IT Career

Winner: Tekne Exceptional Tech Leadership Award

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Last week was the 26th Tekne awards. Here is the website for it: tekneawards.org. It is Minnesota’s Premier Technology Celebration honoring the leaders and leading organizations who are fueling Minnesota’s tech-driven economy, with 15 Tekne Awards across 3 categories: Business Impact, Community Impact, and Individual Achievement. It is a celebration of the excellence and innovation within Minnesota’s technology ecosystem.

The 2024 Tekne Awards event was nothing short of incredible! Held at the Minneapolis Convention Center and hosted by the amazing Angela Davis radio show host on Minnesota Public Radio, the event was filled with brilliant technology leaders who are shaping Minnesota’s business ecosystem.


I am beyond proud to share that we did it! We brought home the Tekne Award (glass flame) for Exceptional Tech Leadership!!! 🏆

I say “we” because this achievement is not mine alone—it’s a reflection of the support of my wife and family, mentors, the tech community, and all the people who inspire me every day. Together, we’re driving change, sharing knowledge, connecting people, and creating opportunities for those who traditionally haven’t had a seat at the table in tech.

What made the evening even more special was having one of my sons, present me with the award.

I also want to extend a huge shoutout to the other exceptional nominees in this category: Greg Larson, Michael G. Wulf, Ed.D., Yanina Grinberg, Justin Grammens, and Amy Patton. This was a fiercely competitive category, and it’s truly an honor to be recognized alongside such impactful leaders.

Many of you I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with, and I look forward to finding ways to work with the rest of you. Your work is inspiring—let’s keep pushing boundaries and making a difference!

Also a congrats to all the other winners throughout the night! Here is a video with more pics from the award night:


A heartfelt thank you to the Minnesota Technology Association and the incredible team behind the Tekne Awards, including Jeff Tollefson, Ismail Ali, Keegan Carda, Ama Asantewaa, Lonni Ranallo, Piper Cleaveland, and everyone else who makes this event possible. Your dedication to fueling Minnesota’s tech ecosystem and supporting the next generation of technologists is truly commendable.

The future of tech in Minnesota is bright, and I’m excited to continue contributing to this amazing community. Let’s keep the momentum going!

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Lead Developer Career Guide

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Exciting times! I’ve had a lot to share lately, and here’s another update. Shelley Benhoff‘s new book, “Lead Developer Career Guide“, has officially gone to print—huge congratulations to Shelley! 🎉

Published by Manning Publications Co., this book is a comprehensive resource for anyone aspiring to excel as a Lead Developer.

I’m incredibly honored to have written the foreword for this fantastic book!

In the Lead Developer Career Guide you’ll discover:

  • The key responsibilities of a lead developer
  • Techniques for writing effective technical documentation
  • Strategies for improving development processes
  • Best practices for communicating with non-technical clients
  • Methods for mentoring and inspiring a team
  • Approaches for delivering negative feedback constructively

The Lead Developer Career Guide is filled with interviews and real-world case studies from industry professionals and esteemed tech experts. You’ll learn how to become the public face for your development team, gathering feedback from your coworkers and communicating with clients and stakeholders. Plus, you’ll find proven techniques to reliably calculate project estimates, plan a project from scratch, and mentor junior developers and peers alike.

You can check it out here:

https://www.manning.com/books/lead-developer-career-guide?a_aid=shelley&a_bid=8e03047e

and here:

https://www.amazon.com/Developer-Career-Guide-Shelley-Benhoff/dp/1633438074

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Appeared on Kare 11 News to Promote Microsoft ManCode

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Recently I made an appearance on the news today alongside co-organizer Amondo Dickerson on Alexis Rogers “news at noon” show on Kare 11!

🎉 We had the opportunity to share about the upcoming Microsoft ManCode Mentoring Event, which I’m proud to be a part of. You can check out the video here:

https://www.kare11.com/video/news/local/news-at-noon/89-d37157f3-8d4f-4994-9f04-8e6953fdd6c2

or watch it here:


This event, now in its 4th year, is all about providing young men of color the chance to learn from local black leaders in tech, business, and beyond. This year, we’re covering everything from AI and robotics to financial literacy, education, and careers in tech/gaming. It’s happening at Minneapolis College on October 17th & 18th, and it’s FREE for young men ages 12-17!



