I was asked once, what’s my ambition. Impulsively, I answered that I want to conquer the world. Pretty big, yeah, I know. But ever since I watched the movie “The Social Network”, there’s been this voice inside my head saying I can reach that dream. I’ve worked professionally in the IT industry for half a decade now and seeing that a lot of disruptive technology has broken through in the recent years, my convictions to leave a mark in the world only grew stronger. Stories of ride-hailing apps, AirBnB, Blockchain technology and many more tech unicorns has pushed me to pursue my dream and live out my adage to “Change the world, one app at a time.”
This brought me to be with like-minded individuals at DevCon Summit 2017. The theme for this year was #ChangingTheGamePH. It was so great hearing this as a humble Software Engineer. Mainstream media stereotypes us as the guy fixing computers at offices, the nerds moving in herds, and talking about video games. They seem to forget that the leading innovators that disrupted the world belong with us. These include Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Dennis Ritchie, and Steve Wozniak (if you know the last 2 people, welcome to the club!).
Here are the best things at DevCon Summit 2017: #ChangingTheGamePH
3. Game-changing technology
I go to DevCon Summit to gain new knowledge on current technology trends in the Industry. This is my 4th year attending and I still learn a lot and gain a chance to further my career.
This year DevCon featured sessions on Blockchain, DevOps, Analytics & AI, and Cyber Security.
I’ll focus on Blockchain as this is the technology that’s buzzing today.
Have you ever heard of bitcoins? They are making news all over the world as its value is skyrocketing. Here’s a brief history of its value. At 2014 to January of this year, Bitcoin’s value plays around at the $500 – $1,250 range. Just this May, its value shot up to $2,000. In August, it jumped to $4,400. In September, it reached the $5,000 mark and the following month it hit $6,180. As November was ending, a bitcoin is valued at $11,000! This kind of value change is insane but it just shows how technology is changing the landscape of the financial industry. The greatest strength of bitcoins, in a nutshell, is that it transcends the international borders of sending and receiving money.
DevCon Summit gave us the opportunity to have a first look at the new emerging cryptocurrencies like Ethereum. DevCon Summit also became a venue to learn and understand the blockchain technology and how to apply it to our work.
This is a very exciting time to be a software developer. We’re like the wizards of the new era to pave way to innovations that would make life easier for everyone.
2. Game-changing community
DevCon or Developers Connect is a community. Upon entering the venue, I saw a lot of techies. Students, professionals, and tech leaders are all under the same roof celebrating technology. A lot of DevCon’s industry partners set up booths to engage participants to be part of their organizations by featuring the cool technologies they are building. There were machine learning demos, VR tech, machine vision, and a lot more. DevCon’s Technology Users Groups are also present to interact with developers sharing the same tech skillsets and to create networks.
DevCon is really more than just a community, but a network of Game Changers!
1. Game-changing future
Seeing Tech Leaders at the summit was great. Full of experiences, these are people that we, the next innovators, need to learn from. I’ve been in the industry for a couple of years already and I’m very excited seeing a lot of students attending DevCon Summit 2017. This means that these individuals put a premium on learning the current trends in technology while still at the academe. This greatly benefits the industry as skilled graduates will be produced from different colleges and universities in following years.
Back again with my conviction to change the world through apps, I’m very excited with where the Philippines is going. Just a few months ago, we had our first Filipino Unicorn Startup in Revolution Precrafted. It may be in a different space but making a $1B valuation is no longer a fantasy. With the enabling nature of technology and equipping of Filipino talent, we can have the next Unicorn really soon.
Are you excited to change the game as well? What were your experiences at the last DevCon Summit?
