a separate blog post (blog post here) to go through the steps I took! But to summarize:

VSCode and how customized it can be, it's extensibility, and how powerful it is!
- Should it be VS Code vs VSCode
Azure Static Web Apps (Preview) extension for VSCode

** update ** here is the blog post walkthrough is here : https://dev.to/kimcodes/static-web-apps-vs-code-streaming-and-azure-1of9

Building a kickass juniorÂ resume

Kim 🙃 — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 18:18:52 +0000

Photo from https://stocksnap.io, Photographer: JazminÂ Quaynor

Know the rules before you break them

It’s that time of the year where students are polishing up their resume/CVs to send out to companies for an internship or full-time job. I am always so surprised how lax students can be with them. Your resume is most likely going to be your first impression with the company. It’s worth investing some time into a well made one.Â

There’s no one right way, but I think there is some decent direction to be found in this post. It could be your zillionth time re-doing yours or maybe you’re making one for the first time. Either way, I hope this helps you along the way. So, take this for what it’s worth and let’s get started!

StructureÂ

Education, experience, side projects, and then everything else.Â

Some people will argue to put experience first, but I’ve had several top companies (like Google and Microsoft) tell me to put my education first while still being a student. So, I’m going to stick with that for now. Once you finish school and begin working then I believe at that point experience should be listed before education.Â

Suggested format:

FF: I include my dates on the first line to the far right (either company name or project name line).

Intro

Your Name
e: my@email.com t: (555) 555 5555
links to all the things: linkedin.com/in/you, myweb.site, github.com/you, etc.

Please make sure these are working hyperlinks! Nobody wants to copy & paste. Later on, when we look at projects, if those are online then provide links to those as well!Â

Education

School Name, State/Province
Programâ€Š–â€ŠGPA (optional)

Any relevant details like awards, initiatives, etc.Â

Work ExperienceÂ

Company Name, City, State/ProvinceÂ
Positionâ€Š–â€ŠTeam

Responsibilities

ProjectsÂ

Project Name, list of major technologies used/implemented (by you)Â

Responsibilities

Major take-awaysÂ

The reason I like this format is because it makes it easy for someone to skim. I will include some templates at the end.

Other great ways I’ve seen these parts formatted are:Â

Program Name | School NameÂ
Dates Fromâ€Š–â€ŠToÂ

Amazing awards and things

Datesâ€Š–â€Š Positionâ€Š–â€ŠCompany Name

Responsibilities

Datesâ€Š–â€ŠProject Name– technologies used

Responsibilities This brings us to crafting the content for our resume.

Content

I think students forget that it’s not just about showing you were once employed or stating that you worked on a project. It’s about highlighting what you specifically contributed to and how.Â

When listing your responsibilities/accomplishments one way is to format it in the following way: accomplished [X] by doing [Y]. Start with an active verb followed by a description. If you can include a quantifiable measure that’s a bonus!Â

Example 1:

Tracked and handled the computer science association expenses and budget
Tracked and handled the computer science association yearly budget of $8,000 for the 2017–2018 academic yearÂ Quantifying makes it more powerful!Â

Example 2:Â

Selected Microsoft Student Partner for Concordia UniversityÂ
Selected as one of 50 candidates for an 8-month program to train students to develop on Microsoft technologies and deliver high-quality educational workshops to software developers.

It doesn’t have to be fancy, but the more specific you are, the better!Â
Let’s look at another example, “Increased the crash-free rate of applications to 98.9%”. One better could have been to include a comparison like “Increased the crash-free rate of applications from 80.2% to 98.9%”. In this form, you can easily describe how you achieved a particular goal.

Most commonÂ mistake

Including every little detail of your life.Â

“Be brief, beÂ you.”