Special thanks to Microsoft, 100 Black Men, Twin Cities, and the Phyllis Wheatley Community Center for keeping this event going.


The motto of the 100 Black Men Twin Cities is “What they see is what they’ll be,” and this event embodies that vision. 💪🏽

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24th and 25th Pluralsight Courses Published

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I have been so busy in 2024 that I didnt have a chance to post about my 24th and 25th Pluralsight courses. So I am a little late posting this but I am excited that my 24th course “JavaScript Performance Playbook” and my 25th course “Create Google Cloud Deployment Manager Templates Using Generative AI” have both published on the Pluralsight platform!

You can find both courses here:

JavaScript Performance Playbook

This course will teach you how to optimize your JavaScript app, or API overall, so that they will be lightning-fast and perform well.

https://app.pluralsight.com/library/courses/javascript-performance-playbook

&

Create Google Cloud Deployment Manager Templates Using Generative AI

This course will teach you how artificial intelligence (AI) can help you administer and deploy cloud resources faster and more accurately than ever before.

https://app.pluralsight.com/library/courses/create-google-cloud-deployment-manager-templates-generative-ai

I hope you find value in these new courses. Be sure to follow my profile on Pluralsight so you will be notified as I release new courses! 

Here is the link to my Pluralsight profile to follow me:

https://www.pluralsight.com/authors/steve-buchanan

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My First Keynote: Session 0 at Minnebar 18

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I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be delivering my inaugural keynote at Minnebar 18, an annual technology conference hosted in Minneapolis by the well known tech organization, Minnestar. My talk will explore the power of investment in shaping our collective future.

As an (un)conference, Minnebar provides a dynamic platform for tech enthusiasts to converge and share insights. Visit the site for full information on Minnebar 18: https://minnestar.org/ultimate-guide-to-minnebar18

Taking place on April 20, 2024, at Best Buy’s Corporate Campus, this Minnebar event will be an event to remember. I’m particularly honored to lead Session 0, also known as the keynote, marking not only my debut at Minnebar but also my first time engaging this vibrant community in the first session of the day.

My talk is titled “Let’s Invest: Building Strong Community and Empowering Our Future” here is the description of my talk: “

Explore the power of investment in shaping our collective future in this keynote talk. Hear about the speakers’ journey and the investments others made contributing to his success. Dive into the Minnesota computer science plan and its role in fostering youth talent, alongside the broader theme of community investment. Discover how organizations in the Twin Cities’ tech space are actively supporting individuals at all levels, from youth initiatives to professional development programs, and more.

Join us to uncover actionable strategies for investing in your own success and the success of others, strengthening our community fabric. Together, let’s ignite a collective commitment to investing in each other and our communities, forging a path for strong communities and empowered future for all.”

Here is sampling of some of the sessions you will see at Minnebar:

You can check out other sessions here:

https://sessions.minnestar.org/home

Mark your calendars for April 20, 2024, and join us at Minnebar 18—it’s free and open to all who share an interest. I look forward to connecting. See you there! Register here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/minnebar18-tickets-863048881437

***Update***

If you missed the Minnebar 18 event, no worries! My keynote was recorded and is available to watch here:

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MN Computer Science Strategic Plan Finished

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📢 Six months ago, a coalition of esteemed technologists and educators united to establish the Minnesota’s Computer Science (CS) Working Group, embarking on a journey to develop a comprehensive Computer Science Education Strategic Plan for all public K-12 and charter schools across the state. 💻 Throughout this six-month journey, we convened for five full-day meetings and workshops, undertaking two rounds of meticulous writing to synthesize our collective insights into the plan. The journey in posts:

#1 Working group started! – https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7119683894882291713

#2 Plan draft done! – https://www.linkedin.com/posts/steveabuchanan_computer-science-working-group-update-activity-7159322360435634177-DglR

#3 Plan finished! – https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7176989951132151808

Here is a summary of the effort:

📝 “Minnesota’s Computer Science (CS) Working Group developed a state strategic plan for computer science, finalized in March, 2024, which describes ten recommendations for long-term and sustained growth of computer science education across all public K-12 and charter schools in Minnesota, as outlined in the Computer Science Education Advancement Act Minn. Stat. 120B.241 [2023]. The recommendations are aligned to the requirements outlined in the legislation, such as licensure, high-quality professional development, continuous improvement, and standards, among others.” 

