You asked me…
Inspired by the discussions that took place during ACM Speed Mentorship https://events.stellarouzi.com/#/events/archive/acm2020
Is web development thriving?
Absolutely, go for it. And go for anything that sparkles that passion within, without wondering about business norms, or statistics. The world needs extraordinary people.
We root for all of you who go against all odds to aim to awesomeness!
Oh, and check out GSoC 🎆
Can I be a web developer even if I am not into UI design?
Sure thing, that’s why we have our awesome friends to collaborate with! You should though know and be able to use design systems such as Bootstrap and Material.
Moreover you should know of UX and be mindful about it, even if you it is not your area of expertise. After all, your web page or web application is addressed to people, and is meant to make their lives easier.
Responsiveness — I’ve heard conversation addressing responsiveness if it was the new big thing. It’s a huge deal, but it is definitely not the extra fancy thing you can have to add value to your web page.
We should develop responsively by design and by default — just like we should develop responsibly 😊
More about security…
I’ll use this as an excuse to volunteer my friends in the security field to hold talks and workshops. (Not that I needed an excuse, let’s be honest 😄)
Till we are back on full force workshops and events, I will point you towards the direction of
* https://owasp.org/www-chapter-greece/
* http://www.panoptis.gr/
People often think of IT security as this fancy — and perhaps unapproachable — totally independent field that has to do more with law enforcement rather than every day tasks. And that’s far from the truth.
Security, or lack thereof, affects our everyday lives and it has a direct impact on how we perform even routine tasks, such as going to the ATM or making an online purchase. It is part of world now, and just like we are mindful about cars when crossing the road, we ought to be mindful about security in our overall life, as it is rarely disconnected from technology.
It’s also imperative that security is implemented by design and by default in any system or digital product!
Is it harder for women in the IT sector?
Discrimination is hard for anyone — and I am gonna let Karen and Katerina share some interesting points on the subject!
Karen Sandler is the executive director of the Software Freedom Conservancy, she’s kinda badass on an international level. Still… Check out her interview about impostor syndrome and being assumed to be the spouse of a speaker at tech conferences!
Katerina about “It’s just a compliment after all” (No, it is not, and it’s time we learn how to differentiate)
That said, I’ve seen a huge progress being done the past decade 🎉
Good job people!
I also want to share…
I can’t count the times that I heard people say they are not sure if they have the necessary skills and proper background to apply for an internship position or a mentorship program — which, by the way, are both designed for and addressed to students or beginners who want to learn (who want to learn as in they don’t already know!)
Every new beginning,
every new opportunity,
the next extraordinary experience…
is on the other side of fear.
Or as Susan Jeffers puts it “Feel the fear and do it anyway!”