Amongst the presenters this year were some influential names; Dave Thomas (author of The Pragmatic Programmer), Dr. Venkat Subramanian (coauthor of Practices of an Agile Developer) and Pete McBreen (author of Software Craftsmanship). However, my favorite presentation came from a man named Greg Brill of Infusion Development. In an hour on stage that was half stand-up comedy, half inspirational monologue, Brill went on to deliver a session that made me feel the PASSION about software development that I hope we can all experience in our lifetimes. He suggested to all those who were moving into the development workforce that experience, while valuable, is worthless without aptitude and attitude. I swore at that point that Brill could read my mind. In a field that is changing and shifting so rapidly, I have always admired developers who could continuously adapt to their environment and learn emerging technologies as if were as natural as breathing.
The conference was also flooded with representatives from organization looking to recruit the next wave of development talent. Google, IBM, Business Objects, RIM, and Telus were all eager to give away their latest in corporate swag. I couldnt help but say to myself “Oh wow! Just what I needed! Another foam stress reliever PDA and matching slinky carrying case!”
If you’re not within reasonable distance to Montreal, but would still like to experience some of what CUSEC has to offer, don’t fret. Recent and past CUSEC Podcasts and presentation notes are available soon through the archives page on Cusec.net. Enjoy.