You do not need to jot down every little thing you did, that’s what the interview is for. Your resume is to get you the interview. It is not to tell your life story. It is not to get them to say yes right away. It’s a tool to get you an interview. You’ll have plenty of time to share more about the work you did with the company as you go through the interview process.Â

Keep it on pointâ€Š–â€Š“A concise resume demonstrates an ability to prioritize”. You need to take the time to properly go through and cut back on the irrelevant details. If you shove everything into your resume the recruiter/interviewer can be overwhelmed. They may end up skimming your resume and focusing on the less important parts meanwhile missing the important things you did. Do not fall victim to this mistake.Â

How do I know what toÂ include?

A word to the wise, not every job or project in the past is relevant. Your camp counselor position from three years ago may not be relevant if in the mean time you’ve interned at companies and been a part of competitions or academic societies. Again, become a master of prioritizing. If you know what position you are applying for then tailor your resume to include projects and jobs to the job you are applying for. If it’s a front-end position then add that project where you designed and implemented the new societies website or if it’s a testing position then add that testing framework you built, etc.

When thinking about what content to include, put yourself in the shoes of the recruiter or hiring manager. Try to think about what stands out most about you. Include projects where you learned the most, ones you struggled through, ones you had disagreements with team members. They want to see how you handled challenging work experiences. With challenging projects, you can discuss dealing with conflict and disagreements. Another great piece to share is a project that you’re most proud of. That way when you have to talk about it the interviewer can hear and see your passion as you speak. All this together, you have valuable experiences to share.

Focus on what you canÂ controlÂ

Let’s start with one of the most important facts. The golden rule: If it’s on your resume, it’s fair game. You included a C++ project you worked on in first year. However, you are having trouble remembering C++ concepts (note: interviewers won’t be too concerned with you remembering 100% the syntax of the language, I’m taking about concepts like pointers, multiple class inheritance, etc.). Either brush up on concepts that are specific to language or take it off your resume. There’s nothing worse than getting to the interview and not being able to run through a coding question, because you â€˜forgot how things worked for that language’ meanwhile you included it on your resume.Â

How you deliver the content is in your full control. Use power words. Below you will find some words you can use to help make your content more descriptive:

trained
built
introduced
strengthened
projected
oversaw
conceptualized
implemented
improved
adapted
solved
initiated
planned
managed
increased

Fonts

Choosing a good font is important. I’ve heard Serif fonts are better for printed copies and Sans-Serif is better for digital copies. I tend to use Sans-Serif type fonts like Arial, Calibri, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, but other ones like Times New Roman work too. You can read up on the debate and choose for yourself. I just tend to prefer these fonts… I don’t have a solid stance on this one. Just make sure it is clean and legible.Â

Be consistent

This is a less important point, more of an OCD for me personally. If you have 4 bullet points for a job and then one with 3 bullet points and another with 2 bullets points… I find it makes the resume look uneven. I have my personal belief that this leads to an inconsistency that can cause the recruiter to focus more on certain ones and missing others that would have actually been better for them to notice. I’d suggest keeping everything â€˜even’ and if you can make everything with the same amount of bullet points. I’d recommend no more than 2-3 bullets for each position. Anything more I feel you’re not prioritizing your work. Anything less and maybe it’s not important. Nonetheless, each bullet point should include an action, tool(s) and technologies used, and if possible the impact/outcome.

Sell yourself!

Cool. Okay, but how do I sell myself?

If you don’t think what you did was important, then why should a potential employer think so? This goes back to crafting your content and focusing on what you can control. I’m not talking about lying, but show pride in the work you did.Â
Take for example, I came across a resume that said in the side projects/extra curricular section “I love hackathons”. But there was no mention of hackathon projects. Even if it the project was incomplete list it and say what you learned from it. In the interview, you will be able to talk about why it failed and what you would do differently. Take failure as an opportunity to show lessons learned and show your growth as a junior.

What about the languages IÂ speak?

Yeah, go for it. Put those bad boys on there. If you’re fluent in it. If you can’t hold a conversation then leave it off.

But Kim, what about myÂ GPA

Have a 3.2? 3.4? 4.0? Good for you. Include it. Else, leave it off.

