Microverse — Ruby Conf Africa — Job Opportunity
I recently attended RubyConfAfrica 2024 at KCA University, marking my first opportunity to connect with fellow Ruby developers in Nairobi. If you’re wondering, Ruby is an open-source, object-oriented scripting language designed to be both productive and enjoyable to use.
RubyConfAfrica is the largest gathering of Ruby developers from around the world in Sub-Saharan Africa. The 2024 conference was held on July 26th and 27th at KCA University in Nairobi, Kenya.
In 2022, I graduated from Microverse with a certificate in Full Stack Web Development. During my time at Microverse, I learned Ruby, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Git, communication, interview skills, and more. The training I received at Microverse has opened up numerous opportunities for me, both in Kenya and internationally.
Microverse has a vibrant and active alumni community, led by Ms. Riley. She generously provided tickets for us Micronauts — Microverse alumni — to attend RubyConfAfrica 2024. This was a tremendous blessing, as it allowed me to join the conference’s Discord channel and connect with a network of other Ruby developers.
The big day finally arrived, and I made my way to the venue, where I met some incredible developers. The conference kicked off with the first presentation, which turned out to be my favorite. It was led by Marek Piasecki from Bulgaria, who introduced his own framework called Pro. This innovative framework is set to revolutionize the way we develop, especially within the Ruby language.
Following the introduction, we attended a presentation by Cecilia Mbugua on “Building a Thriving Open Source Community: How to Attract and Retain Contributors.” This was followed by sessions on AI with Ruby and FinTech solutions.
We also had the opportunity to join a webinar with David Heinemeier Hansson, also known as DHH, the creator of Ruby on Rails. The final presentation of the day focused on the human side of software development, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a proper work-life balance, as many developers often neglect their families.
The second day kicked off with a bang as we had the privilege of hearing from Yukihiro “Matz” Matsumoto, the creator of the Ruby language. He delivered an insightful talk on “second system syndrome,” which describes the tendency for small, elegant, and successful systems to be followed by over-engineered, bloated ones due to inflated expectations and overconfidence.
This was followed by a talk on the Internet of Things (IoT). While Ruby is primarily designed for web development, it has proven to be useful in IoT applications as well, particularly through its use on PicoRuby.
Conclusion
Networking and staying updated with the latest trends is crucial, especially if you’re planning to become a software developer. These networks are the same ones that share new skills, provide opportunities, and offer valuable recommendations. I’ve been fortunate enough to benefit from this: an opportunity was shared with me, I expressed interest, and one thing led to another — I was able to secure a job as a Ruby on Rails developer.
Being part of a community has been immensely beneficial. Not only am I able to continuously improve my skills, but there’s always a developer just a click away, ready to help me overcome any obstacles.
Special Thanks
We would like to thank Microverse, the organisers of the RubyConf Africa, Nairuby Community, Sponsors and all the speakers who took their time to prepare and present.
I look for to RubyConf 2025.