Beginner's Guide to PyCon 2014
Beginner's Guide to PyCon 2015

         
         
         
April 05, 2014 at 12:00am         
         

**note**: This post has been updated for PyCon 2015. Even though the URL
is old, the content is new.

New to Python and/or conferences and attending the upcoming [PyCon
2015](https://us.pycon.org/2015/) in Montreal, Canada? Or is this your
first conference? Or perhaps your first conference longer than a
weekend?

Hoping to get the most out of joining thousands of Python enthusiasts?

No worries! This guide will aid you in attending one of the best
technical conferences on the planet. Even though I'm not attending on
account of various reasons including finances, work, and personal
projects, I'm going to share how to get through duration of pycon in
good shape. I'm also going to share some great tricks to optimize the
event.

Basics
======

1.  Take at least one shower per day. Please.
2.  Bring something to take notes. A paper notebook, laptop, or tablet.
    Anything!
3.  If you are looking for work, bring business cards. Seriously.
4.  At every meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner) make a point of sitting
    with or going out with different people. Introduce yourself. Make
    new friends and learn new things!
5.  If you can't make it to a talk, don't stress out. They are
    recorded and will be available later on <https://www.pyvideo.org>.
6.  Act Professionally (see next section)

Be Professional
===============

PyCon is a professional event. Sure, lots of people are in t-shirts and
are having fun, often in oddly goofy ways. Yet stepping outside the
boundaries of civilized behavior is not acceptable. Keep in mind that
PyCon US has a [code of
conduct](https://us.pycon.org/2015/about/code-of-conduct/). Whether or
not you agree with codes of conduct for conferences, PyCon US has one
and it will be enforced.

Get to the Registration Desk Early
==================================

As the lines for registration can get epic, I like to get my badge as
early as possible so I don't miss PyCon's famously incredible keynote
speeches.

Must-See Tutorials
==================

All of the beginner tutorials at
<https://us.pycon.org/2015/schedule/tutorials/> look wonderful. You
simply can't go wrong with any of them.

Must-See Talks
==============

All of them.

I'm actually a little relieved that I'm not going to PyCon, because
there were some time slots thad several must-see talks running
concurrently. I would have to clone myself repeatedly in order to see
all the good stuff! Fortunately, I'll be able to watch them on
<https://www.pyvideo.org>.

If you are new to open source and plan to attend the PyCon 2015 sprints
(or in general contribute to open source), then I strongly recommend
Shauna Gordon-McKeon's "Open Source for Newcomers and the People Who
Want to Welcome Them" talk (description at
<https://us.pycon.org/2015/schedule/presentation/346/>). She's the
program director of Open Hatch, a group focused on bringing more people
into the open source community.

**Pro-tip**: For the talks you are excited about attending, get there
early. If you really want to attend a particular talk, odds are so does
everyone else and the room might be packed. Don't be forced to sit on
the floor or stand outside the door. Show up early!

See <https://us.pycon.org/2015/schedule/talks/> for the talk schedules.

Talk Attendance Guidelines
==========================

At PyCon, talks are either 30 or 45 long. They represent the best and
brightest in both old hands in the community and rising stars. Some
quick guidelines:

-   **Ask Questions!** If the speaker leaves time for questions at the
    end, [go and
    ask](https://cecinestpasun.com/entries/i-can-haz-question-or-five/)!
-   **Shut the Laptop and Turn Off the Device.** It's disconcerting to
    give a speech to hundreds of people staring at their portable
    electronics and not responding to your banter. Unless you are using
    electronics to actively take notes on the talk, consider turning
    them off to look at the speaker.
-   **Don't Heckle.** It's nerve wracking going up in front of
    hundreds of people live and tens of thousands on streaming video.
    Heckling is **never** funny and it's a good way to lose friends and
    make enemies. Unless the speaker asks for commentary during the
    talk, wait until the end and then ask your questions.

Lunches
=======

Don't forget to keep whatever they hand out to track meals at the
registration desk or you might not be able to get your food.

Try and sit down to people you don't know and introduce yourself. Every
time I do this I don't just get to meet interesting people, I get to
meet amazing people. PyCon is full of brilliant minds and you'll never
get to know any of them unless you try.

Sprints
=======

When the tutorials and talks are over, the sprints begin. These are like
hackathons, but for only open source efforts. Imagine the chance to
apply everything you just learn, while sitting amongst other Python
enthusiast including dozens of projects leaders. Not only do you get the
chance to apply what you've just learned, you can contribute to make
the world of Python better!

See <https://us.pycon.org/2015/community/sprints/> for general sprint
information.

Sprint Requirements






-

For beginners setting up a Python development environment can be tricky.
If the list below looks intimidating, look for any sprints with
"beginner" in the title. There is always something! While they aren't
listed yet, but there should be something up within a week or two.

On the other hand, if you want a pre-PyCon challenge, I recommend
getting the the following installed:

-   Modern versions of Python:

    > -   Python 2.7 (mandatory)
    > -   Python 3.4 (Rather mandatory for Python 3 work)

-   Be ready with source control. You should have installed and possess
    working knowledge with:

    > -   Git. Really make sure you have a GitHub account
    > -   Mercurial. Useful to have a BitBucket account.

-   [virtualenv](https://www.virtualenv.org/en/latest/index.html) and
    [pip](https://www.pip-installer.org/en/latest/installing.html) for
    all versions of Python. If you are using Python 3.4, you don't need
    to have them installed.
-   An IDE or Text Editor you are comfortable using.

Staying Healthy Over Nine Days of Python!
=========================================

If you attend the tutorials, talks and sprints, that's **nine days**.
You (or your organization) are putting out some serious money for you to
go and discover new knowledge, new people, or a bunch of other reasons.
The last thing you want to do is end up sick for part or all of the
conference.

Odds are you'll be riding in public transit (planes, trains, buses) to
get there. Unfortunately, you'll be travelling with people who are
sick. Then, for over a week, you'll be around thousands of people who
have travelled under similar conditions. Many of those people, possibly
yourself, will be eating poorly, drinking heavily, and not getting
enough sleep.

Here are some things I've found work wonders to keep me active and
alert and I recommend you do the same **every** day of the conference:

1.  Take at least one shower per day. Please.
2.  Eat at least two good meals. Make a point of sitting with different
    people at each meal and introducing yourself. Make new friends!
3.  Get at least three hours of sleep. More if possible because your
    brain is going to go into learning overdrive. I aim for 6-8 hours.
4.  Bring [Immune System
    Boosters](https://www.amazon.com/Airborne-Support-Supplement-Vitamin-Effervescent/dp/B000WZI4WY?tag=mlinar-20)
    and consume them daily. I usually do it with breakfast and lunch.

Get Autographs!
===============

As an author, I can't recommend enough that you bring your favorite
programming book and get it autographed. A few books I want to get
signed:

-   [Python Cookbook, by David Beazley and Brian
    Jones](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1449340377/?tag=cn-001-20)
-   [Python for Data Analysis, by Wes
    McKinney](https://www.amazon.com/Python-Data-Analysis-Wrangling-IPython/dp/1449319793/?tag=cn-001-20)
-   [Flask Web Development, by Miguel
    Grinberg](https://www.amazon.com/Flask-Web-Development-Developing-Applications/dp/1449372627/?tag=cn-001-20)
-   [Test-Driven Development with Python, by Harry
    Percival](https://www.amazon.com/Test-Driven-Development-Python-Harry-Percival/dp/1449364829/?tag=cn-001-20)

Two Scoops of Django Footnote
=============================

Keep your eyes open.

         
         
Tags: python django pycon          
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