Meet a Speaker Justin Yoo

Not long now until DDD Sydney 2018 and in the lead up we wanted to make sure you get to know our speakers. Today we wanted to introduce you to Justin Yoo, who has spoken at DDD Sydney every year since 2016!

DDD: This is your third time at DDD Sydney, what’s your secret?

Justin: At //Build 2016, Microsoft announced Azure Functions, Microsoft version of serverless counterpart against AWS Lambda. When I first saw that, I was sure that it would become very popular soon. Therefore, I took the chance to deep dive into it. At DDD Sydney 2016, I decided to give a presentation about Azure Functions and its comparison to AWS Lambda. At DDD Sydney 2017, I talked about testing serverless applications and this year at DDD Sydney 2018, I am going to talk about containerised serverless applications. Every talk is based on “serverless”. I think this is the point – choosing one topic that I like and am confident, and keeping it with some variations are the key that I have been able to present every year since re-launching DDD Sydney in 2016.

DDD: What excites you most about being a speaker at DDD Sydney this year?

Justin: Of course, I became a speaker for three years in a row! How exciting! However, the most exciting thing every time at DDD Sydney is to meet other developers from various industry and share our knowledge not just during the session, but also between the sessions. I am not an expert on every area, so I am expecting to hear lots of stories where I am not familiar with. Who knows? One day, I might be hopping into an area that I am not confident at all. If I have at least heard something from other attendees, it will be really helpful and invaluable.

DDD: How did you get into speaking?

Justin: My first attendance at a tech conference was DDD Melbourne 2012 or 2013, when I was a web developer using Umbraco. Aaron, one of the organisers of DDD Sydney was one of the most active contributors in the Umbraco community. (DDD: Aww shucks 😊) At DDD Melbourne, OMG, he was a speaker talking about JavaScript. I started thinking of becoming a speaker like him. But, you know, giving a speech in front of many people was (and is) not easy. I was even unsure I would be able to do so. “How dare can I do it?” I just gave up and forgot. One day, one of my colleagues, Chris, recommended me to give a talk in public. He said, “It’s time to go”. lol I just submitted my talk to DDD Sydney, and got voted and accepted. This is my history as a speaker. Thanks Aaron and Chris for getting me into this hell. You guys are my influencers. 😉

DDD: What should people expect in your talk?

Justin: In general, I would like audiences to get at least one thing like “Oh, that guy has that kind of view. Interesting, I haven’t thought like that”. Specifically, for my talk of this year, I am expecting them to have an idea how “serverless” and “container” get along each other and how it can expand more business scenarios.

DDD: What talks, other than your own, are you looking forward to seeing?

Justin: Machine Learning and AI are not my area and I probably need to learn at least one thing. The whole sessions in the Data & Design track are attractive. I am also interested in testing related sessions. I am looking forward to joining in those sessions!

DDD: Anything else you want to say to people thinking of coming to DDD Sydney?

Justin: DDD Sydney takes place on Saturday. I know many people are reluctant to spend another day outside home. However, I would really recommend them to come over and watch at least one session. I bet it will give them no regret. Knowing other developers from different industry sections is another benefits. If they are not sure, why not just give it a try? They will love it, like what I did at first.

Catch Justin’s talk, When Serverless Meets Containers, at DDD Sydney 2018.