Tech Camp introduces Georgia high schoolers to technology careers
Posted by Posted by Erica Hanson, Senior Program Manager, Google Developer
Student Clubs
Tamta Kapanadze wishes that she had learned sooner about careers in technology. By the time
that the Georgian citizen learned about them, she was already a university student.
As Kapanadze continued her studies and her interest in technology grew, she wanted to spread
the word about the growing field to high-school students in Georgia, a country where the
industry is still small.
To do this, Kapanadze called in the support of Google Developer Student Clubs (GDSCs),
community groups for college and university students interested in Google's developer
technology. After Kapanadze graduated from university, she continued her work by organizing a
chapter of Google Developer Groups (GDGs) for Kutaisi.
Google Developer Groups are the largest community network of professional developers in the
world. The program consists of local chapters that provide inclusive environments open to
everybody interested in tech. The chapters let members learn new skills, and meet other
developers with similar interests through online and in-person events.
However, even after all that, Kapanadze still wanted to do more. She brought together friends
and colleagues to partner with Mariam, GDSC Georgia American University Lead; Iliko, GDSC
Georgia American University core team member; Giorgi, GDSC Tbilisi State University Lead; and
Bakar, GDSC San Diego State University Lead. With this team assembled, they planned Tech Camp,
a virtual technological learning experience that teaches high schoolers about tech fields and
how to start careers in web development, game development, artificial intelligence, machine
learning, and more.
Tamta Kapanadze.
While it's difficult enough to plan and execute a new event, Kapanadze and her partners didn't
let the additional challenges of the last year stop their plans to launch Tech Camp. They
wanted to publicize the event by mid-January, so they made a to-do list and set deadlines for
themselves. After a few weeks of intense planning, they:
- Chose the session topics
- Started looking for speakers
- Chose dates and created a timetable for the camp
- Created an application form
- And created logos and other designs
Kapanadze and her partners accepted applications for Tech Camp from Jan. 20 to Feb. 10 and
announced their speakers to the public to keep the buzz about the event going. They originally
hoped to receive 30 applications, but instead received 500 across their events. In particular,
300 students attended the speaker sessions and 50 students attended the coding sessions, where
they would teach them about algorithms and the basics of C++.
Finally, the first day of Tech Camp arrived on Feb. 15. They began each session with fun
icebreakers to help everybody feel comfortable, including themselves. Here's a timeline of
what each day covered:
- Day 1:
- Digital professions
- Hardware and software
Day 2:
- Mobile development
- Web development
Day 3:
- Cybersecurity
- Game development
- Data engineering
Day 4:
- UI/UX design
- Embedded systems
Day 5:
Day 6:
- Artificial intelligence and machine learning
- Career development
Day 7:
- Importance of technology
- Freelance jobs
- Award ceremony
A screenshot of the virtual session about game development.
Everybody defines success differently, but for Kapanadze and her team it meant impacting at
least one person. By this measure, Tech Camp succeeded because many of those who attended
decided to pursue careers in tech. As for Kapanadze, she can’t wait to see what the future
holds for Georgia's high schoolers and the country's growing tech industry.
To watch recordings from Tech Camp, please visit
the playlist on
YouTube
.
The recordings available from Tech Camp.
For more information, find
a Google
Developers community group near you
.