Featured Event: South Dakota Code Camp offers local developers open conversation, networking opportunities

If you thought camp was just for kids, it’s time you checked out South Dakota Code Camp.

An annual event that aims to bring the local developer community together, SD Code Camp 2019 will be held on Saturday, November 9 at Raven Industries. 

The event is hosted by the Sioux Falls Developers Group and South Dakota .Net User Group and organized by Tyler Harms, Seth Larson, and Kwen Peterson.

What goes on at code camp?

Code camp speakers will cover industry hot topics, new language, and new frameworks. Harms emphasizes the event’s simple format and focus on flexibility.

“It’s very open as far as what speakers want to talk about, whether that’s something new and exciting or if they’re just working on communication skills for a bigger conference,” Harms said.

According to Harms, the code camp audience is generally quite receptive to the wide range of speakers, most of whom are local. The day-long event is held on a Saturday to prevent people from missing work, and it features two tracks of speakers in addition to an open space. 

Open spaces, also known as unconferences, are a method of unplanned meetings or presentations. At their core is a focus on the participants who are there in that moment and the conversation that naturally occurs. 

“Seth and I have been to a number of conferences that have had open spaces,” Harms said. “Basically, if there’s a session or track you’re not interested in, you can try to start a conversation about a topic you are interested in, within that open space.”

At this year’s event, the option to participate in an open space will be available during the afternoon sessions. Between the two speaker tracks and virtually endless open space opportunities, attendees should have no trouble finding content to enjoy. View a complete schedule here. 

Speakers include software engineers from Omnitech, Sanford Health, Carsforsale.com, and Blend Interactive, among others. View a full list of speakers and session descriptions here. 

Will Bushee, co-founder of Code Bootcamp, author of Wired for Coding, and vice president of MarketBeat, will be presenting a session titled, “Does your house Slack you? Mine does.” 

“Over the last four years I’ve been playing around with various micro-controllers and IoT devices,” Bushee said. “My talk will cover the high-level devices that I’ve built, complete with printed circuit boards and back-end dashboards.”

Bushee’s talk is just one example of the breadth of Code Camp’s session topics. Other speakers’ presentations will range from introductory to high-level and from broad-reaching to laser-focused. 

“Come hang out for the full day, and learn about all of the different technology being used around Sioux Falls,” Bushee said. “It’s an opportunity to meet some of the most brilliant technical minds in the area.”

According to Harms, networking is a key component of the event as well. 

“It’s a great opportunity to network,” he said. “If you want to find a developer job, there’s a very good chance the person hiring you is going to be there.”

SD Code Camp is free, and all are welcome to attend regardless of registration. However, registering ahead of time includes entry to a raffle drawing, and some speakers will also be handing out swag and prizes to registered attendees.

Register for your free spot at South Dakota Code Camp today.