Ruby Mastery and Community Love with Ufuk Kayserilioglu

In this episode of Ruby for All, Andrew and Julie kick off with their excitement for RubyConf and then introduce their special guest Ufuk Kayserilioglu, an Engineering Manager at Shopify, to discuss his passion for Ruby and his contributions to the Ruby community.  They also touch upon the importance of mastering your choice of programming language and diving into the work of first principle thinking. Ufuk explains the concept of ‘Triple equals’ as his favorite Ruby method and offers valuable insight into the open source community.  The discussions wrap up with Ufuk expressing his anticipation for RubyConf and encourages a more communal and interactive setting for programmers. Press download now to hear much more! 

[00:00:08] Julie and Andrew are super excited to attend RubyConf but they both are preoccupied with work things going on. 

[00:00:55] Ufuk introduces himself and discusses his job at Shopify and their mandate to ensure Ruby and Rails remain foundational for the next century, including community, tooling, and industry preference. He also shares his background in physics and academia, and his transition to programming for the instant gratification of seeing solutions in action. 

[00:03:00] Andrew seeks Ufuk’s advice on the relevance of learning Ruby on Rails in 2023 for job prospects.  Ufuk suggests learning Ruby for enjoyment, rather than just for career advantages, emphasizing curiosity and learning for its own sake.

[00:07:30] Julie asks about the depth of learning one language versus branching out. Ufuk advises mastery of tools and languages used professionally, comparing it to fluency in human languages.  He advocates for learning multiple programming languages to gain different perspectives and solutions. Andrew, identifying with ADHD, questions the notion of mastery and emphasizes learning patterns in programming that are universal across languages. 

[00:12:50] Julie inquires about what it feels like to master Ruby, and Ufuk clarifies that mastery isn’t about typing speed but about understanding how to implement complex modules and APIs naturally in Ruby, recognizing and applying patterns without having to think hard about the language itself. 

[00:14:34] Julie questions if there is a deliberate practice to reach mastery faster than just building repeatedly. Ufuk compares mastering programming to an artistic endeavor, such as playing a musical instrument, and suggests that various practices lead to a flow state of mastery. 

[00:16:27] Ufuk adds that observing skilled individuals and pairing with more knowledgeable programmers accelerates learning. He mentions RubyConf Community Day and his role in organizing a hack day, aiming to connect newcomers with experienced project leaders to foster learning and collaboration. 

[00:18:15] What does Ufuk love about the Ruby community? He praises the community’s openness and willingness to collaborate, despite occasional drama and tension, finding value in the free exchange of information and collaboration. 

[00:20:15] Julie asks about Ufuk’s history and evolution in the Ruby community. He reflects on his journey with Ruby since around 2012, evolving from building projects to actively participating in the community. 

[00:22:35] Andrew inquires about what Ufuk is looking forward to in San Diego. He expresses his excitement for the hack day he’s co-organizing, viewing the conference as an offsite for the Ruby open source community, focusing on building things and active collaboration beyond just attending talks. Julie is looking forward to experience RubyConf’s new format firsthand, and Andrew voices a complaint about the RubyConf website lacking detailed info on the event schedule and format.

[00:27:39] Julie wants to know how to apply “first principles” thinking to programming. Ufuk expla