Beginner's Guide

Must-See Talks & Tutorials

All of them! No, really.

But if you need more guidance than that, make note of the audience level at the top of talks you're interested in (it's on the page for the talk itself, not the schedule).

  • Novice: Talks that are aimed at beginners.
  • Intermediate: Talks that will touch on more complex topics than Novice talks, but are still accessible to attendees with a strong understanding of programming or Django fundamentals.
  • Experienced: These talks will be quite advanced, and are likely to delve into the nitty-gritty of Django and/or its internals. They aren't not beginner friendly, but a beginner might feel a little lost.
  • Not Applicable: Talks that aren't super technical, so an audience level wasn't really appropriate for them.

Just because a talk is marked as "intermediate" or "experienced" doesn't mean that, as a beginner, you won't get anything out of it! If a talk interests you, you should go, even if you're concerned about it being a little over your head. You might be surprised at how much you'll get out of that talk. And you can always ask questions, bookmark the docs, and come back to the topic at a later time when the material has had a chance to "gel."

Conference Etiquette and Tips

Basics

From Daniel Roy Greenfeld, used with permission

Bring something to take notes. A paper notebook, laptop, or tablet. Anything!

If you are looking for work, bring business cards. Seriously.

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!

If you can't make it to a talk, don't stress out. They are recorded and will be available later on. We'll tweet out the links as we get them posted!

Act professionally (see next section)

Code of Conduct

DjangoCon, like all Django-sponsored events, has an enforced Code of Conduct. While most people dress casually for tech conferences, this is still a professional event and we look forward to a fun, safe conference for everyone.

Photo Policy

In order to make DjangoCon US 2015 a great experience for everyone, do not photograph, video, or audio record anyone at DjangoCon without their express permission, sought in advance. If someone does not want to be photographed, video or audio recorded, please respect their wishes.

Crowd shots are permitted, but when only the faces of a few people are visible, permission should be sought from all of those individuals.

Attending Talks

Put away your devices so you can focus on the talk. It's fine to take notes, but all the talks will be on YouTube soon after the conference, so don't feel pressured to get everything down. It's also kinder to the speaker.

Ask questions (if the speaker takes questions), but make sure your question is a question. "I don't have a question, I just..." is not a question.

Be polite. This means silencing your phone, saving conversations for the "hallway track," and thanking the speaker for their time.

Many thanks to Daniel Roy Greenfeld, whose own post, "A Beginner's Guide to Pycon," inspired this one.