BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Meetup//Meetup Calendar 1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH NAME:The Tech Academy Free Classes X-WR-CALNAME:The Tech Academy Free Classes BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Los_Angeles TZURL:http://tzurl.org/zoneinfo-outlook/America/Los_Angeles X-LIC-LOCATION:America/Los_Angeles BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:19700308T020000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=3;BYDAY=2SU END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:19701101T020000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=11;BYDAY=1SU END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT UID:event_316902617@meetup.com SEQUENCE:1 DTSTAMP:20261020T153559Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261023T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261023T143000 SUMMARY:Tech Talk | Blocked: A Survival Guide with Mindi Weik DESCRIPTION:The Tech Academy Free Classes\n**What can you do when you are stuck on a problem and have no idea where to start?**\n\nGetting stuck is not a bug in your learning. It is part of the job. Knowing how to work thr ough a problem\, figure out what is missing\, and ask for help effectively can be just as important as knowing how to write the code itself.\n\nOur guest speaker **Mindi Weik**\, a software engineer at OpenRouter and found ing engineer at Audition Cat\, will share practical strategies for getting unstuck as a developer. After taking a nontraditional path into tech thro ugh a bootcamp and a career change\, Mindi brings a perspective shaped by software integrations\, RESTful APIs\, developer productivity\, and leadin g projects and teams.\n\nDuring this live\, interactive session\, Mindi wi ll walk you through a hands-on mystery app where you will practice the exa ct moves developers use to get unstuck. You will work through how to repro duce a problem\, build around what is missing\, and ask for help in a way that gives others enough information to actually help you.\n\nYou will gai n a practical process for approaching problems when you feel stuck instead of immediately reaching for the answer. You will also learn how to invest igate what is happening\, identify what you need\, and communicate your qu estions more effectively when you need support.\n\nGet ready to work throu gh a mystery! Follow along with Mindi as you practice troubleshooting and problem-solving techniques\, and bring your questions as you think through how you can use these strategies in your own development work.\n\nJoin us on **Friday\\\, October 23 at 1 PM PT \\| 3 PM CT \\| 4 PM ET** and save your spot now to practice the skills that can help you get unstuck as a de veloper. URL;VALUE=URI:https://www.meetup.com/the-tech-academy-free-class/events/31 6902617/ STATUS:CONFIRMED CREATED:20261008T215400Z LAST-MODIFIED:20261008T215400Z CLASS:PUBLIC END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:event_316861076@meetup.com SEQUENCE:1 DTSTAMP:20261020T153559Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261030T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261030T143000 SUMMARY:Tech Talk: Why a Dev Blog Is Your Career’s Secret Weapon with Ra chel Kaufman DESCRIPTION:The Tech Academy Free Classes\n**What can writing about your d evelopment work do for your tech career?**\n\nMost developers do not think of themselves as writers\, but writing can be a powerful way to strengthe n your skills and grow professionally. A dev blog is not about becoming an internet-famous thought leader. Writing helps you think through problems\ , remember what you have learned\, and become better at your work.\n\nOur guest speaker\, **Rachel Kaufman**\, is a full-stack software engineer in the martech space. She will share why writing and learning in public can b e valuable for developers at any stage of their careers. She is also a lea d organizer with Women and Gender eXpansive Coders DC\, where she helps cr eate technical workshops and networking opportunities for women and nonbin ary people in tech.\n\nIn this live session\, Rachel will break down the p ractical benefits of keeping a dev blog and walk through different ways to get started. She will cover the logistics of writing and publishing\, alo ng with how documenting your work can help you think more clearly\, retain what you learn\, and strengthen your development skills.\n\nYou will leav e with a better understanding of how writing can support your growth as a developer and practical ideas for starting a dev blog of your own. Most im portantly\, you will see how writing can be useful for learning and improv ing your work\, not simply building an online presence.\n\nBring your ques tions and your ideas! Follow along with Rachel as she shares practical way s to start writing and learning in public\, and think about what you could document from your own development journey.\n\nJoin us on **Friday\\\, Oc tober 30 at 1 PM PT \\| 3 PM CT \\| 4 PM ET** and save your spot now to di scover how a dev blog can become a valuable part of your career. URL;VALUE=URI:https://www.meetup.com/the-tech-academy-free-class/events/31 6861076/ STATUS:CONFIRMED CREATED:20261005T230703Z LAST-MODIFIED:20261005T230703Z CLASS:PUBLIC END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:event_317011455@meetup.com SEQUENCE:1 DTSTAMP:20261020T153559Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261106T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261106T143000 SUMMARY:Tech Talk: AI in Practice with Bethany Janos DESCRIPTION:The Tech Academy Free Classes\n**How can developers use AI eff ectively without losing sight of the fundamentals?**\n\nAI is changing how software is built and how developers approach everyday problems. For stud ents and early-career engineers\, keeping up with new tools and practices can feel overwhelming. Understanding how the industry has evolved and lear ning to make thoughtful decisions about AI can help you adapt and build sk ills that last.\n\nOur guest speaker\, **Bethany Janos**\, is a senior sof tware engineer at GitHub who works on the backend systems powering Copilot chat and agents. Since starting her career in 2018\, she has built backen d systems across different products and teams. She is also passionate abou t mentoring students and helping new developers build the technical skills and confidence they need to succeed.\n\nIn this live Tech Talk\, Bethany will explore practical approaches to working with AI in software engineeri ng. She will cover a brief history of the field\, explain harnesses and wh y they matter\, and introduce MCPs\, plugins\, skills\, and the concept of tokenmaxxing. She will also discuss when AI can be useful and when it is better to set it aside.\n\nYou will gain a clearer understanding of the to ols and workflows shaping AI-assisted development and how to make informed decisions about using them. You will also learn what to consider as you b uild your skills and prepare for a software industry that continues to evo lve.\n\nBring your questions and curiosity about AI! Follow along with Bet hany as she unpacks these tools and approaches\, and think about how you c an use them in your own learning and development projects.\n\nJoin us on * *Friday\\\, November 6 at 1 PM PT \\| 3 PM CT \\| 4 PM ET** and save your spot now to explore practical ways to work with AI and prepare for the fut ure of software engineering. URL;VALUE=URI:https://www.meetup.com/the-tech-academy-free-class/events/31 7011455/ STATUS:CONFIRMED CREATED:20261016T145958Z LAST-MODIFIED:20261016T145958Z CLASS:PUBLIC END:VEVENT X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.meetup.com/The-Tech-Academy-Free-Class/events/i cal/ X-WR-CALNAME:The Tech Academy Free Classes END:VCALENDAR