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Archives for October 2017

Journey with Swift

October 29, 2017 By Ravi Shankar

This is about my journey as a Swift developer and some of the points discussed here could be useful to anyone who want to re-invent themselves as a software developer or if they want start a career as a Software developer.

Past experience

I have been working in Software industry for years in wide range of technologies. Like many I felt the need for a change and wanted to switch over to the latest technologies. I was interested in iOS app development though I started with Objective-C within a year switched to Swift.

Be an early adopter

Choosing the technology matters and if you are one of the early adopter then you get new opportunities quickly. Being one of the early adapter of Swift helped me a lot to get noticed quickly. Also if the technology has the backing of some big corporates then you will grow with the technology.

Blog a learning tool

I started writing simple tutorials in Swift and shared this with the wider audience through my blog. This helped me to articulate the concepts well and also get valuable feedback from readers. In the later stage I got many opportunities/leads through my blog. Check out Ash Furrow and Kristina Thai talks on the benefiting of writing a blog.

Stay focussed

After picking up iOS/Swift, I got distracted time and again with Android and other hybrid platforms. But remember the process of learning any technology is the same and you are not going to achieve your goal by focussing on different platforms at the same time. Stay focussed to reach your goal quickly.

Build a portfolio

Another way of building confidence is to publish apps under your name. You can start with simple apps and increase the features as you gain more and more experience. I sometimes felt embarrased with the choice of initial apps that I made and the code that I wrote. It is quite natural to feel that way as long you keep learning continuously

Eat Swift, Sleep Swift, Breathe Swift

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. I was working as a Objective-C developer but quit the job to focus only on Swift. There were not many gigs available during the first year hence become an iOS mentor. The best way to keep learning is by teaching others. This allowed me to spend all my time in learning and practising Swift.

Networking and team events

Join local meet-ups learn from other like minded people. If possible attend conferences where you get a chance to meet some international speakers as well. Participate in Hackathons and test your ability in new technologies by conceptualising the app idea in to MVP in the short period of time.

Take up new opportunities

I got a lead through my blog for reviewing a Swift book and also to co-author a Udemy course. Don’t hesitate to take up new opportunities as long as it aligns with your technology. This can alway add up to your portfolio and online presence.

Hard work, dedication!

After many unsuccessful bidding finally I got a small prototype work in Swift. The client again awarded me a full fledged project which later become a full-time work. Even if it is a small gig, hard work and dedication definitely pays off.

 

I want to end with one quote this is especially for the people in their 30s & 40s. You can become or re-invent yourself as software developer at any age. “Age is no barrier. It’s a limitation you put on your mind”. Don’t compare yourself with other developers know your strength and work around your limitations. Happy Coding!!

Filed Under: iOS Developer, Software Developer, Swift

My first iOS developer conference – try! Swift Tokyo 2017

October 28, 2017 By Ravi Shankar 2 Comments

Attending conference is one way of keeping yourself up to date with the latest trends in any industry. This is true for every software developer as well. After re-skilling myself and picking up iOS development I wanted to attend some good conferences but not many were happening in India. Heard a lot about try! Swift from Alvin and Giridharan and registered for try! Swift Tokyo.

Conference

I needed a visa to travel to Japan and the organisers were quick to help me out. Thanks to Katsumi and Natasha for the paper work, the level of commitment shown to sort this out gave me a glimpse of what to expect in the conference.

I had arrived a day earlier and was able to attend the Tokyo Skytree tour followed by a reception at Pivotal labs arranged for all the international attendees. This was like an ice breaker and I got introduced to few of the attendees and speakers as well.

The conference was for 2 days + 1 day for workshops and hackathon. Each session was scheduled for 25 minutes followed by office hours with the speaker where you get a chance to clarify your queries and have detailed discussion with some renowned speakers. They had also scheduled lighning talks with duration of 5 minutes each. This was a huge conference with 700+ attendess, great speakers and well organised one as well.

Hackathon and Workshop

After the 2 day conference all the attendees had a chance to participate in hackathon. This gave me a chance to work with some bright Japanese developers. There were also some workshops conducted by Realm, IBM, Build a cross-platform 2D game with Swift by @ewingfighter and React Native workshop by orta

Why should anyone attend?

  • Networking with attendees and speakers, use the office hours after talk to clarify the queries with the speakers.
  • You can participate in the social events after conference. trySwift are the best at this.
  • If you are interested in job opportunities then you have chance to meet companies as many sponsors were doing recruitment as well
  • Get up to speed in new iOS technologies and chance to know about some exciting startups.
  • You can also participate in the local Swift and iOS community events.
  • On a side note you have a chance to explore country and interact with people.

It was worth the money spent and would recommend this for all iOS developer especailly try! Swift conferences.

Now try! Swift has come to India as well !! Register Now

Filed Under: Conference, Networking, Swift, try! Swift

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