Ken Kousen, a seasoned software developer, educator, and author of six books, shares insights from his nearly 20 years of experience in technical training and his role as a professor at Trinity College. He discusses his approach to education, emphasizing the importance of hands-on experience, test-driven development, and engaging with open-source projects. Ken also explores the challenges of teaching in a male-dominated field, the significance of supporting underrepresented communities in tech, and the evolving landscape of AI and its impact on beginner developers.

Tom Wheeler, principal curriculum developer at Temporal Technologies, shares his journey of balancing a career in software engineering with a passion for education. He discusses his role in creating educational materials, training, and documentation to help developers make their software more reliable. Tom also highlights the value of hands-on workshops, the challenges of online teaching, and the benefits of engaging with the developer community through meetups and open-source projects.

Ivar Grimstad discusses the evolution of Jakarta EE, the importance of community involvement in open source projects, and how developers can stay up-to-date with the latest technological advancements. He emphasizes the value of continuous learning and collaboration, encouraging developers to contribute to the ecosystem and not be afraid to voice their ideas. Whether you're a seasoned Java developer or just starting out, this episode offers valuable perspectives on navigating the ever-evolving tech landscape.

Umadevi Santhanam shares her expertise on building resilient systems in the tech industry. With a deep background in engineering and a passion for robust design, Umadevi discusses the challenges and strategies for creating systems that can withstand unexpected disruptions. She highlights the importance of a proactive mindset, the role of continuous learning, and the value of collaboration in achieving resilience. Whether you're an experienced engineer or new to the field, this episode offers practical advice and inspiring perspectives on fostering resilience in technology.

When working in a development team, it can be scary to voice your opinion or ask for help. Grace Jansen emphasizes that there is nothing to lose by trying. Coming from a background in biology, she also talks about how technologies like cloud development and Java can feel daunting, but that learning developers can approach these challenges in bite-sized pieces.

Technology is advancing, but it creates many barriers to entry along the way. Join Nyah Macklin to learn how she got into technology through a boot camp, and learn how not all boot camps are created equal. She also raises important ethical concerns regarding government facial recognition technology and continues to advocate for these ethical issues throughout her developer career.

In episode two of the Techstrong Unplugged Podcast, host Natan Solomon is joined by Sean Sullivan to discuss his immersion in the digital world, and how he found an intersection between business and technology. Like many students, Sullivan wasn't interested in tech when he began college. Four years later, he's leading multiple projects at the University of Florida and uncovering the ways retrieval augmented generation (RAG) will change our lives. Learn how Sullivan taught himself code, became a skilled AI technologist and connected it all to our business-driven society.

Links Referenced in Podcast: 

In episode one of the Techstrong Unplugged Podcast, host Natan Solomon is joined by Brandon Prue to discuss everything you need to know about learning code and maximizing your networking capabilities. In 2021, Prue was homeless and attending Broward College in South Florida. After teaching himself Python and landing a summer internship at Autonation, he took the initiative to develop and train an AI model named Bumblebee. Not only did this result in him being the only intern to receive a return offer from Autonation that summer, but it got him a full ride to Boston University. Prue explains the role Python played, the importance of learning it and how to network your way to the top.