Newb No More: Attending Node.js Interactive
By Adriana Rios: Follow Adriana on Twitter @StpColabr8nLstn
I call myself an unconventional programmer. I originally went to school for painting and drawing. I came back to school almost ten years later as a computer science major. Some think it’s a pretty unusual shift but programming requires creativity, so I think my passions blend well.
I first started using JavaScript when I began teaching myself to code. Now as a co-op front end developer at IBM, I am immersed not just in JavaScript, but also Node.js. I began dabbling with Node.js with a few school projects. I also heard about a few fellow interns who were using it in their work. I wanted to know more, so I applied for the Diversity Scholarship to attend Node.js Interactive North America. I was thrilled to receive the scholarship.
In four days, I went from someone who felt like an outsider just wanting to learn more to a Node.js contributor. The Node.js community was warm and welcoming. Getting the chance to chat with fellow developers and hear about their projects gave me the opportunity to see the versatility of Node.js. The experience overall was priceless!
Highlights
Full Stack Testing
In my day-to-day, I am learning to master unit tests so I greatly appreciated Stacy Kirk’s (@queenofagileqa) presentation on Full Stack Testing — you can view the presentation on YouTube here. Kirk’s enthusiasm for QA was infectious and I am looking forward to testing out a number of the tools she suggested, specifically Nightwatch. She imparted a wonderful tip, “Embrace failure.” Writing unit tests can often be a challenge but when your perspective changes the challenge becomes a learning experience.
Beyond the README
I thought this was a really relevant talk given by Rand Mckinney of IBM StrongLoop. Documentation is an integral part of the code, but is often overlooked. Rand suggested having a Doc Curator on the team. Moreover, he noted that it ought to be a requirement with each pull request. I look forward to presenting these ideas to my team. View his presentation here.
Building Desktop Apps with Electron
This workshop led by Steve Kinney (@stevekinney) was definitely my favorite. I understood that Node.js extended JavaScript but I’ve never attempted to use it beyond the browser. This tutorial showed us how to build a desktop app, tapping into native OS features, using HTML, CSS and JavaScript. It was an easy shift from Web Development to Desktop Development with the use of Electron and Node.js. I completed the tutorial and I’m researching more uses for Electron within my work.
Becoming a Contributor
Creating and having two PRs accepted by the Node.js Project team may very well be the highlight of my young programming life. This was my first foray into the world of OS contributions and I am now addicted. Huge thank you to the team who hosted the Code and Learn event. They were incredibly helpful and encouraging. I would also encourage anyone interested in getting involved to have a look at https://github.com/nodejs/node and the contribution docs as well.
I was worried I’d be overwhelmed, but the Node.js community is full of friendly and knowledgeable folks ready to help. I’ve been equipped with some great tools and experience thanks to the Node.js Interactive North America conference. I hope to see all that attended again next year!
