Metis One Day at Bootcamp: Python & Data Modeling Training

David Ziganto/Senior Data Scientist at Metis led a free one day bootcamp intro to Python and Data Science. This was a great intro to Python and how it is used in sorting and preparing data for specific presentations or uses. We used Anaconda and Jupyter notebook to practice simple steps for sorting and displaying data in different ways. After lunch he moved on to advanced topics using SciKit Learn to model linear regression and data prediction. 

Nathan from Metis bootcamp explained how their bootcamp is for people already comfortable with coding. There is an interview process and several prerequisites for those interested in going into data science but it is a very rewarding field and they seemed very passionate about it.

I have included the link to the event which has more information for those interested in data science:

https://www.meetup.com/Metis-Chicago-Data-Science/events/244672898/

Uncle Bob: Clean Code at Illinois Java Users Group

IJUG hosted Uncle Bob Martin, author of many famous coding books such as Clean Code. He was preceded by a lightning talk about the legal aspects of consulting.

Ian Berliner/Atty presented a short talk on the pros and cons of consulting. He mentioned the job security aspect of working for a large company but also talked about tax benefits in favor consulting. He mentioned how important it is to protect yourself and your intellectual property when doing consulting work. He also spoke about how important it is to put in the contract how and when you will get paid such as when you reach certain milestones in the project. He recommended both parties have a right to terminate the contract and to make sure there is a clause where the company cannot sue you twenty years from now if they find an issue with the software. His last point was of course, to always have your agreement reviewed by an attorney before taking on any consulting job.

There was not a topic listed for Uncle Bob just background information on him, so I think several of us believed he was going to talk about Clean Code. Alternatively, he spoke about Clean Architecture his new book which was recently released. He mentioned the importance of keeping your database behind its own firewall and making requests from the server through functions. He also recommended that your business rules be separated from your GUI and your database through the use of plug ins and functions. More details can be found in his new book.