[kw-pm] Reminder - Andy Lester speaking in Toronto this Thursday Oct 26

[Michael Graham]

Just a reminder that Andy Lester is coming to Toronto and will be
speaking at the Toronto Perl Mongers meeting this Thursday.  

His topics:  

  * Get Out of Technical Debt Now!
  * The Open Source Programmer's Guide to Getting a Great Job
  
These talks aren't just for Perl mongers - they will be of general 
interest to programmers, sysadmins and other technical people.  All
are welcome - invite your friends!  


Details:

(This info is also on the Toronto Perl Mongers site: http://to.pm.org/)

 Speaker:   Andy Lester

    Date:   Thursday 26 Oct 2006

    Time:   6:45pm

   Where:   2 Bloor Street West (NW corner of Yonge/Bloor, skyscraper
            with the CIBC logo on top) Floor/Classroom TBA

  ===================================================================

Talk Details:

   Andy Lester has used Perl for over a decade, has written or maintains
   a number of modules you probably use every day, and works on public
   relations for the Perl Foundation.  But for his double-header talk
   for October 26th, Perl is barely a mention.

   First up, Andy will speak on technical debt and how to get out of it.
   Technical debt is that nasty condition companies get into where  the
   codebase is crufty, poorly documented, and hard to test, and everyone
   is terrified of changing anything.  Just like financial  debt, it's
   the compound interest on technical debt that snowballs  until you can
   no longer effectively do projects: technical  bankruptcy. Come learn
   how to pay down your biggest debts before that  happens.

   Second, Andy discusses pragmatic job hunting for technical people.
   He'll talk about how finding and landing a job isn't a matter of
   luck, and how to make yourself stand out in a sea of job applicants.
   Come ready to unlearn the conventional wisdom about all aspects of
   the job hunt, from where to find jobs, how to write a resume, and
   what to do in an interview.  "In my years of hiring programmers, I've
   seen some pretty awful mistakes, and some awfully funny ones," he
   says.  Come learn how to avoid the mistakes and get the job you want.

   This evening of talks is of general interest to programmers,
   sysadmins and other technical people, not just Perl Mongers.  Tell
   your friends!


  ===================================================================

  Note:

    The elevators in the building are "locked down" after 5:30pm
    to people without building access cards.  Leading up to the
    meeting someone will come down to the main floor lobby every
    few minutes to ferry people upstairs.  
    
    After 19:00, you can reach the access-card-carrying guy via
    a cell phone number that we'll leave with security in the
    front lobby.  The room and floor numbers will be left with
    security too.


-- 
Michael Graham <magog at the-wire.com>