Everything I Wish I Knew...

... as a JMU CS Undergrad

This Presentation

http://bit.ly/10uteZO

Matt Makai

• 2005 JMU CS (BS)
• 2008 Virginia Tech CS (MS)
• 2010 UVA Management of IT (MS)
• Freddie Mac, Booz Allen, Sapient (past)

Excella Consulting

Matt Makai

• Excella Consulting
• Hands-on development work (>80%)
• Python, Java, JavaScript, Clojure
• CFPB, George Washington University, Motley Fool

Coding Across America

Coding Across America

• 30 Cities in 5 Months
• Meet with tech companies
• Tech meetings & conferences
• Code
• Coding Across America Blog

Why are you here?

• CS @ JMU
• Web development
• Resources
• Checklist

CS @ JMU

JMU Computer Science

• Awesome helpful professors!
• Some really practical classes
• Theory & practice
• Research
• Easy to get an internship/job

Web Development

Whiteboard time

Resources

• Don't Call Yourself a Programmer
• Hitchhiker's Guide to Python
• Full Stack Python
• Python Weekly
• Getting Started With Django
• Programming Subreddits
• What Programming Language to Learn First?
• New Programmer's Survival Guide (book)

Your Checklist

Your Checklist

• Github account
• Open source school projects and refine them
• Create a project you're passionate about
• Learn a language outside classes
  • Python
  • Ruby
  • Clojure

Your Checklist

• Try technical blogging
• Read Hacker News
• Read open source code
  • Django
  • Flask
  • Requests

Thank you!

• Matt Makai
• @mattmakai on Twitter
• matthew.makai@[excella.com or gmail.com]
• Excella Consulting
• Technical Blog
• Coding Across America Blog