This past Saturday, BDPA Memphis showed us what happens when you intentionally bring creatives, technologists, and leaders to the same table. This might have been their biggest networking event of the year. Here's the recap:
From the moment I walked in, the diversity of backgrounds was striking: backend devs, Power BI specialists, startup founders, a Director of Digital Arts, a techie from the local Google Operations Center, university students, and a powerhouse crew of CodeCrew tech bootcamp instructors who brought both energy and expertise.
I appreciated the focus topic of encouraging young people through entrepreneurship and computer science. An example was Bryce Sharp & Naim Hakeem sharing exciting plans for youth game development workshops and collegiate robotics programs, building a multi-step pipeline into STEM careers.
Nester Adrianzen delivered a standout Power BI session, pulling in economic data from around the globe. He fielded questions on APIs, visualization strategies, and data sharing. Then, in true community spirit, gave an impromptu TED-style talk on standing out in today’s job market. His advice? Show, don’t tell. He’s doing exactly that through his YouTube channel, teaching Power BI, opening doors to opportunities he might never have reached otherwise.
Someone in the crowd summarized it with "Show that you are doing what you say you can do".
We closed with an energizing conversation on the pace of tech innovation. Coriano Harris introduced the idea of the “M-shaped” developer. Today’s professionals need deep expertise in at least two disciplines to truly thrive.
If you missed it, don’t worry. BDPA Memphis is just getting started. Join the Discord channel.
Discord: https://discord.gg/QYqcppFJA3
Events like this remind me why Memphis’ tech community is so special. We’re not just talking about the future, we’re building it together.
✨ 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬? Check out the community calendar. https://memphistechscene.netlify.app/