We're back with a brand new episode, on our 8th anniversary today, the 19th of Dec. 🥳

We have some exciting updates, mainly around our new v2 platform and how it's going to impact people in Africa, new things that are coming, and of course book tips. 📈

Happy holidays 😎 and thanks for tuning in! 🙏

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
02:10 News, community shout outs
05:50 Believe Resourcing Group (BRG) partnership
08:40 What to gain from our v2 platform + some stats
15:59 Networking lesson
17:48 Pybites coaching ad
18:14 Learning paths + what's coming on v2
22:38 Book tips
27:24 Happy holidays
29:30 Wrap up

Links:
- BRG press release
- Pybites 8 years anniversary stats
- Code on our v2 platform
- Say Hi in our community
- Books: Python Concurrency with asyncio / The Winds of War / Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop

What happens when a professional dancer trades it in for a keyboard? Join us as we uncover the incredible journey of Sara Moad, who went from being a professional dancer to managing tech solutions as a Solutions Architect at Sydney Airport.

Her transition wasn't just about switching careers; it was about embracing change, self-belief, and the profound impact of soft skills cultivated in teaching children. Sara shares her story of stepping into the tech world during the COVID-19 pandemic, inspired by friends and fuelled by a yearning for fresh challenges.

Sara's path is sprinkled with invaluable insights for anyone dreaming of a tech career. She shows how personality and empathy, honed through years of teaching dance, have been her greatest allies on this new stage. Her involvement with the Girls Programming Network is a testament to her belief in inclusivity in tech, as she passionately teaches Python and champions the importance of community support. With Sara, we explore how to overcome imposter syndrome and the power of connecting with those around us to find our footing in unfamiliar territory.

For those feeling the itch to transition, Sara offers more than inspiration—she provides a roadmap. From setting short-term goals to exploring personal projects, her advice is about aligning your career with your passions. She emphasises leveraging networks and communication to uncover opportunities and shares anecdotes about how hobbies like playing Dungeons & Dragons can bolster skills vital in tech.

Sara's story is a celebration of discovering joy in building tech solutions that resonate with one's own experiences and interests.

Links:

• Connect with Sara on LinkedIn
• Book: Invisible Women - Caroline Criado Perez
• Girls Programming Network
• The _nology Program Sara went through.
• Join our Community
• Pybites Python Coaching

Chapters:
0:00 - From Dance to Python
4:50 - Transitioning Careers in Tech
15:19 - Navigating the Tech Transition
19:42 - Building Confidence and Finding Career Paths
33:10 - Exploring Perspectives in Tech Education

This week, we’re joined by Dan Dresser, who shares how he re-built his trading app in Rust, see also his community win post:

Wrote a Trading App in Rust

We dive into the app's purpose, the performance challenges he encountered, and how Rust became the best solution for increasing performance demands.

Dan shares the complexities / hurdles he faced in the process, his mindset for pushing through when stuck, and valuable tips for learning Rust.

We wrap up with two cool book recommendations. I (Bob) got a lot out of this conversation, and I hope you do too.

Enjoy and thanks for tuning in!

Links:
- Connect with Dan on LinkedIn
- Join our Circle community and connect with him there
- Pybites Rust exercises (WIP)
- Pybites coaching (ad segment)
- Rust book tip
- Non-tech book tip

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
02:04 Dan's trading background
03:25 Win of the week
05:00 Trading app, goal and scaling
09:40 Audience / automating an existing process
11:25 Lessons learned - writing async code
13:30 The importance starting small
16:40 Getting stuck + mindset to persist
20:30 The v2 rewrite, when and why?
24:00 Why Rust? Learning tips
28:35 How Rust boosted the app's performance
32:05 Pybites coaching ad segment
32:35 Rust transition and impact of performance
38:04 Additional Rust learning tips / exercises
40:40 Final CTA / non-coding activities
41:30 Book tips: Zero to production in Rust / Frostbite
43:32 Wrap up / outro