Quick Tips

One page.
Easy to read font.
Minimum 11-point font, max 14-point for descriptions (headings are at your discretion.
Bullet points are not bad.
Reverse chronological order for each section.
Short and precise sentences are your friend.
Do NOT lie. Under any circumstances.
Be clearâ€Š–â€Šdescriptive enough for technical person, but general enough for someone less technical.
Grammar, grammar, grammar. Make sure to have someone with good grammar look over your resume.
Use a professional e-mail address. If you do not have one, create one! Avoid numbers and odd characters in your e-mail. It’s just easier when giving it out.
I’ve been told not to use passive verbs. But honestly, I think the most important thing is to just be consistent. Don’t use a mix of passive and present verbs. Choose one tense and stick with it!

In conjunction with yourÂ resume

Social Media

Clean up your social mediaâ€Š–â€Šor make private. We live in a digital world. Recruiters and interviewers will do a quick search on you. If you leave your content open be mindful of the following on your social media:

foul language
pictures of you drinking/partying inappropriately (now a picture of you with a beer is probably fine, but you being lifted over a keg, maybe not).
immodestly dressed

At the end of the day, you can disagree with me on these items and that is fine. At the end of the day you are old enough to make a judgement call of what is appropriate and what is not. Just be mindful of these things.

Whether you like it or not, LinkedIn is a very important outlet to leverage at this stage of your career. I know many students that got interviews and jobs through a recruiter finding them on LinkedIn. Here are some points to improve your profile:

Customize your URL.
Use keywords in your contentâ€Š–â€Šfor example you can check results for location and frequency of words.
Use a professional photo onlyâ€Š–â€Šnot something you’d post on Facebook.
Utilize the 110 characters wisely for your headline.
Include visuals for your projects and suchâ€Š–â€Šgifs of your project running, YouTube videos, presentation slides, etc.Â
Connect with people. But don’t over do it. If you are adding someone you do not know I personally appreciate when they include a short message of why they want to connect with me. I believe it’s proper etiquette instead of just hitting add to a bunch of people. Your call. You do you.
Provide contact information.Â
Try to get previous employers or organizations you volunteered for to give you a recommendation.
Join relevant groups.

A last note about LinkedIn. The way I use it is I include almost everything, whereas my resume is the condensed version with the items I feel are the most important. But I don’t think there’s a right or wrong way for this one.Â

Big no-no’s

All the things listed below are items I endured while going over resumes…

Typos are still the most common mistake.

If you are sending a digital copy please do us all a favor and save it as PDF! Please do not send it as a Word document (unless explicitly asked for of course).

Make sure THINGS ARE ALIGNED. Line up your dates. I don’t care how hard it is. Otherwise, it makes you look sloppy and careless. That’s not the impression you want to give.

Do NOT make an image out of your CV… it becomes pixel-ated and looks absolutely horrendous. Just don’t do it.

If you say you are currently enrolled in a secondary education program please list the program of choice or indicate your situation. I’ve seen people just put the school with no indication of program or faculty. Knowing these details helps the company access what to ask you during your interview.

Same goes for when you are listing experienceâ€Š–â€Šdon’t just list the company name or don’t just list the position. Include the company name and the position/title.

Please make sure there is no blank pages at the end. While you’re at it, make sure if you have more than one page that the last page is not half empty. Cut something out. You shouldn’t have half a page or less. Most probably they won’t take a second look at the second page (even if it’s full). Again, learn to prioritize.Â

Do not highlight anything. For any reason. What-so-ever.

Do NOT include a transcript unless asked and if you are asked usually you include it separate.

Do NOT include references. Same reason listed above.

Do not leave anything blank. For example, if you are currently attending a school do not leave the graduation date blank and do NOT put question marks. Put an estimate date.

Do not put it in landscape mode. The only case I could see this being okay is if you are going for a graphic design position and you are being creative and can make it work. Otherwise, no.

Do not use progress bars to demonstrate your skill level. That thing would never be full. It’s confusing and no one agrees on it.

