What the Master Trackers of the Kalahari Can Teach Us About Web Development
Why do so many skilled developers have professional and educational backgrounds as diverse as musicians, park rangers, journalists – and sometimes even computer scientists? Quality web development requires competency in far more than a single discipline like PHP programming, so these diverse professional and educational backgrounds can serve as strong foundations for acquiring these competencies.
The San of the Kalahari and their skills as master trackers provide a unique comparison with the skills that make for an excellent web developer.
Why use the San trackers for our comparison? Their skills as trackers are incredible and tracking itself is an interesting combination of science, art, and wide-ranging knowledge/experience. Also, tracking is good fun! (Note: although hunting was the origin of tracking, many modern trackers are photographers, naturalists, search and rescue professionals or simply people who like animals.)
In this session we will:
- Discover the science and art of tracking with some hands on activities to demonstrate the basics and hint at the complexities of this seemingly basic skill.
- Connect the skills and abilities of a master tracker to those of a modern day developer with the goal of bringing clarity to some of the less obvious attributes and skills that make for an excellent developer.
- Highlight a few distinctions between tracking and development (hint: you’re much less likely to be eaten by a lion due to a programming mistake than you are a tracking mistake).
- Explore how this perspective on development skills can influence professional development.
This session will be of interest to developers, site builders, project managers, HR professionals, or anyone looking to find insights into the skills and abilities that may make either themselves or their team better developers. This may also be your only chance to learn an outdoorsy skill like tracking at DrupalCon. No prior knowledge or experience is needed.