Foojay Podcast #27: Chicago JUG and KUG
User groups shape careers in ways conferences rarely can. They turn a city into a network of mentors, speakers, and friends who happen to share a language runtime. In this episode we visit Chicago and talk with Mary Grygleski and John Burns about running the local Java and Kotlin communities, episode #27 of the Foojay Podcast.
What we talked about
- How Mary and John found their way into Java, Kotlin, and user groups
- The history of the Chicago JUG
- Chicago’s shift from .NET to Java during the 2010s
- How the Chicago JUG and KUG work together
- Community size and the impact of COVID-19
- In-person events versus streaming
- Attracting new members to a user group
- Personal benefits of joining a community
- Speaking at conferences around the world
- Sessions that stood out
Why it matters
Local user groups give developers a low-stakes place to try new ideas, meet hiring managers, and grow as speakers. Mary and John show what it takes to keep that energy alive across two languages in one city.
See the Foojay Podcast #27 for all info, shownotes, links, etc.