Hi

I just published a personal reflection on my transformation from an isolated developer who "wanted to sit in a corner working on my own thing" to someone who now speaks at international conferences like Devoxx Belgium.

My journey parallels Java's own evolution – from Sun's closed Oak project to today's vibrant open-source ecosystem. The turning point came at JavaOne 2014, watching Venkat Subramaniam present Java 8 features. His quote still resonates: "We write code for others to read and occasionally for machines to execute."

Key insights from my 30-year journey:

• Technical excellence isn't enough: Sharing knowledge and building bridges matters just as much
• Start small: My first steps were lunch-and-learn sessions, not conference talks
• Unexpected skills transfer: My experience as a fitness instructor taught me presentation skills that proved invaluable
• Community mentorship is transformative: From being inspired by Venkat to being mentored by Bruno Souza
• AI tools raise the bar: We're moving from "how to implement" to "why choose this approach"

The article includes practical action items for each stage of growth, from writing your first TIL (Today I Learned) note to submitting conference proposals.

As Java celebrates its 30th anniversary, your voice matters more than ever. Every expert started exactly where you are today, they just took that first step.

Read the full story: https://javapro.io/2025/06/25/java-technical-leadership-journey/

What will your first step be?

Enjoy,

Markus