I loved it. I learned a ton, but more importantly, I developed relationships with people I respect and admire who can help me to become a better programmer. And I got fired up about programming again.
While I was there, I accomplished all of my goals, and much more. I also participated in several Open Spaces, where I was able to bring my thoughts and ideas to the table for discussion. I benefited as much from the Open Spaces as I did from the scheduled sessions, so if you’re going to a conference that has them, I’d recommend trying them out. When you do, be willing to participate in the discussion – if you don’t, you won’t get as much out of it.
As a result of CodeMash, I set the following goals:
- Get on Twitter. To keep up with the latest gossip? I’ve already forgotten why I need to be on Twitter, but if I don’t find any value in it, I’ll just stop using it. [@jtbrown]
- Find a mentor. Someone who’s passionate about programming and can help me continue to grow in my career. Preferably someone who thinks differently than I do who can challenge the way I think. And someone who can benefit from mentoring me.
- Investigate Ruby further. I’d like to compare Groovy and Ruby and evaluate the relative strengths and weaknesses of each language.
- Start using easyb. Andy Glover convinced me. His presentation was well-prepared, interactive, fun, and persuasive. He’s an excellent speaker and a really nice guy; I talked with him briefly after the presentation, and he thanked me for coming.
CodeMash was an awesome experience for me. If you haven’t been to a geek conference like CodeMash, you’re missing out.