BACOLOD CITY – A good two hours before DevFest 2019 started, Jake Pomperada was already in the venue, waiting for fellow participants of what could well be one of the biggest gatherings of developers in Negros Occidental.
As organizers and staff are putting the final touches on the venue, Jake sits in one corner, trying to be as unobtrusive as possible as he waits for the confab to officially kick off.
Powered by sponsors SkySwitch and HYBrain Development Corporation, and organized by GDG led by its community leader Rics Rojas, the event is expected to gather about 300 student and professional developers from all over the province.
“I always welcome opportunities like this one. I want to know the latest technology Google offers,” Jake said, adding that it would be useful for his work as science research specialist in one of the state-run universities here.
Jake’s sentiment is not unique. After all, how often do these many developers and programmers — whether students or professionals — gather for the opportunity to learn from experts not just to listen to the tech-laden talks but to do hands-on work via code labs?
Engineer Mia Sobrepeña-Quidato, a professor and head of Computer Engineering of the University of St. La Salle, said opportunities to learn afforded by DevFest are always welcome.
“For educators, it is important to be at par with industry standards and updates,” Mia tells DNX, saying that instructors in her field should immerse themselves on the ground to be updated with the technology.
USLS student Trolls Jareta freely volunteered to help in the DevFest. One of the students of Rhix Rojas, Trolls says DevFest offers a great opportunity not just to learn but also to know the stalwarts in the industry.
This is in preparation for a career in development or IT later on, he said.
FROM A.I. TO CYBERSECURITY
How secure are your business’ data systems against digital attacks?
To Nathu Nandwani, one of the speakers tapped by GDG, cybersecurity is often under-discussed which is why events like the DevFest are great opportunities to raise awareness on the issue.
Nathu, security consultant for Vantage Point Security Singapore, said cybersecurity should now be a crucial part of any business’ systems especially with the passage of the Data Privacy Act.
“Any breach in a company’s security systems would have an effect in that company’s reputation,” he said.
The event drew in hundreds of participants from all over the province to listen to talks that range from Artificial Intelligence and serverless technologies.
For instance, Julius Uy, engineering manager of Rakutin Viki, talked about the potential of A. I. in simplifying and improving quality of life through technology like Euphonia, a voice recognition app that could help people with speech impediments.
The afternoon event was divided into parallel sessions involving code labs, or hands on workshops.
Speakers, certified Google experts, were tapped not just for lectures but to lead code labs for those interested.