Do not include a photo of yourself. There is absolutely no reason an employer would need to know what you look like.Â

Avoid tables. But if you must, make the borders invisible. It’s not visually appealing and is unnecessary. Unless you are good with design and can make it look good…

Some other quick things to leave off the resume: age, birth date, ethnicity, nationality, SSN #, high school education (if you are in University), home address, immigration Status, relationship status, gender identification, sexual orientation.

CodaÂ

Remember, your resume will guide your interviews. I’ve included two templates that I hope can help beginners get started. These aren’t the best but I wanted to include a visual to show you the important points to capture.Â

If the links above do not work, please try these two URLs http://bit.ly/2wWmE44 & http://bit.ly/2eSqeSX

Why don’t you have a skillsÂ section?

I believe that sections like experience and projects should highlight the skills you gained and how you’ve applied them. If these are well documented in each part than a skills section will be redundant. You only have so much space to work with so make every little word count. It also helps to save some space ðŸ™ƒ

Final thoughtsÂ

Most important is knowing you’re more than a piece of paper. So, make sure to invest in improving yourself for your benefit. Not just because it looks good on a paper. You can usually sniff out who’s not genuine. And if not, it eventually comes to surface at some point. And then later it can bite you in the butt.Â

So, you might be wondering what else can you do to work towards getting your dream internship… you’ll have to come back at a later time! I’ll be sharing advice on what you can do beyond the resume.

I’d love to hear and see how you are all crafting your resumes so please share with me tips and tricks you found usefulÂ :)

My journey in GitHub Campus Experts: PartÂ 1Â

Kim 🙃 — Sat, 05 Aug 2017 18:54:37 +0000

Preface

I still remember the first hackathon I went to. I was too shy to attend as a hacker, so I decided to volunteer. It was WearHacks Montreal back in September of 2014. I was fascinated by the people I found myself surrounded by. What kind of people would spend their entire weekend working on a project? Starting from scratch, working with complete strangers, barely sleeping, and all just because they loved what they were doing.Â

Before I knew it I was going to a different city every weekend. One weekend I would be in Philadelphia attending PennApps, to MHacks in Michigan (a 14 hour bus ride by the way), to HackHarvard, all the way to Brown University’s HackBrown in Rhode Island. Taking a plane became second nature. It was surreal. In the Fall of 2015, from September to December, I think there was a total of 2 weekends where I was home in Montreal. To top it all off, in January 2016 my hacker collective hosted our first ever hackathon, ConUHacks, at Concordia University.Â

When I look back on that year, the weekends all just kind of meshed together and it’s all kind of fuzzy. I remember being very tired all the time, but high on the fumes of RedBull, pizza, and smelly feet. I was enchanted by opportunity and possibility. After all that I had accomplished that year, I still felt like I had no idea what I wanted to do. I was constantly bombarded with questions like “What do you plan to do after University? and “What area of software do you like?”. I didn’t know. But what I did know was that I had found something. I could feel it and I wasn’t ready to let it go.

Introduction

In June 2016, I found myself at HackCon IV, the official hackathon organizers’ conference, in Denver, Colorado. I was surrounded by the students who make hackathons across North America possible. I couldn’t believe I wound up there, standing a top a mountain in the Rockies.Â

That weekend was just like all the hackathons weekends I had trudged through, fuzzy but filled with excitement, opportunity, and possibility. The one thing I do remember vividly was a talk by Brandon Keepers, the lead of Open Source at GitHub. He gave a talk entitled 'Contributing to your career'. He spoke about open source and how it is created by everyday people. He went on to say that there is nothing stopping any of us from being where we want to be. With the right tools and the right support, you can get there. And I think it was in that moment I learned a bit about myself, about what I believed in, and what I wanted to do. I was crazy about this community and I was eager to take my next steps.

Following Keepers talk was the announcement for the launch of GitHub's Campus Experts program. I had this instant rush of passion, desire, and just pure excitement for this opportunity. I immediately grabbed for my phone and jumped online to fill out the application. After a bunch of the standard questions, ensuring I was in fact a living breathing non-robot thing, there was the last question. The golden question. “Why do you want to become a GitHub Campus Expert?”. You only had 500 characters to explain. How could I cramp everything that was going on in my head into 500 characters?

