Code in the Dark<\/a> event in Paris, put together by the Rude Baguette and the Tictail team.\u00a0 I\u2019ll admit I was quite dubious about the event before going but came back enthusiastic, impressed, and inspired.<\/p>\nThe basic premise for the Code in the Dark is straightforward: \u00a0each round, developers have 15 minutes to replicate a specific web page. Because of the time limit, the emphasis is put on HTML and CSS though it\u2019d be fun to see a \u201cCode in the Dark Olympics\u201d at some point with different technology and skills involved.<\/p>\n
The main challenge at the event is the strict limitations put on the developers. Basically to stay within the rules, you can only use NotePad.\u00a0 That\u2019s right folks! No auto-complete, color-coding, or even preview.\u00a0 You code blind for 15 minutes and hope that what you come up with resembles the layout.<\/p>\n
While the event is definitely geared towards the keyboard virtuosos, it was also a great experience for those of us who are now more on the business side of tech.\u00a0 Here are some key points from the event that you could use to improve your company\u2019s tech team:<\/p>\n
A well-fed dev is an effective dev<\/h4>\n
You will never go thirsty or hungry at a Code in the Dark event. I think we had enough food to feed a small country.\u00a0 Though remembering how we used to always run out of Mountain Dew in our Boulder office, I think there is a direct correlation between a developers\u2019 stomach and his productivity level.<\/p>\n
Mo’money, No problems<\/h4>\n
If you have the funds, you have no excuse for not having a great front-end developer on your team right this moment.\u00a0 Talking to the participants \u2013including those who made it to the finals- many of them were not employed or were not working in a position where their skills were fully utilized.\u00a0 If you are looking for talent, forget resumes, going to hackathons, or even paying recruiters. Just put one of these events together and see potential recruits work their magic live!<\/p>\n
If you do recruit front-end devs, ask to see the code<\/h4>\n
I may loose followers for being so heretic but don\u2019t trust someone who does not want to show you his\/her code or feels insulted by being asked to code a few things in front of you. Why?\u00a0 Simple:\u00a0 It\u2019s about fit, not talent.\u00a0 There are tons of ways to code the same page \u2013many of the contestants had specific approaches and techniques- yet what matters from a company standpoint is whether the code will be (re)usable long-term.\u00a0 So when you are asking someone to look at what they\u2019ve done, you are just asking to see how they think, work, and interact with others.<\/p>\n
Set up the environment that works for your team.<\/h4>\n
I\u2019ll come out and say it: Open floor plans are stupid.\u00a0 Yes, I mean it.\u00a0 I\u2019d still rather have a quiet office where I can concentrate and focus without having to wear headphones to tune out noise.On the other end of the spectrum you have people who can code like virtuosos, listening to techno music, and wearing a Daft Punk helmet! (if anyone has the picture from the event, please share!)<\/p>\n
Can you hear yourself think?<\/h4>\n
During the event I could see that the music and the sound volume distracted some of the contestants. That\u2019s no big deal for a 15-minute rush, however consider the implications if you strive to put people in a position to succeed. Maybe having a flexible office space or even remote-work options could be a winning strategy for your business.<\/p>\n
All the participants put on an incredible showcase. They should be commended for putting their skills on the line in an environment where the slightest mistake would mean elimination from the later round.\u00a0 I really hope this format of events takes a hold and potentially grows into larger challenges involving different skillsets and maybe even pitting different companies against each other!<\/p>\n
%CODEINTHEDARK%<\/p>\n
Regardless, Code in the Darks will be outstanding venues for those of us on the business side. We may not remember the difference between a <b> and a <strong> yet it does not mean we cannot learn simply by watching these developers in action.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On September 27th I attended the first Code in the Dark event in Paris, put together by the Rude Baguette and the Tictail team.\u00a0 I\u2019ll admit I was quite dubious about the event before going but came back enthusiastic, impressed, and inspired. The basic premise for the Code in the Dark is straightforward: \u00a0each round,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":77,"featured_media":19816,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"subtitle":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10563],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tech"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rudebaguette.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rudebaguette.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rudebaguette.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rudebaguette.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/77"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rudebaguette.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19812"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rudebaguette.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19812\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rudebaguette.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19816"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rudebaguette.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rudebaguette.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rudebaguette.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Code](\"https:\/\/www.rudebaguette.com\/assets\/1385562_394574134002942_1893943697_n.jpg\")
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