House of Test Switzerland

Summary

Inspired by the Global Day of Coderetreat—an annual event where developers worldwide gather to refine their software design and development skills in a collaborative, risk-free environment—this workshop follows a structured format around a well-known problem domain. By removing the pressure of delivering a final product, participants can focus on fundamental principles like atomic changes, pair programming, and clean code. Expect a full day of deliberate practice with immediate takeaways for your daily work.

English, German

Full-day, in-person, on-site workshop

Target Group

Developers, Testers, Site Reliability Engineers, POs, and anyone involved in software development or operations interested in getting insights in pairing and the impact of context on code..

Course duration:

1 day

Max participants:

You will learn

Continuously improving code structure ensuring correctness in small reversible changes

Adapting to different perspectives and learning from diverse approaches and styles

Working closely with a partner to improve code quality and share knowledge

Writing readable & maintainable code, prioritizing clarity over cleverness

Giving and receiving feedback in constructive discussions on design decisions

Breaking down problems, tackling complex problems in smaller, manageable parts

Your Guide

Pablo is a software engineer with extensive experience in Python and JavaScript, as well as a strong background in various other programming languages. As the president of Coders Only, he is passionate about fostering communities where developers can grow their skills through collaboration and hands-on learning. He enjoys organizing events that emphasize clean code, maintainability, and craftsmanship. When he's not coding, you'll find him bouldering, refining his Nix setup, or planning his next outdoor adventure.

Pablo Vergés

Course content

This workshop is designed as a full day of hands-on coding practice, focusing on learning through collaboration and experimentation. Participants will engage in six pairing sessions, each introducing a unique constraint to encourage new insights and deeper understanding.

Introduction: The day begins with a short session to set the stage, helping participants shift their mindset towards learning rather than delivering a final product.
Pairing Sessions: Participants work in rotating pairs, meaning they collaborate with a different partner in each session. Each session introduces a new constraint, encouraging fresh perspectives and promoting better coding practices.
Discussion Rounds: After each pairing session, the group gathers to share experiences, challenges, and key takeaways, reinforcing learning through reflection.
Final Wrap-Up: The day concludes with a discussion where participants consolidate their takeaways and reflect on how to apply their learnings in real-world development.

This structured approach fosters collaborative problem-solving, clean code practices, and a growth mindset, providing participants with valuable insights that extend beyond the workshop.

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Participants needs to bring:

To fully participate in the workshop, each attendee should bring: A laptop with a working development environment. An IDE or code editor set up for at least one programming language of their choice. A test harness to run tests in their selected language. No specific language is required—participants are free to work with the tools they are most comfortable with. The focus is on improving coding practices, not learning new technologies.