5 great ways to take advantage of JavaOne
I’m in San Francisco where JavaOne is now halfway complete. This is my first time at the largest programming conference, and I have learned what JavaOne is really about and the best ways to take full advantage of the opportunity:
Talk to every person that is directly behind you in the queues
JavaOne is NOT just about learning, it is about networking. I challenge you to do this and I know that you will be well rewarded for it. You might even find out about good parties, more on that later. Making good connections will take your career a long way, and if you are hiring than you are bound to find people that suit just what you are looking for.
Visit at least half of the Pavilion booths
This is about learning what is out there. I have met with engineers from some of the coolest projects out there like the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. If you can get to more than DO IT because you won’t regret it.
Take sessions that are out of your league
You will really learn more if you make a point to stretch yourself in terms of thinking differently. So far I have learned a lot about emerging technologies and languages such as Scala (I learned a 10-line quicksort) and JavaFX. You will feel stupid but inspired if you do this, and you will be a more well-rounded thinker for it.
Get invited to the best parties
All this talking and visiting will hopefully score you invites to some good parties. Get to the best ones because you will meet more amazing programmers. If you are able to do only 1 thing on this list, choose this one. I know it is the most difficult one but it is the most rewarding. Tuesday night, I went to a party and met none other than James Gosling, the creator of Java!!
Go to at least 2 Hands-On Labs
Nothing solidifies your learning better than doing. So far I have learned a ton about profiling in my IDE, and soon I will write some cool JavaFX animations!
Bonus: Feed a homeless guy
I’m serious! This is nothing technical, but there are a lot of homeless in the San Francisco area. Some would argue that it encourages begging but seriously noone chooses this lifestyle. You probably make a decent salary so make someone’s day. It will make you thankful to be in the profession you are in.
EXTRA BONUS: Meetup
If you are at JavaOne than I want to meet you! Contact me and I’ll buy you a beer and share some stories.
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