Software Engineering Academy Camp 1: Mastering the Principle of Code
COMPFEST 15, Depok — This year, the Software Engineering Academy (SEA) once again takes part in the COMPFEST 15 event series. SEA offers an array of captivating materials in the software engineering domain, complemented by challenging final projects for participants. What’s more, SEA hosts various speakers and mentors entrenched in the software engineering realm, with the intent of fostering participants’ profound comprehension of the field. The SEA activities initiated on August 11, 2023, via the Zoom platform. The event commenced with the MC’s opening remarks, succeeded by a committee explanation of the final project.
Material Presentation
On the opening day, Alif Mahardhika, a software engineer at tiket.com, kicked off the camp with the theme “Introduction to Software Engineering.” During this session, Alif delved into intriguing subjects, including the definition of software engineering, essential roles in software development, and more. Notably, he shared his own experiences as a software engineer, offering participants a pragmatic view of the field.
The material presentation on the first day continued with Stefanus Diptya, a senior engineering manager at Pinhome. Stefanus explored the topic “Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC),” a crucial subject for software enthusiasts and participants alike. This session delved into fundamental aspects such as SDLC phases, methodologies, and best practices required for successful SDLC implementation. To facilitate comprehensive understanding, Stefanus compared different SDLC methods.
The enthusiasm of SEA carried into the second day with Armada Afgha’s presentation on “Software Testing.” Afgha, a senior software engineer at Pinhome, covered testing principles, diverse testing types, and more. Following the material presentation, Afgha led a hands-on coding session for practical testing implementation. This interactive session aimed to deepen participants’ grasp of the concepts.
Keeping the momentum strong, the third day of SEA featured Iqbal Farabi, an engineering manager at Booking.com, presenting the topic “Clean Code.” This material delved into the principles of effective naming, functions, classes, tests, and overarching principles for software engineers. To provide an in-depth perspective, Iqbal conducted hands-on coding sessions to illustrate the practical application of sound code practices.
Building upon the foundation of clean code, Sidiq Permana, founder and CIO of NBS.DEV, led the discussion on “Design Patterns.” Sidiq emphasized that being a software engineer entails more than just coding; it involves comprehending how to craft reusable, extensible, scalable, and maintainable code through effective design patterns. These patterns elevate code quality and productivity. Riga, an engineering manager at NBS, rounded off the third day’s material with explanations and hands-on practice. This surely ignited participants’ understanding and enthusiasm to embark on the path of becoming skilled software engineers!
Following the material presentation sessions, the SEA event series seamlessly transitioned into engaging Q&A sessions. Participants posed a wide range of thought-provoking questions, met with equally captivating answers from the speakers. As Alif aptly pointed out, beyond coding prowess, effective communication within teams is imperative for software engineers. Iqbal echoed this sentiment, underlining the significance of adhering to community conventions in code writing, syntax, and architecture. This ensures seamless collaboration among engineers, a common aspect of professional teamwork. Undoubtedly, the speakers’ responses left participants well-informed and content.
Interview Session
As the SEA event series wrapped up on the third day, I seized the opportunity to conduct an interview with Team M2 — comprising Rafi, Reynold, Dafian, and Fachry — all active participants of SEA. The motivations driving Team M2’s involvement were diverse: from honing structured development and best practices to enhancing teamwork skills and exploring like-minded communities.
During the interview, Team M2 shared their sentiments following their participation in the myriad SEA sessions. They expressed appreciation for the intriguing and comprehensive selection of materials, despite the condensed three-day schedule. The guidance from experienced mentors facilitated a seamless learning experience. Reynold, a team member, chimed in, “I’m quite happy because I gained a lot of new knowledge; if it could be extended, that would be great.”
A heartfelt appreciation goes to Team M2 for their openness in sharing their feelings and experiences throughout their engagement in the Software Engineering Academy (SEA) event series. It’s my hope that the insights gained will serve as valuable assets for their future endeavors.
The COMPFEST 15 Academy event will continue for the coming weeks. Don’t forget to visit our social media accounts, @compfest on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and our website compfest.id, to stay updated on the latest COMPFEST news. Read articles about the excitement of other Academies through our Medium page. (Editorial Marketing/Salma).