So I stayed up that night laying in bed listening to the half functioning fan desperately trying to make another full rotation. While starring out the window at the mountains with the stars that laid a top like sprinkles, I thought to myself, “How I could put a bit of myself into that message? I pondered on the thought of how I could show them who I was and how incredibly head over heels I had become for this community.

The weekend past and I still wasn’t sure how I was going to finish the application. The more I read about the program the more I had this growing urge to just start doing all the things I really wanted to do. But I had always made excuses. I wanted to start writing blog posts, I wanted to give workshops, I wanted to give talks... I didn’t want to just attend events anymore. I wanted be at the front line. I finally decided to write up a typing effect in JavaScript that would write out my message to GitHub. It was the best way I knew how to make the message more personal and reflect myself.

I hit submit and waited.Â

The program

Before I knew it, I was headed into an eight week program along with twenty nine students from around the world. Despite falling in the time frame of madness that is midterms, we were all more than happy to be on board.Â

Throughout the weeks, we received an incredible amount of support from the GitHub organization. We got assistance in how to organize tech events like tech talks, hacks nights, and hackathons. We learned how to put together technical content. We were given opportunities to develop engaging talks/tutorials along with an opportunity to present and rehearse them. We were given resources and tools needed to build and grow our community.

Wait, what is the Campus ExpertsÂ program?

The Campus Experts program began with the notion of let’s find the people on campus who are leading their tech communities and help them get better at it. The program focused on building our communities. It offers the opportunity to gain experience in organizing events, in public speaking, and in technical writing.Â

What it boils down to is the following: We will help you bring together your community to network, learn, share, and celebrate!!

The process

We began by examining our communities’ demographic, our current resources, and our current communication mediums. Starting small wasn’t frowned upon and simplicity was favorable. Through analyzing and defining our community we got to set a clear goal(s) and designate the steps we would take to accomplish them. And most importantly we were reassured to not be discouraged if we didn’t meet our goal on time. There was no one way and no one right way. It was an adaptive process and we got craft and mold our community into what worked best for us.

The most significant aspect was there was no one cookie cutter recipe to follow and instead we got to build our eight weeks into what we wanted. What do you want to improve or what do you want to get better at? Let’s document that and make it happen. I think that is what I enjoyed the most. We all had something different in mind. And it worked. We had the freedom to build our community. What is your message[that you wanted to send to your community]? We were free to create our own program in a sense, but still be guided by two incredible leaders, Joe and Hector.

The experience

It was a great experience to meet other passionate students who are also volunteering their time to do amazing things. These twenty nine students were already encouraging and developing the next generation of young talent! These were people I wanted to be surrounded by. These students inspired me.

The program taught me the importance of public artifactsâ€Š–â€Šabout leaving a paper trailâ€Š–â€Šand to start building myself and my career. “All the little things you’re doing now is building up to where you’re going to be”.â€Š–â€ŠBrandon Keepers.

Overall, I couldn’t believe the incredible amount of training and mentorship I got from GitHub staff. I became conscious of the reality that people are the foundation of community. Being a part of the GitHub Campus Experts Program, I was given the right tools and support I needed to help other developers. I felt like I had been given a secret weapon. And after the eight weeks, I was more than ready to take on the world knowing I had this secret weapon in my back pocket...

Postscript

I can eagerly say that I have grown my network of support and I feel much more prepared for the next challenge. I found my sweet spot between community and technology. GitHub Campus Experts gave me the push I needed to take the next steps in my path.

The program pushed me outside my comfort zone and with great results. I participated in my first ever Hacktoberfest and jumped into the amazing open source community. I also got to make my first ever video tutorial on something I had only began learning a few weeks prior. I even got featured on MLH’s Local Hack Day YouTube channel. Most of all, I got to make new friends and new mentors.

Everything I had been doing in the past months, going to hackathons, going to meetups, organizing tech events, etc. allowed me to build myself. And more importantly it allowed me to fall in love. I fell in love with being immersed in a culture that focuses on learning, building, and sharing.

