Event
7 March 2019
London
Added 01-Jan-1970
We welcome security, white hat hacker and code analysis expert Dinis Cruz who will be giving us a great talk on his new book Generation-Z developers.
Dinis is a long time friend of the user group. This will prove to be a most entertaining and interactive talk as they always are.
"Generation Z is the generation that was born after 1996. Like all generation boundaries, the differences may be generalized and there will always be exceptions to the rule, but when viewed constructively it represents an interesting mix of great values and digital capabilities. The older members of this generation (at the time of writing, 2018) are about 22 years old.
They were 11 when the first iPhone come out (2007) and are the first real 'born online' generation. In parts of the world privileged enough to enjoy ubiquitous access to technology, many of this generation have not experienced a world without ready access to the internet on some kind of device.
This is the generation that is entering the market right now. I have personal experience of this generation, I have two daughters currently aged 13 and 15, and I have also been professionally involved in a number of projects focused on Generation Z. I've run sessions teaching high school kids in the UK how to 'hack' (in the traditional, rather than illegal sense of the word) and sessions teaching younger developers coding skills they would be able to apply in real world scenarios.
I'm focusing on this Generation because I believe they've missed the historical understanding of a number of key technology revolutions in order to be competitive in the market place. At the current pace of technological advancement, so much history can be taken for granted. Without a full understanding of the past, we only learn from shadows and curated versions of reality. I'm worried about Gen Z Although Generation Z have some spectacular features and values, I occasionally perceive a lack of intellectual curiosity that worries me. This is arguably the most tolerant and diversity aware generation, but having grown up with an innate acceptance of the technology around us, many of the building blocks of todays technology stacks are simply assumed to be ever present, much like driving a car or flying a plane with no knowledge of the engineering.
My hope with this book is to break through these gaps and provide context and references and inform better decisions. For those that doubt how important this may be, remember: it's this generation that will need to save the world from the mess previous generations have created. Overwhelming curiosity How will I know this book worked? I'm hopeful that reading it can provide a couple moments of overwhelming curiosity from learning more about topic. Moments where you may start to follow link after link about a particular topic, and that, no matter how brief it may be, you think 'WOW, that is fr**** awesome!'. If you are lucky enough to find yourself in this place, congratulations, you just found 'the zone'. An amazing environment where you have the chance to be single minded and 100% absorbed, which is the best way to learn. Whenever you find yourself in this headspace, dont stop! Follow it as long as your brain allows it, and don't stop for anything. Social events, eating and sleeping can always wait (more or less; respect your physical and mental health and never take them granted). The 'zone' is a magical place to be, so learn to recognize when you find yourself inside it, and explore as much as you can."