Last month I had the incredible opportunity to speak at Codigo Fest, a dynamic online event where passionate, Spanish-speaking software engineers share their knowledge and insights. Nervous but excited, I spoke for half an hour about React.js and the roadmap for a successful career in frontend development. In this blog post, I will go over my experience speaking at Codigo Fest.
The conference had a wide range of speakers who shared their knowledge about various programming topics. From web development to artificial intelligence, there was something for everyone. The sessions were informative and engaging, and gave me some valuable insights into the latest programming trends and technologies.
The organizers did a fantastic job creating a virtual environment that made it feel as if we were all in the same room, enthusiastic about programming. The talks averaged half an hour each, with over fifteen thousand viewers watching the live YouTube broadcast throughout the day.
How did I become a speaker at the event? Well, everything started with a tweet from the CTO of Codigo Facilito, the company that organized Codigo Fest. He was looking for people who wanted to record some programming courses. I replied saying I could do a frontend course, and after some chatting we decided to go for it.
That was three years ago. I've been working with Codigo Facilito ever since and have created twenty-two classes for their platform. I'm also the leader for two of their frontend development bootcamps.
So after all this time working together remotely, I received an invitation to be a speaker at their most important event of the year. Topic of the talk: How to Build Your Frontend Career. Essentially what path I would choose in a JavaScript world, where it has become easy to get lost because there are just so many frameworks and libraries.
Although it was an online event, the talks were onsite. So I took a flight from Monterrey (Nuevo León, Mexico) to Tuxtla Gutierrez (Chapas, Mexico). It was great to work from Chiapas, the land of good coffee in Mexico, and I certainly learned a lot about the different varieties of coffee beans that are cultivated there. Also the raw cacao. How could I forget the raw cacao? It was delicious.
Once I arrived at Codigo Facilito's studio, I had a behind-the-scenes overview of what it takes to organize such an event. And wow. What an incredible crew. It was a very stressful environment, but they didn't make a single mistake.
Being part of the event crew was like a dream come true. The first course I ever took was with Codigo Facilito, and now I was speaking at their most important event.
Sharing your knowledge, through whichever medium, is a really rich experience, because even as the teacher you learn quite a lot from your students. The frontend world changes every day, and one of the hardest things is to stay up-to-date. Every question my students ask is motivation for me to keep learning.
I also enjoyed the many networking opportunities at Codigo Fest. I had the chance to connect with other developers, to exchange ideas, and even to collaborate on future projects. The sense of community and camaraderie was truly inspiring. Overall, the event was a memorable experience that deepened my knowledge and passion for programming.
None of this would have been possible without X-Team. They sponsored the event and paid for my flight, meals, and hotel. And because of its remote, asynchronous culture, I could take my work with me so I didn't have to take any days off.