The GitHub Campus Experts Program is fostering communities that promote learning, building, and sharing in technology on a global scale.â€Š–â€ŠKimÂ Noel

Today, I can proudly say that I am a contributing member to the support system in the tech community that Keepers was talking about. And I’m not going anywhere any time soon.

Thank you Joe, thank you Hector, thank you John, and thank you GitHub! â¤Â

Do you enjoy organizing, planning, and bringing people together? Do you want support and help running events? Do you want access to resources and advising? If you want to be a part of a growing community who is making a long-term and positive contribution to the future of the tech, then this is the place for you! Apply today to the GitHub Campus Experts Program https://education.github.com/experts

Lessons from creating my first technical video tutorial

Kim 🙃 — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 16:46:57 +0000

Teaching anything online through a video tutorial is a super useful resource. It’s great for those looking to dive into a new technology or someone who is stuck on a technical problem and looking for a well-explained solution. Whenever I would watch video tutorials, I would often find parts missing/skipped over. That’s why I wanted to start doing workshops and making tutorials — I wanted everyone to have a chance to learn whatever they wanted and not have to endure the hurdles that can come with learning something new.

Here are a few things I learned from making my first one.

Before the camera is rolling

Research

Take a peek around on forums and blogs to see what common problems people are having. Try to pinpoint the areas people seem to need most assistance and that way you can better craft your explanations. That will give your tutorial the edge it needs to be a hit!

Plan

No such thing as freestyle when creating technical video tutorials. Jot down some key bullet points that cover the main components. Keep that list in front of you while you record. That way you can refer to it quickly and you don’t miss anything important. Avoid writing out entirely what you want to say — you want to sound natural! And most of all, make sure to practice, practice, practice. At least a few times before recording — this way you test out both your voice and the flow of your content.

Keep it fresh

Best tip incoming in 3..2..1.. clear your desktop! The best tip I got was before you press record make sure to clear the clutter on your desktop (if you have any). While you’re at it, close all programs and folders that are not needed for the tutorial. You don’t want any distractions for the viewer. Double check your wallpaper — make it something you would feel comfortable showing at school or at work. And lastly, any folders you need to open during the tutorial — de-clutter those too. It’s just eye pleasing to see an organized, clean workspace and it’s double great for making sure you don’t show any personal information.

While the camera is rolling

The Right Mic, The Right Mic, The Right Mic

Most laptops have a built-in mic and people think that’s good enough for recording videos. News flash, it’s not! They are ow-quality mics so they are not clear and tend to capture the sound around you instead of your voice. It took me a while to find a good mic, and even then it wasn’t all that great. The truth is bad audio can ruin the best of videos. So test out different options to find the right one for you. Leave a comment down below if you have suggestions for a great mic (within a student’s budget).

An Optimized Acoustic Environment

The earlier section kind of touched on this, but it’s important to explicitly mention it — beware of background noise. Even the typing of your keyboard can be a real nuisance. Make sure to turn off any fans, heaters, or other devices that produce ambient noise.

Balance

Know the right balance between humor, colorful, and dry. Some people try to drop in humor and it just comes off ‘cringy’. It can be unappealing and can really turn folks away. It’s okay to provide anecdotes and examples to highlight your point as long as they are not overpowering. A good frame of reference is would you be comfortable saying this in class or at work? Avoid stories/examples that have a negative tone and do not use humor that can be classified as crass or self-deprecating. Most of all, don’t forget to have some excitement when you speak! If you’re not excited about what you have to say, other people certainly will not.

After the camera is rolling

I’m a big believer in experimenting. See what works and see what doesn’t! It’s okay to put out a not top-of-the-line tutorial. Every pro was once an amateur. But do have one or two people test it before releasing the tutorial. Getting as many different people’s feedback is great. Just because it makes sense to you, it may be too difficult for someone else. We all learn and understand differently so try to be as open-minded as possible and understand that your tutorial might not be a one size fits all and that is okay!

