"I'd love to be a Java Dragon!", — Helen Scott
Tags: java, jvm, conference
Published: 2021-06-16 02:33:21

Hello jLovers!

![Alt Text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/26gsqt0f2tv730bjh7pw.png)

It's so wonderful that we have an opportunity to share the knowledge with the whole world! We want more powerful people around ;) 
If you are still thinking to go or not to go at [jLove](https://twitter.com/JLoveConf)! 
We definitely say 'go'! Here are five reasons 'why'!

**Learn** from the cutting-edge software engineers in the industry across 30+ sessions. JVM experts from IBM, Microsoft, Google, JetBrains, Oracle, VMware, and many more are eager to share their knowledge. Whether you're new to JVM or an enterprise-level professional, there's something for everyone at [jLove](https://twitter.com/JLoveConf).

**Innovate** in the fields of Java by exchanging ideas with like-minded professionals in our populated Discord channel. It will be available after the event, too!

**Influence** the discussions through active participation via live Q&A. Since we are so speaker-heavy, you get a real chance to spend quality time with the speakers and follow up on what you learn from their talks.

**Find** your dream job. Job hiring and seeking are enabled live at the event time using Recorem. Applicants get 72-hour feedback on their applications on Full time, Contract, part-time freelance positions. Are you looking to hire? [Recorem](https://www.recorem.com/) qualifies candidates closely to your needs. Hire your next teammate jLove.

**Network** with the global Java community, meet ecosystem partners, and "ask the experts" your toughest questions. Our innovative virtual community track blows away everyone who sees it. And you have to see it too!

And for more inspiration, please read the following speakers' interview! Welcome fabulous [Helen Scott!](https://twitter.com/HelenJoScott) 

**Helen** is a Java Developer Advocate at [JetBrains](https://www.jetbrains.com/). She has over 20 years of experience in the software industry which has been gained in a variety of roles including developer, technical writer, product owner, and advocacy. Helen wants to encourage everyone to create content and to participate in the communities around us. Helen strives to share and communicate her journey and knowledge and loves working with like-minded people.

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**What new countries have you “visited” thanks to the online format?**

I had the pleasure of visiting Antwerp in Belgium and kicking their Java User Group talks off a few months ago.

**If there are Java Champions, perhaps we should add Java Princesses and Java Dragons, too?**

I'd love to be a Java Dragon!

**How has your programming style with Java evolved over the past couple of years? What are some of the things that led to the significant improvements?**

As a returner to Java, I'm finding the power of IDEs to be the biggest innovation over the last 20 years, never mind the last couple of years!

**Do you have any personal habits around development or self-care that you would like to share with our audience?**

Get some sleep, it doesn't fix anything, but it does help you deal with things

![Alt Text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/t291y2p8ox63pa4im1au.png)

**What is planned for Java after Java 17? How will it change the everyday life of a Java developer?**

That depends on what shift we see from Java 8 to 11 or 17. It will be a very interesting 12 months as people choose their path and Java upgrades start to happen on a large scale.

**There are plenty of reasons why Java, being one of the older software programming languages, is still widely used. For one, the immense power one wields when using Java is enough to make it their staple—coupled with the possibility of using good Java frameworks that can reduce the turnaround time for big projects. Your favorite framework? What advantages and disadvantages it has?**

I'm currently learning Spring and I'm constantly blown away by what it can do for me. Of course, that comes with some layers of abstraction that can complicate understanding but I'm really enjoying the journey.


**In the beginning, Make was the only build automation tool available beyond homegrown solutions. Make has been around since 1976, and as such, it was used for building Java applications in the early Java years.
However, many conventions from C programs didn't fit in the Java ecosystem, so in time Ant took over as a better alternative. Maven continues to use XML files just like Ant but in a much more manageable way. And then, Gradle was built upon the concepts of Ant and Maven.
Fancy Gradle or old school Maven? Or Ant?!**

I'm a fan of Maven but that's only because I've not used Gradle much. I want to make the time this year to fix that gap in my knowledge.

Helen's talk will be on **the 25th of June at 19.00 CEST!** And after the presentation you will have a perfect chance to speak with her "in person" at the Q&A session in [Spatial Chat](https://spatial.chat)!


[Register to attend](https://www.tickettailor.com/events/konfy/521202)
[Check out our Website](https://jlove.konfy.care/)