Before the Workshop
Installation Instructions
These slides walk you through the installation: http://installfest.railsbridge.org. Try to do as much of this as you can before you come to the InstallFest so they can focus on working out any kinks you may run into!
Curriculum Preview
These slides are a preview of some of the material you’ll be going through: http://curriculum.railsbridge.org. Depending on your class, you may go through these slides or others, but feel free to look through them to get a general idea of what you’ll be building in the workshop.
FAQ
Q: Do I have to attend the Installfest?
A: Yes! The Installfest is a crucial part of the weekend, even if you’ve already gone through the instructions independently. There are a ton of moving parts when setting up a development environment, and the reason that we’re able to get through the curriculum on Saturday is that every single student has had their dev environment checked and has been awarded a sticker for their successes. There are also enough changing parts that even if you’ve been to a workshop in the past, you should attend the Installfest to get re-verified, because this stuff changes almost constantly.
Q: Do I really have to attend the Installfest?
A: Yes, really. There will be pizza, we promise. And fun people to talk to. And you don’t have to be there very long if you’ve already gotten through all the steps. (But if you haven’t gotten through all the steps ahead of time, please come early in the evening, because an install can take a few hours depending on what hiccups we get to work through.)
Q: How much does childcare cost?
A: Nothing! RailsBridge hires a sitter on the house so that there’s nothing between you and your computer. Just let the organizer know ahead of time so we can make arrangements; the sitter has historically always been in the office, usually in a lounge/conference room somewhere away from the learning.
How do I know if I was accepted?
Each workshop has its own registration page, which provides info about the workshop itself along with that event’s registration requirements.
Many upcoming workshops get listed at http://workshops.railsbridge.org/list/ and you can often find more via Twitter (@RailsBridge or #railsbridge)
Hey! I can’t seem to access your contact info, so I’m putting this here:
I am from Baltimore, and I just missed one of these in DC. I’m thinking of flying up for this (I have a bunch of southwest miles to use) but I couldn’t be there in time for the Friday night thing (work won’t let me off with this notice). Is there anyway I can work with a local chapter or do this on my own somehow?
Thanks for your help!
I heard about the Rails bridge workshops on NPR’s All Tech Considered last month with Sarah Allen and inspired by her story. I was excited to find out about the Rails Bridge workshops for women however, I can’t seem to find any of them in my area or even my state. I live in South San Francisco, please advise. I would love to get started.
Hi Naamah, there are usually monthly workshops in San Francisco – please sign up to sfruby.info to get please check the calendar to see if there are any upcoming workshops in the Penninsula & South Bay – http://workshops.railsbridge.org/list/
stay tuned, workshops are popping up everywhere! in the meantime, feel free to use our resources to help you with your independent study.