There's only so much you can learn on your own. Sometimes you need outside help or inspiration. Also, building your professional network is an important part of career planning.
This assignments encourages you to explore your local technology community, network with technology industry professionals, and increase your awareness of industry practices.
Search meetup.com for, or otherwise identify, business, startup, and/or technology-related events in the New York City area or some other place near where you live. Focus on Python and/or software-related events if possible. You are encouraged to post links to interesting events in the #events Slack channel.
Attend one event over the course of the semester.
Write a short (2-3 page) summary of your experiences, to address at least the following questions:
- Which event did you attend, which group(s) hosted it, and what happened?
- What, if anything, did you learn about contemporary industry challenges and practices?
- Would you recommend the group to a friend? Why or why not?
Embed photos to provide further evidence of event attendance. A "selfie" should suffice if it features distinguishable event imagery in the background.
Create a single PDF file containing your write-up and images, and upload it to NYU Classes.
Full credit for submitting a thoughtful response that demonstrates evidence of event attendance AND insights into contemporary business and technology issues and practices.
Else 3/4 credit for submitting a response that demonstrates evidence of event attendance OR insights into contemporary business and technology issues and practices.
Else 1/2 credit for submitting a relevant response.
Else no credit.
If the idea of attending a business and technology community event makes you uncomfortable, or if your schedule prohibits you from attending an event before the end of the semester, you have another option. You may substitute one event with three informational interviews of some active members within the business and technology community.
After conducting the interviews, write a short (2-3 page) summary of your experiences, to address at least the following questions:
- Which professionals did you interview? Include their contact info and a description of their professional roles/duties.
- How are their professions relevant to the business/technology community?
- What happened during each interview? What relevant topics were discussed?
- How did your discussions relate to your own skills and interests?
- What did you learn about contemporary industry challenges and practices?
If possible, embed photos to provide further evidence of interview participation.