I am ecstatic that Rails Conf 2023 accepted my workshop “Have Toolbox, Will Share.”
Below is the description I submitted:
Sometimes we need to spend time sharpening our tools…and learning about other tools. Let’s walk through some of the tools that I’ve adopted to help in all the work I do: writing, reading, coding, testing, and “boring old” thinking. This will be a mix of command-line tools, Ruby’s REPL, and my beloved Emacs (as time permits).
I don’t want this to just be about my tools. I want to leave time and space for fellow workshop attendees to share something from their toolbox and have all of us give it a try. I love hearing and seeing how folks use the command-line, the REPL, and other code editors. I’d also love for us to consider how we’ll walk away with a game plan to further explore and practice what we learned.
And the pitch I gave:
I’ve been a boot-camp mentor, individual contributor, and manager of software developers. I’ve been a professional software developer for 25 years and know that having a robust and familiar toolkit can facilitate different approaches to solving problems.
As someone who’s paired with other developers from various points in their career, I’ve seen a lot of ah-ha moments; where adding a tool or process changes a person’s approach. From there they start thinking more broadly and approaching problems from different perspectives. I’ve also watched developers move slowly through their tools. I’ve worked with them to understand what type of tasks they want to improve on doing and help them achieve that.
Sometimes we simply don’t know what all is out there, and I want to help facilitate yet another space for sharing and learning.
As I’ve sat with this submission and done my preparation, I’ve grown more excited for an opportunity to help facilitate a learning session. I’ve talked with my wife, who has a master’s in education, about how to structure and facilitate an engaging and educational workshop.