Roundup

All in all, I hope that these tidbits can help at least one person get over the fear of putting something online. I feel fortunate to have gotten over the worrying and the need for something to be ‘perfect’ in my eyes before releasing it into the wild. I also developed a true appreciation for those who make videos as you quickly realize the amount of hard work that goes into them. It requires a lot of time and patience. So hats off to all those putting together tutorials!
So I’m checking off successfully tearing down the first pillar — concurring the fear of putting something online and I’m off to my next challenge, consistency. And continuing to do so on a regular basis!

So, you're new to hackathons.

Kim 🙃 — Wed, 22 Mar 2017 03:34:33 +0000

So, you're new to hackathons.

How to prepare and what to expect

A hackathon is an event where people from all kinds of backgrounds (not just Software/Computer Science students) come together to collaborate on technology projects. It is an opportunity to learn and meet new people.

The thought of attending a hackathon can be scary, especially if it is your first time. On top of that, if you plan on attending on your own you may be feeling really nervous. You are not sure what to expect or how to prepare. Will your skills be up to par? Will anyone talk to you? This article will answer those questions, but a quick peek â†’ the answers are yes and yes!

Breakdown of a Hackathon

Note: Most of this is based on MLH hackathons.

Start

First thing to do when you arrive at a hackathon is to head straight to the registration desk. Once you sign-in you either head to find a hacking space, go to an opening ceremony or browse sponsor tables. Some hackathons have a team formation session where you can meet other people looking for a project/team. Sometimes they offer pitchesâ€Š–â€Šyou stand up and explain what you want to work on. After all the pitches students are free to approach you and ask to join your team.

Opening ceremony : The ceremony usually lasts 1–2 hours. It will contain things like an introduction/welcome, main sponsor speech, a run through of the schedule from beginning to end, a run through of APIs and challenges offered, a run through of the code of conduct, a run down of how projects should be submitted, how/when/where judging will take place, etc.
Sponsor tables: Depending on the hackathon, there may be more than one sponsor and they may be on site to get to know you! Recruiters will be seeking candidates for interns or full time. The best approach to striking up a conversation with them would be to ask them what their companies do, what positions they are looking to hire, where they are located, etc. They will either take your CV or redirect you to apply online… and most likely they will be giving out swag (t-shirts, power banks, water bottles, pens, etc.)
Hacking spaces : Depending on the hackathon, it could be classrooms (so try to find a quiet room), it could be in a huge gymnasium (try to get a spot away from any speakersâ€Š–â€Šthere will be frequent announcements and that can be loud/annoying right next to you) or it could be in an office space.

Middle

Sometimes you don't find a team at the beginning and that's okay! I've seen people switch teams or start a team from scratch halfway through the event.

Food : Most likely the hackathon will be providing snacks (granola bars, fruits, juice) and at minimum lunch/dinner if it is overnight. To be safe, I would bring some snacks along in your bag in the event that they do not provide snacks in-between meals (if they do provide meals)… or you might be picky like me and not like the snacks provided.
Hacking : This is the time where you are making the magic happen!
Activities : Some hackathons have activities to give you a break from coding. These activities can include things like a silent disco, a smash bros tournament, a rap battle, dog therapy, etc. Take advantage of theseâ€Š–â€Šcoding 24 hours straight is never a good idea.

End

Project submissions : Most likely you will be submitting your project on DevPost or a similar system. Make sure to submit your project on timeâ€Š–â€Ša good tip would be to setup the project on DevPost and fill in the blanks later. That way, you are guaranteed not miss the deadline.
Judging : Usually happens in one of 2 forms: science fair style or pitches. Science Fair style is exactly how it soundsâ€Š–â€Šyou are assigned a spot at a table and everyone is present and showing off their project while judges/sponsors come by. For pitchesâ€Š–â€Šjudges are setup in a room and teams are brought in one at a time to show off their project.
Closing ceremonies : Similar to opening. Thank yous, announcing of winners, and good-byes!