Kudos to all of the amazing indivuduals in the working group:

  • Andrea Wilson Vazquez, Minnesota Department of Education
  • Wendy Robinson, Office of Higher Education
  • Katherine Anthony-Wigle, Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB)
  • Alexandra Holter, Computer Science Teachers Association – MN Chapter
  • Steve Buchanan Microsoft, representative from the business community employing computer scientists or technologists
  • Greg Larson, Minnesota Technology Association (MnTech)
  • Mahmoud Aliamer, Science Museum of Minnesota, representative from a nonprofit organization working with students and teachers in computer science
  • Anthony Padrnos, Minnesota Association of School Administrators (MASA)
  • Tabitha Senty, Education Minnesota
  • Cassie Scharber, Minnesota Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (MACTE)
  • Jennifer Rosato, CSforAll MN
  • • Sheri Levasseur, Pequot Lakes Public Schools, licensed library media specialist
  • • Erica Allenburg, Minnesota School Boards Association (MSBA)
  • • Vic Dreier, SciMathMN
  • • Zhaawin Gonzalez, Tribal Nations Education Committee (TNEC)
  • • Jesse Kodet, Tribal Nations Education Committee (TNEC)
  • • High School Student, Under 1,000 student school
  • • High School Student, Over 1,000 student school
  • • Andy Olson, Hermantown Community Schools, K–5 teacher
  • • Kirsten Tetzlaff, Minnetonka Public School District, 6–8 teacher
  • • Indrayani LeMaire, Hmong College Prep Academy, 9–12 teacher
  • • Tika Kude, Wayzata Public School District, 9–12 CTE teacher

🙌🏼 It was an honor to contribute to this effort, one that will profoundly impact the youth of Minnesota for years to come. 🎉🎉 Yesterday, we partnered with the Minnesota Tech Association and the Raspberry Pi Foundation to commemorate the successful completion of this plan. Hosted at REM5 Labs in St. Louis Park, the event had great support, with a notable turnout of engaged individuals. Even had the chance to speak on a panel with Philip Colligan the CEO of the Raspberry Pi Foundation! 🌟

📰 The next milestone involves publishing the plan to the Minnesota Department of Education’s (MDE) Legislative Reports page, followed by its journey through the legislative process, with the ultimate aim of committing it into law.

You can download a PDF of the plan here:

Computer Science State Strategic Plan

🏛️This achievement marks just the beginning of the journey. Sustained dedication and the involvement of more volunteers will be essential to realizing the goals outlined in this plan. 💻

Stay tuned for further updates on the progression of our efforts. There’s much more to come around this initiative.

MDE Computer Science page:

https://education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/stds/ComputerScience/index.htm

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From SysAdmin to Platform Engineer with Steve Buchanan on RunAsRadio

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I was recently a guest on the RunAsRadio podcast. This was the second time being on the show. The last time was 4 years ago. You can catch the old episode here: Terraform vs Bicep/ARM with Steve Buchanan.

This new episode is #924 and is titled: “From SysAdmin to Platform Engineer with Steve Buchanan“. On this new episode we talked about Platform Engineering and a bunch of other stuff.

Here is the description from the episode:

“Aren’t we all platform engineers? Steve Buchanan says yes!

But there’s more to it. Steve talks about the mindset of looking beyond individual products that we might have skills with and owning the entire problem of providing platforms for your organization to get work done.

The conversation dives into the many products that can help our applications function better and the challenge of making them secure and fast. Are containers the solution? Possibly!

