Ready, steady, go – I T.A.K.E Unconference, 5th edition will take place in the rising tech city of Bucharest, 11-12 May, 2017!
Code. Craft. Learn. Share. Repeat.
The growing community of top-notch software crafters is raising the bar in the tech industry. The speakers and participants are challenging the current practices, making experiments and trying new techniques.
The intense, dynamic program is including multiple tracks of practical, hands-on sessions, strong case studies, and personal experiences, delivered in an attractive manner.
While we are working on selecting the best proposals from 15 countries, here’s what you can do to save your seat at the best price:
Wondering what to expect from 2017 edition? This is just a preview:
Registration is now open
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Registration for I T.A.K.E. Unconference 2015 is now open. Just the first 30 participants will benefit from the Supporter Ticket. Here are some highlights from the Schedule we have prepared for your high tech delightment: |
- Architecture – Microservices & Web components are the same with Tim Perry
- DevOps – How Docker tricked me in DEvOps with Sebastian Korfmann
- Developer’s Life – Power up: Learn how to recharge your energy bar with Andrew Hall
- Executable Specifications – Living Documentation Jumpstart with Cyrille Martraire
- Hardcore Programming – Clojure, Clojure Script why they’re awesome with Stefan Kanev
- Web – Object-Oriented Views with Aki Salmi
- Technical Leadership – How to boost development team’s speed with Patroklos Papapetrou
- Kata Lounge – Receive some requirements, respect the timebox, and then somebody will review the code with you and give you ideas for improvement
- Product Development – You will produce software live
Are you ready to write code, analyze architectures and technical strategy and immerse yourself into this awesome gathering of software passionates?
If Yes, Register to be part of the awesome 2015 I T.A.K.E. Unconference.
Covariance and contra variance. Say what ?!
Enjoy the following series of interviews with the speakers, top-notch software crafters from across Europe, joining I T.A.K.E Unconference, Bucharest, 11-12 May. Discover the lessons learned and what drives them to challenge the known path in their field.
Alin Pandichi, Software Developer at MozaicLabs and facilitator of the monthly Coding Dojo meeting that is part of the largerBucharest Agile Sofware Meetup Group, will share during his talk at I T.A.K.E Unconference more about Covariance and contravariance.
#1. Please share with us 5 things you did that helped you grow & become the professional you are today
I’ll answer this with a little bit of story telling about how I became a software developer. The first two things that helped me were attending the computer science oriented high school and college. There, I learned the basics of computers and programming languages. I also noticed how effortlessly I was solving CS related problems, so maybe I was onto something.
Number three: I got my first job straight out of college, developing a Swing rich client application saving data with JPA. This put me face to face with real world problems. I was faced with the fact that continuous learning is a must in this industry.
Therefore, number four on the list is learning. For the first few couple of years, I kept devouring every Java-related article I could find on DZone. With each one, I found out something new: a useful tool, a Linux terminal command, a development methodology, etc.
Last, but not least, is getting involved with local software development communities. I started attending meetups such as The Bucharest Agile Software Meetup Group and the Bucharest Java User Group. Gradually, I became an active member of both, giving a helping hand in organizing their events. On top of that, I also got involved in the wider community of Global Day of Coderetreat. My talk at I TAKE 2017 is one of the occasional opportunities I get to share what I know.
#2. What challenges will the participants find solutions to during your session at I T.A.K.E Unconference 2017?
They will find it easier to understand the concepts of covariance and contravariance, and how they are applied in the world of programming. In my experience, it was very easy to forget what these two words meant. Not anymore.
#3. Recommend for the participants 3 sources you find inspiration from and would help them better understand you
I dream big, so my biggest source of inspiration is science fiction. My first serious SF encounter was with Frank Herbert’s Dune series. Out of the contemporary authors, I enjoy Neil Gaiman’s work very much.
Whenever I get a chance, I tune into Nick Francis’ podcast called Quiet Music. It is a blend of low beat music of various genres: electronic, jazz, instrumental, folk, light rock, and so on.
Cinema is one of my other hobbies. I am very much interested in following every film festival happening in Bucharest. Also, the Romanian cinema of the past two decades has offered many gems so far, and it continues to do so.
Want to join Alin and ~300 software crafters from around Europe?
Register now for I T.A.K.E Unconference 2017!
Test-Drive your Database & the 4 Rules of Simple Design
#1. SHARE TOP 5 THINGS YOU DID THAT HELPED YOU GROW & BECOME THE PROFESSIONAL YOU ARE TODAY
- Reading software development books hungrily in the first few years of my career. Texts such as Code Complete and especially The Pragmatic Programmer and Test-Driven Development by Example were hugely influential on my early career and the direction I chose to take. The Pragmatic Programmer in particular is worth re-reading: I didn’t fully understand some parts of it as a fresh graduate joining the industry, and the experience I’ve built up over the last ten years has allowed me to get more from it on each later reading.
- Attending developer meetups, user groups, and conferences. Aside from the knowledge gained from the talks and workshops run at these events, they’re an invaluable opportunity to meet other developers, learn from their experiences, and about the local software industry.
- Finding a good mentor. As it turned out, my mentoring was very unofficial: a former colleague of mine guided me in the ways of professional software development, and pointed me in the direction of books, blogs, and other resources to learn from. His advice was invaluable in helping me discover techniques for writing good tests (and why tests are important), the importance of refactoring, and the foundational principles of Object-Oriented Design, such as SOLID. All of this at the beginning of my career, in an environment where I wouldn’t have otherwise been exposed to such topics.
- Understanding people as well as tech. As technical people, we can often be quite blinded to the problems around us and focus on the tools and technologies rather than the underlying collaborations with other people.
- Applying principles I’d learned elsewhere to my profession. I play a lot of music, and have been for over 20 years; as such, the idea of deliberate practice is quite a familiar one to me, and applying this principle to the techniques used in software development made a lot of sense. Participating in and organising things like Dojos and Code Retreats has helped me understand and improve my own development process enormously.
#2. WHAT CHALLENGES WILL THE PARTICIPANTS FIND SOLUTIONS TO DURING YOUR SESSIONS @ I T.A.K.E UNCONFERENCE 2016?
#3. WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE WITH PARTICIPANTS?
Want to join Alastair and many more software crafters from around Europe?