DevFest Tales
Devfest Nairobi
In the current world, before making a purchase, you always check reviews of previous buyers to confirm if the actual product matches the description. For events, we always want to hear about other people’s experiences, like if they had an excellent time or if they learned something and all the nitty gritty involved.
DevFests are local tech conferences hosted by Google Developer Groups (GDG) worldwide. Each DevFest event is crafted by its local organizers to fit the needs and interests of its local developer community. Whether through hands-on learning experiences, technical talks delivered in local languages by experts, or by meeting fellow local developers, DevFest attendees learn how to build together and innovate on Google’s developer tools.
This year we want to give you a view of Devfest Nairobi through the lens of impressive attendees that have attended previous devfest events.
Kimberly Msabeni
Kimberly is a User Interface and User Experience (UI/UX)designer and a Web Developer. She enjoys community work and mentoring. She enjoys painting and sewing when she is not busy building websites with user-centric design.
Her first time attending devfest was in Nairobi in 2019, held at the United States International University Africa(USIU). She hit the ground running by participating to be a volunteer. She was involved in planning for the Women Tech Makers(WTM) breakfast, where she got to meet astounding women in tech. Her favorite talk was from Wayne Gakuo, who later became a source of inspiration for her.
One of the few things she learned was persistence and consistency, which will eventually pay off. You cannot master a particular technology at the snap of a finger. It would be best if you put in the hours and effort.
Five things she is looking forward to for this year’s devfest are:
- WTM sessions
- Meeting industry experts
- Networking with other developers
- Inspiration to keep learning and growing in tech
- Learning something new.
One of the speakers she is looking to hear from is Denise Allela. Her advice for someone attending devfest this year would be the community is here to help you grow and learn.
You belong here and deserve to be here in the tech world. Take your
position and flourish!
— Kimberly Msabeni
Gladwell Gitaka
Gladwell is a Data Analyst who enjoys hanging out with her loved ones, trying out different restaurants, and watching Formula 1 (F1).
Her first Devfest was at USIU 2019, where she volunteered to help the community organizers handle the event tasks. Her memorable moment was meeting Aniedi Udo-Ubong and listening to his keynote.
Her takeaways from the devfest were:
- Communities are important because they allow you to learn from others; moreover, having people around you who share the same interests makes the journey enjoyable.
- Mentors play a vital role in helping guide you through the tech scene and acting as a source of inspiration.
- Have a willingness to learn and be teachable.
Some of the sessions that stood out for her in other Devfests include the #IamRemarkable session by Edith Wanjiru at Devfest RiftValley, Kotlin vs. Java vs. Flutter discussion (Frank Tamre, Kendi J, Juma Allan) at Devfest Kisumu, and Wayne Gakuo’s, developer community journey at Devfest RiftValley.
Five things she is looking forward to for this year’s devfest are:
- Attending the event physically
- Volunteering at the event
- Meeting new people
- Networking and interacting with other professionals
- Attending more data-related sessions
She would like to hear from Mercy Jillo, who inspires Gladwell and other tech women.
Her advice for someone attending devfest as a first-timer is to enjoy the event and put yourself out there by having conversations with others.
Get the most out of tech events and volunteer if you can; most of all, have fun
— Gladwell Gitaka
Mary Maina
Mary is a Software Developer and Community Organizer at Lux Tech Academy and AnitaB.org Nairobi. She enjoys traveling and experiencing new things.
Her first Devfest was in 2018, when she learned about different Google technologies and expanded her network. Devfest 2019 stood out because she could attend live coding and other breakout sessions where she learned about Artificial Intelligence.
Her takeaways from previous devfest events are:
- Networking is an important aspect is your tech career
- Joining tech communities accelerates your learning curve
- Writing code involves solving a problem
- Learning never stops; tech is ever-evolving
- If you can teach it, then you understand it better. Immerse yourself in teaching others different technological tools.
Having attended more than one devfest, her best session to date is Getting your TensorFlow models into production by Robert John, GDE Google Cloud Platform and Machine Learning.
Five things she is looking forward to for this year’s devfest are:
- Hands-on-experience sessions for the different google technologies
- Learning which products developers out here are building
- The breakthroughs of machine learning and AI
- Hearing from the diverse set of speakers
- Meet startup founders and investors
She wants to hear from Andrew Lee and James Tamplin for this year’s Devfest. Her advice for someone attending devfest for the first time is to be open to learning and relearning different tools and form connections with people you meet.
Passion is the fire that lights your way in tech
— Mary Maina
Devfest leaves its mark on the attendees because they are always inspired to attend more sessions, learn from others and carry the lessons they learned to their professional lives. I hope you get to attend Devfest and experience it for yourself.
To attend Devfest Nairobi RSVP here, to speak submit your talk here.
