Maker Faire: A New Career Venue
Maker Faire events are a natural habitat for ham radio operators and builders, artists, engineers, mechanics, electronics experts, hobbyists, cooks, bakers, teachers, kids and grown-ups. It is a place for anyone and everyone to watch, learn, demonstrate and teach others about their hobbies, creations and activities.
Since it is often said the best and happiest employees are doing what they love, Makers should be aware of the opportunity to demonstrate and show (prove) their subject matter expertise (SME) to potential employers.
By the same token, recruiters should be aware of the incredible opportunity to meet people who are demonstrating their talents on their own time.
From either perspective, a Maker Faire is an excellent place to meet others with common interests, discuss and exchange new ideas and make new friends.
What is Maker Faire?
The creators of Maker Faire, Dale Dougherty and Sherry Huss of Maker Media, Inc. describe Maker Faire like this:
“We call it the Greatest Show (& Tell) on Earth. Maker Faire is part science fair, part county fair and part something entirely new!
“As a celebration of the Maker Movement, it’s a family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity and resourcefulness. Faire gathers together tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, food artisans, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, artists, students and commercial exhibitors.
“Makers come to show their creations and share their learnings. Attendees flock to Maker Faire to glimpse the future and find the inspiration to become Makers themselves.”
This video is my favorite way to describe what a Maker Faire is.
Maker Faire has reached over 2.3 million attendees globally since it launched in San Mateo, CA, in 2006. Attendees at the Bay Area Maker Faire (San Mateo, Calif.) drew over 100,000 attendees and over 900 Makers.
Over the last five years, my Maker Faire team “Not Your Grandpa’s Ham Radio” has been and continues to display our cutting-edge radio technology projects and experiments. Our mission statement is:
“To show people what today’s ham radio operators are doing with the newest technology, and to change the image of ham radio, making it both contemporary and chic in a hi-tech way. We also want to emphasize how ham radio can be used for science and technology education and a possible career path for youngsters.
“Our projects demonstrate how ham radio technology changes with the times, yet still includes both past and present to accomplish one thing: Creating ways to communicate voice and data over the ether, without wires.”
Pictures and videos are great, but nothing beats going to a Maker Faire in person!
Me
Once There
When you visit a Maker Faire, wear comfortable walking shoes and keep an open mind about the things you will see. This is because Makers are so creative, they often re-define what art and engineering and mediums are.
For example, who else but a Maker would have thought about mixing 3D printing with chocolate to create tasty, edible, artistic sculptures? Or mixing Ardunio microcontrollers, light emitting diodes (LEDs) and fabrics to create interactive clothing? Or creating a 20-foot tall electro-mechanical giraffe, decorated with thousands of computer-controlled LEDs? Or a fire-breathing mechanical octopus?
Here are some examples of things you may see at a Maker Faire in your area. Many of these projects were made by my Maker Faire team members: Dennis Kidder, Brian Yee, Walter Clark, Tony Long and others. You may also recognize Jeri Ellsworth, an honorary member of the Not Your Grandpa's Ham Radio team.
Here are some upcoming Maker Faire events for 2017. The complete global listing can be found on the official Maker Faire website.
Perpignan Mini Maker Faire: January 27 and 28 at IMERIR Perpignan France
Caguas Mini Maker Faire: January 28 at Puerto Rico C3Tec
Maker Faire Kuwait: February 9 to 11 at Kuwait International Fairgrounds hall 5
Maker Faire UK: April 1 and 2 at Life Science Centre in Newcastle
Maker Faire Chicago: April 22 and 23 at McCormick Place
Maker Faire Bay Area: May 19 to 21 at San Mateo Event Center
World Maker Faire New York City: September 23 and 24
Additional tags: Makers, Maker Faire, ham radio, amateur radio, electronics, STEM, science, technology, engineering, math, education, science education, engineering education, mathematics, art, artists, sculpture, art appreciation, steam punk
About Wayne Yoshida
Wayne Yoshida is a technical writer and education advocate with sales management experience. Wayne currently works in the alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) industry and has worked for a wide variety of high technology companies, including aerospace and defense, photonics, lasers and opto-mechanics, two-way radio, telecommunications and a non-profit, educational organization. His personal passion for electronics and Amateur Radio opened many doors to some very interesting personal and professional experiences. Working as a ham radio consultant for the NASA Johnson Space Center during Space Shuttle mission STS-9 is his most memorable experience. Connect with him on LinkedIn and beBee, and for a look into his personal passions, follow his blog."""
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