[Launch School] Community Update - April 7, 2023

Hi everyone, Brandi here. I'm the new TA on the block here at Launch School. This is my first community update, and honestly, I'm feeling a lot of pressure because I don't have any pictures of guinea pigs or homemade scones. Go easy on me, okay? First sunflower: happy Spring [:tulip:]! I hope everyone is thawing out nicely. I've been in Mexico for a few months now, so there has been no change here weather-wise, but I definitely knew it was Spring because a) I almost missed an interview after daylight savings time [:sweat_smile:], and b) There's a tremendous big Festival of Flowers that just happened here in Guanajuato! So crack those windows, get some fresh air, and enjoy the longer days. I think the best way to introduce myself is to share my love of cats. Unfortunately, my responsibility-free lifestyle doesn't permit cats of my own. Still, I like to carry around treats for the kitties of the world. Without further ado, I introduce myself in the form of cat pictures : [Cat Collage] Clearly, the photographer recognizes the importance of capturing these moments. [:smiley_cat:] That's enough of me and my cat-ventures. Let's get down to business. --------------------------------------------------------------- Meetups Before we start, there's been an update to the meetup policy. I tried my best, but Chris just won't foot the bill for our Sunday Fun-day three-course brunch. [:cry:] All jokes aside, there is a $50 reimbursement limit per event from now on. Check out the [Community Meetup Sponsorship Guidelines]( for a detailed refresher. This month was busy! New York had a meetup with quite the turnout. [NY Meetup] ...Houston... [Houston Meetup] ...Chicago... [Chicago Meetup] ...and Austin! [Austin Meetup] It looks like a great time was had by all. Upcoming Meetups - New York is at it again with a meetup scheduled for April 15th at 1:30 EST. Happening at Sean Og's Irish Pub in Woodside, Queens. - New England is having a meetup April 8th at 1pm EST. Meeting at Papagayo at Assembly Row. So many comrades are breaking bread together! I've never met a fellow LSer in person, but I feel fulfilled by bantering with you all virtually, which happens to be a perfect segue into our... --------------------------------------------------------------- Virtual Events Capstone Presentations [Seamless] Ethan, Jason, and Ryan are excited to share their hard work on Seamless, an open-source, low-configuration CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) framework that streamlines the development and deployment of containerized microservice applications. It automates the building, testing, and deployment of code, enabling developers to deliver software quickly and reliably. - When : April 17th, 2pm ET - [Register]( [Edamame] Albert, Ginni, Luke, and Rachel have worked hard on their project and are ready to present Edamame, a distributed load-testing framework for real-time collaboration apps that use HTTP and WebSockets. - When : April 12th, 6pm ET - [Register]( AMA With Chris AMA means Ask Me Anything, but everybody knows that! (Okay, I didn't. [:eyes:]) Some exciting numbers are starting to come out of this capstone cohort, especially considering the current "layoff panic." Join Chris so that he can soothe your nerves about getting a job. If you aren't nervous, no problem -- the topics are open-ended. I hear he really likes Chess and College Basketball. Yay sports! - When : April 15th, 11am PT - No registration needed, head [:point_right:][here]( for the zoom link, or get your question in the queue. Getting to Know Elixir As some of you may know, we've been conducting an exciting Peer-Led Seminar. It wrapped up this week. Okay, but I didn't go. I know! But they're hosting a Q&A with a real-life Elixir developer, Jason Axelson from Felt. This event will have something for everyone, so check out the full details [here](. Thanks, Jason! Prep Workshops - April 6th - Quit ctrl+zing 100 times in a row, Join Clare April 6th for an introduction into Version Control using Git. - April 7th - Trevor will be pointing you in the right direction when it comes to Variables as Pointers & Mutability in Ruby. - April 12th - Debug your schedule, because Grace wants to guide you through Small Problems and Debugging in JavaScript. These are only three of many more free resources. For all things Prep, check out our dedicated [Prep Workshops Page](. For everything else, like TA-led study sessions (frequently referenced as the reason for snagging that A+), head over to the [events page](. Women's Group Calling all Women and Non-binary Alumni The Women's group is working to put together a meeting centered around Boundaries & Professionalism in the Workplace, and they'd love your input. If you identify as a woman or non-binary and want to help, please complete this brief survey. If you know others who qualify, please forward the survey to them. Your responses are anonymous. They will only be seen by the Women's Group Admins. Please use Slack to direct any comments or questions to Wendy Tran (@Wendy Tran) or Leeya Davis (@Leeya). Please note this survey is not an official Launch School initiative. Data collected from this survey will be viewed by the Women’s Group Admins. They are not Launch School staff. Find more details and take the survey [:point_right:][here](. Thank you! Regularly Scheduled Meet up Our regular Launch School Women's Group meeting is on April 9th, 2pm ET. This one is a general meetup, perfect for getting to know fellow students from under-represented genders in tech. The meetup is open to women and enby LS students, including those in Prep. Find all the details [here](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Student Articles Benjamin looks into his experience transitioning from teacher to student in his article, [Reclaiming my Identity as a Learner](. I think many people will find his article relatable, whether you're juggling having a family and being a student or navigating the world of adult ADHD. In [Irina's article](, she gives us both practical tools and some hilarious, relatable anecdotes. She even provides a ready-to-go spreadsheet for turning your study hours into inspiring visual aids. --------------------------------------------------------------- Random Banter Finally, I'd like to present you with a gift. Let this gift live in the back of your mind. One day, you'll be ready when you have access to your arch-enemy's code. The one who steals your lunch. The guy who took credit for your work. Go to the internet and find a capital Beta symbol (Unless you're Greek, then you can use your keyboard) and copy it. Find all instances of "B" in their code, and replace them with your freshly copied Beta. They look exactly the same. Walk away and sleep well, knowing they'll have virtually untraceable bugs littered across their code base. [:smiling_imp:]. Mua...mua...muaHAHAHA. (Thanks to Abhi for pointing this out, but full disclaimer that they did not advise using this knowledge for evil.) --------------------------------------------------------------- Okay, that's all for this time. Thanks for spending time with me, and happy studying! --------------------------------------------------------------- If you wish to stop receiving emails from us, you can use the one-click link below to unsubscribe. [Unsubscribe From All Email]( [Unsubscribe From Weekly Summaries](