📢 #TheTechHustle in Atlanta! Conference Highlights, #TTH Community & New Levels 📈
...because greatness is the goal.
Tech peeps!
Wuz going on! Y’all good? Because we’re good, and we have a lot of good stuff to talk to y’all about in this installment of #TheTechHustle newsletter.
As always: If you’re new here, WELCOME. If you’re true here, WELCOME BACK!
If you caught our February wrap-up newsletter, you know that this month we were in Atlanta for the #NSBE50 Convention and Atlanta Cloud Conference 2024.
Major moves, you hear me?!
I want to share our experience from NSBE and some conference highlights from my talk titled Behind the Cloud at Twitter 1.0, as well as point you in the direction of our new #TTH community on Skool. This is our newest hangout spot where we’re dishing out the type of knowledge and engagement you need to keep leveling up.
From there, we have the usual mix of current events from DHustle and Raymond’s Nuggets from the one we shall never call RayRay!
Oh, and we’ve officially started our next run of #TTH podcasts! I’ll tell you about it.
Let’s get to it!
Highlights & Gems from ATL Tech Tour 💎
👨🏾💻:We’re still buzzing off the excitement of meeting conference attendees and several of our own #TTH mentees and supporters! From the energy y’all brought to the place to the conversations about your journeys and career aspirations, everything was A1.
No lie, y’all are what made the experience for me and #TheTechHustle team!
#NSBE50 Convention
We pulled up to the Georgia World Congress Center for a few days of pure tech hustle. The convention was filled with black engineering talent hungry to reach the next level. ‘Twas an incredible sight to behold.
Reviewing attendees’ resumes and providing pointers and encouragement for showing up as their best self at this event and every other opportunity.
Some of the heaviest hitters in tech were in the building—Google, Amazon, Facebook—as well as many other reputable companies like Walmart, Dell, Delta, ExxonMobil, and HP.
If I’m being honest, y’all really showed up for the culture! Much respect and best wishes to all the attendees—the next level is already yours!
SHAMELESS PLUG: Speaking of next level, our new #TheTechHustle Community 🤝🏽 is where you will get the gems and knowledge that’ll put you ahead in the tech game. Not to mention, you’ll be able to meet and interact with like-minded techies. Check us out!!!
Atlanta Cloud Conference 2024
Yours truly took center stage at the Atlanta Cloud Conference 2024 to deliver a 60-minute speech aptly titled “Behind the Cloud at Twitter 1.0.”
Being that I’m a former Twitter engineer (before it was rebranded to X), my goal for this talk was to touch on topics that showcased the responsibilities and significance of the the SRE role—things like cloud infrastructure and containerization.
Here are a few of the highlights from my speech:
🎤 💎 | What is a site reliability engineer (SRE)?
An SRE is an engineer whose main role to support and maintain the reliability of a site. SRE skills are primarily developed around systems engineering, with some focus on software engineering.
🎤 💎 | Automate Yourself Out of a Job
One of the most effective functions of an SRE is finding ways to reduce toil (operational burden). You need to execute automation solutions that free up your time so you can be more productive in other areas and eventually elevate in your career.
🎤 💎 | Datacenter Scale
Managing large-scale infrastructure was a daily routine for my team of 10 engineers, half of whom were software engineers and the other half SREs. The compute platform we created was essential to about 90% of everything that ran at Twitter, and this is the very reason why my team was so efficient at managing a large, datacenter scale operation.
At the end of the day, engineers are problem solvers.
What this means is that most of the work we do falls in line with figuring things out, making things work, and employing sustainable solutions. It also means that information like this should be of considerable interest to up-and-coming tech talent like yourself, especially since having certain knowledge and skills could be the ladder you need to level up in your career.
💡 Raymond’s Nuggets!
It’s that time again! Raymond stepping in with nuggets/info that allow us to survive another day as techies! Respect his nugget hustle, but don’t you dare call him RayRay!
🤷🏾♂️:ℹ️ Miami Micro Center 🏬
Tech heads across the map are preparing for a new computer store opening soon in Miami called Miami Micro Center. This will be the the Ohio-based computer retail company’s first Florida location, and word on the street is that MMC will be one of the largest indoor computer stores in the country, coming in at around 24,000 sq. ft.
You can think of this as an old-school Circuit City where you’ll be able to go in and build your keyboards and motherboards, etc. #TheTechHustle is definitely planning a weekend trip to Miami to see what MMC has to offer once the store opens it doors.
ℹ️ Xbox Game Pass 🎮
For all the Xbox peeps out there, this one if for you.
