Events Roundup: 9 ways you can network, learn to code and job h(a)unt this October

Events Roundup is a Technical.ly column where we highlight events happening in the Philly area each month. Got a submission? Email us the details so we can consider it for our next roundup.

Happy October, my fellow Philadelphians!

Over on our Technical.ly Slack, we’ve been debating which season reigns supreme, and I’m here to say: Fall gang rise up. It’s the best time of the year, if you’re — like me — a fan of apple-flavored deserts, crunchy leaves, spooky movies and sweaters.

Mood for all of October

pic.twitter.com/2PcDtjvyh1

— Morning Brew ☕️ (@MorningBrew) October 1, 2021

And, oh yeah, it’s a great time of year for whole lot of events.

While the pandemic drags on, we’ve really gotten into the swing of this virtual and hybrid events thing, and this month’s roundup continues the trend. In October, you can find a handful of month- or weeklong festivals diving into design, media and music. Or, if you’re a student looking for a tech job or just curious about the industry, we’ve got just the thing for you. And if you’re looking to connect with other women in tech or learn the basics of Python, we’ve also got you covered.

Happy haunting!

PhillyCAM’s People Power Media Fest

PhillyCAM will host its second annual, monthlong fest this October created by members of the Philadelphia community and hitting on topics ranging from trauma-informed media production to media literacy to how to make a TikTok. PPM Fest coincides and aligns with Free Speech Week, Community Media Day, Media Literacy Week and Indigenous People’s Day this month. Folks can watch or listen live on Comcast channels 66 or 966, Verizon channels 29 or 30, WPPM 106.5 FM and online.

• Throughout the month
• Register for events here

Minority Enterprise Development Week 

During the first week of October, Philadelphia highlights minority businesses and the resources that help them grow. Orgs from across the region will host more than 40 events virtually and in person. Events will focus on the theme “Unmute your opportunities.” Topics will touch on mental health while running a business, business planning for young entrepreneurs, and legal issues small businesses face.

• Monday, Oct. 4 through Friday, Oct. 8
• Various locations throughout the city
• Register for events here

Design Philadelphia Festival

Philly’s design fest is back this year with a mix of virtual and in-person events slated across a week and a half this month. This year’s events will take you all over the city and range in topic from smart cities, design and healing from epidemics, urban analytics, the future of fashion and more. The festival kicks off with a party on Wednesday, Oct. 6, at Cherry Street Pier.

• Wednesday, Oct. 6 through Sunday, Oct. 17
• Various locations throughout the city
• Register for events here

Tech Tour during Philly Music Fest

The five-day Philly Music Fest returns this year with its annual Tech Tour — a day devoted to exploring the intersection of technology and music. The music aspect of the festival runs from Oct. 6 – Oct. 10 throughout the city, but folks will gather at Guru Technologies’ HQ in Center City for three panels on startups, tech and VC on Oct. 8. Bands will perform between panels and food will be served. Proof of vaccination is required.

The original inspo for the event? “I was digging into some metrics and came up with a few variables but saw that the workforce of tech and startup is populated with a lot of people that are in bands, who are in music,” founder Greg Seltzer told us in 2019.

• Friday, Oct. 8
• Noon to 3 p.m.
• Free; register here

Philly XP meetup — continuous delivery

Philly XP is hosting another virtual meetup this month with a focus on delivering changes quickly to users while running micro experiments to learn their reaction. “Is it really possible to keep the quality of a product high enough to deliver changes directly to users within minutes of making the change?” the event page asks. Jeff Morgan, CEO of Industrial Logic Canada, will guide this discussion.

• Thursday, Oct. 14
• 4:30 to 6 p.m.
• Free; register here

Black and Brown Students in Tech

This Campus Philly virtual event will provide recruiting opportunities and professional development for local college students who are interested in tech. You don’t have to be majoring in a tech-related field to attend — join in on panel discussions, or meet with recruiters or other young professionals, to see if the industry could be a good fit for you. (Bonus: Campus Philly is funding Black and brown college students in unpaid tech internships.)

• Tuesday, Oct. 19
• 3 to 6 p.m.
• Free; register for the event here

Women in Tech Summit

The Women in Tech Summit will celebrate its decade of community this fall with its fall 2021 virtual summit, to be held between Oct. 20 and 22. The summit will involve workshops, keynote speakers, trend talks and sessions focused within the “Innovate yourself” theme. Speakers are tuning in from across the country, with representation from large corporations such as Accenture, Apple and Salesforce as well as local technologists from orgs such as Exyn Technologies and the tech education nonprofit TechGirlz.

The in-person celebration has been postponed, cofounder Gloria Bell announced earlier this week.

• Wednesday, Oct. 20 through Friday, Oct. 22
• All-day; virtual
• Purchase tickets here ($149 for pros, $49 for students)

Django Girls Philadelphia programming workshop

Django Girls, an org promoting IT skills and careers for people of marginalized genders, is holding a one-day free Python workshop. If you’re looking to learn how to make websites, or understand how the IT industry can benefit from bringing more marginalized people into tech, this virtual workshop is for you. Since the org only has spots for 40 participants, folks must apply for the Oct. 24 workshop by Sunday, Oct. 10.

• Sunday, Oct. 24
• All day
• Free; apply for workshop here

Philanthropitch Awards Ceremony + Pitch Night

Philanthropitch is a social impact “fast pitch” competition that provides capital and exposure for local nonprofits tackling some of local communities’ toughest problems. The series will be in Philadelphia for its annual awards ceremony at the end of the month. The org will host five local nonprofits to pitch to local judges, including QuotaPath’s AJ Bruno, Exude’s Marcos Lopez and Comcast’s Julia Reusch. This year’s finalists are Beyond Literacy, Called to Serve, ACHIEVEability, eCLOSE Institute and Challah for Hunger. Finalists have received one-on-one pitch coaching and education to help them build an effective funding pitch and strong business model.

• Thursday, Oct. 28
• 6 p.m.
• National Museum of American Jewish History
• Sign up for attendee information here