KEYNOTE: Learning Out Loud (Under Near-Existential Pressure)

As devs today, we’re supposed to demonstrate immediate skills in tools whose configs change once a fortnight, while shipping cutting-edge features in long-standing apps (that may still have a legacy bug or two). Drawing on her background as a trained teacher and Photoshop engineer, Laura brings humor, solidarity, and research on the mechanics of real learning and change to this all-too-relatable environment. You’ll get concrete reframes to lower the perceived stakes of failure while shifting your identity from “knower” to “learner”, including treating hard moments as practice rounds, creating visible evidence that your brain is adapting, and using mediocrity as an invitation to group learning. Laura is using these practices in her ongoing quest to remain a software developer before it’s time to take up woodworking.