Before the hackathon

Research the hackathon â€Š–â€ŠThere are different types of hackathons, while some are specific to resolving a challenge, others are more general and open. Amongst these are University/High School hackathons. Many of which are under the umbrella of the Major League Hacking. So before attending, understand what the nature of it will be.
Install shit â€Š–â€ŠDownload some IDE if you do not already have one. If you want to work on something web related then do some research on what a good IDE for developing for web (for example Sublime, Atom, Brackets, etc). It will help you save time during the hackathon, especially if the IDE is a few gigs. You cannot rely on the internet at the venueâ€Š–â€Šyou never know the quality, it could go down unexpectedly... I've seen it all!
Checkout APIsâ€Š –â€ŠYou don't need to know what exactly you want to work on, but it wouldn't hurt to investigate your options. Do some simple research on which companies are attending and if they are providing their APIs. Some of these APIs require you to have done a bit of setup, so if you know you want to work with API xyz that requires you to have abc installed, then get a head start and install it.
Prep your bag â€Š–â€ŠMake sure you pack the necessary items you will need for the weekend! Check out my checklist at The Ultimate Hackathon Packing Checklist

During the hackathon

The Do Nots

Work aloneâ€Š –â€ŠTake advantage of the incredibly passionate people around you! Who else would dedicate their weekend to building something? So don't be shy to get outside your comfort zone!
Bite off more than you can chewâ€Š –â€ŠYou only have a short period of time to get things done, so try to focus on implementing a few set of features. You can always continue working on the project after the hackathon, which I strongly encourage you to do so!
Think you can't contributeâ€Š –â€ŠEveryone brings unique skills to a team and all members need to contribute to be successful. Figure out how you can contribute to the team and focus on that part of the project.
Think pivoting is a bad ideaâ€Š –â€ŠSuccessful hackathon projects often pivot from their original idea. If you think you've discovered something even better, or more useful during your project, switch gears and focus on that instead.
Cheatâ€Š –â€ŠA major issue with hackathons is that it can be very difficult to ensure participants are not “cheating”. Cheating at a hackathon can take on but is not limited to, the following forms: working on a project prior to the event, submitting someone else's work as your own hack, etc. Just don't do it. Stay home. It defeats the whole purpose of the event.

The Dos

Be curious â€Š–â€ŠIt allows for possibilities and can lead you to many new opportunities.
Attend workshops â€Š–â€ŠThe learning you get in a 24-hour hackathon can be much more than you get in your first year of university. Take advantage of this.
Participate and explore â€Š–â€ŠDon't be shy to sit back and learn about other people's projects.
Stay hydratedâ€Š –â€ŠWater helps transport nutrients to give you energy. If you're not properly hydrated, your body can't perform at its highest level… fatigue, muscle cramps, dizziness, etc. So try to drink lots of water!
Take breaks â€Š–â€ŠA change of scenery can help you get the creative juices flowing and get inspired. Get up, walk around, see what other people are working on, get to know the companies there, etc.
Sleep â€Š–â€ŠNo one is going to stop you from an all-nighter... but they aren't necessary. Again, be smart. Get some shut-eye even if it's just for a few hours.
Network â€Š–â€ŠTalk to sponsors, attendees, judges, organizers, volunteers, etc. You never know what may come out of it! You could get a new friend, a cool mentor to help guide you in your career, or even get an idea for the next hackathon you participate in.
Bring your resume â€Š–â€ŠFix up your resume and bring a copy or two along with you. There is the possibility of impressing a recruiter enough to get to interview at their company.
Learn â€Š–â€ŠAim to explore new technologies and learn something new. Maybe even learn some presentation skills along with the hacking skills!

Final comments

At the end of the day, hackathons aren't for everyone.

Your best bet is to go in with an open mind and have an idea of what you'd like to get out of it. If you do not go in with some end goal, then there is no way for you to know the benefit of the event. Go to a hackathon because you want to talk to people, you want to understand challenges, you want to write code, and you want to have fun. Learn from awesome developers, learn how to work in a team, and be challenged to create something from nothing!