It’s your platform; focus on the fundamentals and go further!“

I had a great time chatting with Richard and we didn’t even mention AI until 40 minutes in. haha

You can check out the episode here:

https://runasradio.com/Shows/Show/924

or here:

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Platform Engineering Panel

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I am excited to be on another panel for the Come Cloud With Us folks!

This time this panel is focused on Platform Engineering. It will be at the end of February. You wont want to miss this panel! Here is more info about the panel:

When:

Thursday, February 29, 2024 at 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM CST

Where:

Online event

The Panel:
Steve Buchanan – Principal Program Manager at Microsoft
Kaslin Fields – Developer Advocate at Google
Marino Wijay – Cloud Native Solutions Engineering and Advocacy at Solo
Michael Levan – Chief Engineer/Consultant, Content Creator, and Trainer
Saim Safdar – Technical Leader and CNCF Ambassador
Kat Morgan – Developer Advocate at Pulumi
Whitney Lee – Staff Technical Advocate at VMware
Robin Smorenburg – Lead Cloud Architect – Azure MVP & CNCF Ambassador

Register:

https://www.meetup.com/comecloudwithus/events/298689442

**Update**

If you missed the live stream, no worries. You can watch the recording here:

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Career in Cloud Panel – Azure Community Enthusiasts UG

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💡 Starting the new year with another event! We kicked things off with a “Career in Cloud Panel” hosted by the Azure Community Enthusiasts (ACE) user group. Based in the UK, ACE brings together passionate individuals diving into the world of Azure.

This user group aims to create a community of enthusiasts and professionals passionate about learning Microsoft Azure. Their meetups are both online AND in-person (London or Birmingham). ACE can be found on Twitter here:

https://twitter.com/AzureCommUG

on LinkedIn here:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/azurecommug

and on Meetup.com here:

https://www.meetup.com/azure-community-enthusiasts

I had a blast being part of this Career in Cloud Panel with fellow panelist and long time friend Sam Ernskine (@samerskine) from the UK! Big shoutout to the hosts, friend and Microsoft MVP Kevin Greene (@kgreeneit) from Ireland, and the up and coming Nicholas Chang(@nick_cloudops), also an MVP from the UK. 👩‍💻👩🏿‍💻 It felt like a tech reunion! 🎉

We dove into some cool topics such as: what got us hooked on tech, the building blocks of tech skills throughout our careers, staying flexible by not tying the knot with one technology, whether cloud certifications are the golden ticket to landing a job, and more. Being on this panel was a total blast – a mix of fun and insightful vibes! 🌐

For those who missed it, you can catch the recording here:

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Minnesota Computer Science Education Working Group

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Under the Computer Science Education Advancement Act (HF 759 and SF 757) (https://csforallmn.org/cs-ed-bill-2023/), the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) has been charged to form a working group that will develop a strategic plan to improve Computer Science for k-12 education in the state of Minnesota. 🎓

🔄 There is an urgent need to elevate Minnesota’s computer science k-12 education position. Minnesota is currently last in the United States when it comes to computer science.

An insightful article highlighting this challenge can be found here: (https://www.startribune.com/minnesotas-high-school-tech-education-is-among-the-worst-stunting-local-industrys-growth/600275879/).

🔄I am thrilled to share that, among 80 applicants, I have been chosen as a member of this new “Minnesota Computer Science Education Working Group” by MDE! 🌟 It’s an honor to stand alongside esteemed technologists and educators from our state. Together, we are committed to crafting a comprehensive statewide computer science education program.

Our mission is clear: bridge the tech education gap in Minnesota’s schools through a plan for long-term and sustained growth of computer science education in all k-12 school districts and charter schools. The working group will develop a robust plan, slated to be presented to legislative committees overseeing education in the state. Upon approval, this plan will be set to improve computer science education statewide.

I am thankful to work at an organization such as Microsoft that supports employees to engage in initiatives such as this. This is a testament to Microsoft’s mission to “empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more”.

The working group kicks off this week with our first meeting. I am excited to impact computer science in K-12 education, and I invite you to learn more about the initiative here:  https://education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/stds/ComputerScience/index.htm.

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