Xbox Game Pass is a video game streaming service that allows you to play your games on Xbox, PC, and mobile devices. Currently, the platform offers over 100 games. And the best part? It only costs $10 a month. Convenient and cheap? We’ll take it.
ℹ️ PrivNote.com 🤫
Ever wanted or needed to send a private, secure note or message to someone? Maybe you need to send login credentials or share info that should only be read or seen once.
Well, now’s your chance to make that happen with a site called PrivNote.com. This free web-based service allows you to send messages that, get this, self-destruct once they’ve been viewed by the recipient, completely eliminating the likelihood that the message will be seen by anyone else.
ℹ️ VirtualBox by Oracle 🖥️
Described as a “general-purpose full virtualizer for x86 hardware,” VirtualBox allows you to play around with different operating systems. So, say you want to test out Linux or Windows, you can do just that with this virtualization product from Oracle. Adding to it's glory is the fact that it’s feature-rich and high performance. Best of all? It’s free.
📰 DHustle’s News & Current Events (March)
💆🏽♂️:As we know, there’s no shortage of news coming out of the tech world.
Here’s a quick overview of March’s biggest headlines:
Sony Layoffs: The entertainment and technology giant is laying off 900 people from its Playstation unit as it moves to shut down one of its London studios. Post-pandemic growth challenges across the gaming industry are once again to blame.
Samsung Galaxy Ring: With an expected launch of Summer 2024, the Samsung Galaxy ring is gaining an early reputation as a sleek, contemporary alternative to the heavier, bulkier fitness trackers and smartwatches. The health-focused wearable is sure to be yet another testament to the shifts taking place across both the tech and healthcare industries.
Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses: A partnership a lot of us probably thought we’d never see is between Ray-Ban and Meta. These two have partnered up to offer the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses which are integrated with AI technology and livestream (direct to FB and IG). And if that isn’t enough, you can also make calls and send messages through SMS, WhatsApp, and Messenger. Coming in at $299-$379, this wearable tech accessory has several other features and functionalities priced in that aim to make it less necessary to do things on your computer or mobile device.
#TheTechHustle Community 🤝🏽
Another exciting thing happened:
🗣: #TheTechHustle community hit 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ members! 🎊
If you don’t know yet, #TheTechHustle has a diverse tech community where we’re putting in work to reshape the tech world! The mission is to revolutionize engineering through the power of community, empowerment, and AI education.
We have a lot of big announcements and even bigger plans for this community.
How we’re coming:
➕ Premium Community Plus - This is our paid subscription service that we’re launching in the coming weeks. As a Premium member, you can expect more access to us, 1-on-1 sessions, and more coaching, among other benefits.
🎓#TTH Cohort - We’re in the idea stage on this one, but we’ll definitely keep you updated on how we decide to move forward with it.
📈 New Levels and Big Announcements - We can’t reveal everything just yet but know we’re coming with the best of the best. Stay plugged in for big news.
We can’t make it happen without your support!
So, if you haven’t already, join us. We’re not trying to leave anybody behind!
#TheTechHustle Podcast 🎙 on YouTube 🎥
As far as #TheTechHustle YouTube channel goes, we’re building a vibrant community with a lot of cool content. That said #TTH Podcast - Episode 30 is already up for your listening enjoyment.We have new things in the works that we’ll be adding to the roster of great media that’s already there:
➡️ BobbyD’s Featured Segments
➡️ Audio + video podcast content
➡️ NEW segment: Backstage with BobbyD
➡️ Community Meetup recordings
Like and Subscribe to stay on the lookout for more!
👋🏾…Not Goodbye, Just See You Later…
And that, tech family, brings us to the end of our time together.
Don’t let all this knowledge sit idle in your inbox. There are plenty of opportunities out there for you to do everything you want to do—you just need to prepare and show up.
Hopefully there’s some info you found valuable in this newsletter. Take what resonates and use it to get you started on the next phase of your tech journey.
Steady up the ladder we go.
Until next time! Peace…✌🏾
Special shoutout and thank you to our sponsor, Mar-velous Creations. Check her out for creative and custom handmade sweets and treats. Her service area spans from Palm Beach down to Miami-Dade.
🚀 Join the Hustle!
🎧 Tune-in to Our Podcast – Your weekly dose of tech, culture, and community insights.
👥 Join Our Community – Dive into our Discord, where the tech talk never stops.
💻 Contribute on GitHub – Got code? Join our projects and make a difference.
🎤 Book a Speaker – Bring #TheTechHustle's fire to your event.
📚 Explore Our Courses – Level up with our expert-led tech courses.
💼 Advertise with Us – Become a Sponsor or Partner with #TheTechHustle!
💖 Make a Donation – Support the movement that's reshaping tech.