A Conversation with Android Developer and Community Builder, Ceren Tunay
Posted by Baris Yesugey - Regional Lead, Google Developers Turkey and
Central Asia
We recently spoke
with Ceren Tunay, a
Google Developer
Group Organizer in Edirne, Turkey. who notes, “while we were organizing events, I
noticed people have a huge passion for tech. I asked myself, "what is that thing in tech that
makes people so impassioned? And after that, I started to better understand the tech industry,
thanks to the programs offered by Google Developer Groups. Then I decided to learn to code.
After a while, now I know that I am where I want to be, and realized I have worked towards
finding my dream job.”
Tell us about
yourself
I am a mobile developer &
community builder who aims to be a restless learner. I am strongly passionate about how
innovation can help communities advance and grow. I engage in public speaking on topics like
development, community, women in tech, and motivation. I am a co-founder & mentor for
the Android Developers
Group Turkey.
I serve as an organizer for the Google Developer Groups
Edirne. I am also a Google
Women Techmakers Ambassador - among all of these groups and the collaborations among
them, we reach over 90 Google Developer Student Clubs chapters in Turkey and throughout
Central Asia. In that spirit, I personally believe that more colors make a better rainbow in
the tech community. My dream is to build a future where the lack of diversity is no longer an
issue in the tech community.
What is your job, and how
does it relate to the tech community?
My major is chemical engineering, and I am working as a
community manager at a game development company called
Game Factory. My community-facing role allows me to be a person
who motivates and helps people to navigate the learning process on their
journey to becoming a
developer. I feel able to create inspiration because I have been through what others
feel and experience when learning to code, so I can easily empathize with
them.
How did you get your start in this field?
In studying the field of
chemical engineering, I came across the
Google Developer Groups
(GDG) and I participated in the organizing team to help and support the
organization. While we were organizing events, I noticed people have a huge passion for tech.
I asked myself, "what is that thing in tech that makes people so impassioned?"
And after that, I started to better understand the tech industry, thanks to
the programs offered by GDG. Then I decided to learn to code. After a while, now I know that I
am where I want to be, and I have worked towards finding my dream job.
Can
you tell me about how you became interested in
technology?
I got
introduced to technology in this way through GDG. When I first participated in the community,
I was actually only planning to improve my organization and project management skills. But I
was lucky that I had the chance to watch people and see what they are doing in tech and in the
broader industry. When I saw people's passion and curiosity in this space, I started to also
be interested. But the moment that I wanted to learn to code is when I realized how people get
to enjoy the time when they are coding and improve themselves altogether.
What is unique about your GDG community or developers in Turkey?
We are a community that remains close,
supportive, and sensitive to each other’s needs. It is easy to reach someone on the other side
of Turkey in the community. GDG as a program helps this cause because when people start to
learn to code but have a problem, they can easily be demoralized, which might lead them to
quit learning and never try again. But with the GDG community, they support each other and
help to solve problems. If they realized that they do not like the language they are learning,
it is so easy to switch to another tech. They become braver to learn and achieve with the GDG
program.
With a goal of creating a space for learning new developer
tools, we organize workshops, trainings, and icebreakers for our community, to strengthen its
ability to connect people around technical concepts. We hold sessions on technical tools,
community management, project management, personal goal setting, and many more topics. The
events we host show the power of community. The important thing for me is that the programs
and content remain open-minded, equal, and diverse.
What is a recent highlight from your community
work?
We hosted an Android
DevFest
and received wonderful feedback from our participants. We wanted to do something and get
together when events were starting to take place physically again. We organized an in-person
event with
expert speakers and various content.
 |
An in-person gather for DevFest Android in Turkey
|
These speakers
accompanied us with wonderful presentations throughout the event. We had fun conversations on
many topics, from the
Jetpack library and
Compose to
application
architecture. We had a great day as people united by our passion for Android, having
fun, drinking a lot of coffee, and bringing each other a lot of new
gains.
What is the
moment where you feel like everything changed for you or you "had a breakthrough" as a
developer and mentor?
When I started to learn
Android, I fell in love with the technology. When I started to feel like I knew it well
enough, I, along with my teammate, organized an Android Bootcamp. This took two and a half
months. At the end of this Bootcamp, I participated in an "
I am Remarkable"
workshop, which is an initiative empowering women and other underrepresented groups to
celebrate their achievements in the workplace and beyond.
What is an example of community work you’re proud to
share?
At the "
I am Remarkable"
workshop we hosted, before the workshop started, one man who was about 40 years old came up to
me and thanked me for our community initiatives. At first, I did not understand what he was
looking to ask me about, but then as he shared his story of impact, which made me proud.
He said that he was a teacher before our bootcamp and then changed jobs by
attending our Android Bootcamp and other programs we led. During that time, he started to
learn Android with us and began to complete all classes. Now, fast forward, and he is working
as an actual Android developer! That represents the moment that I recognized that my life
changed. This is because that was the moment I realized I was not only improving myself, but I
was also growing and running with the community.
 |
Ceren leads a “Why Kotlin”
workshop for beginners and technologists in the community
|
What are some technical resources you have found the most helpful for your
professional development?
What are your plans for the future, in your career as a GDG
organizer?
I am still exploring, career-wise,
but I definitely plan to remain in the tech industry and aim to have connections with people.
Now, I am working as a community manager, along with my teammate
Serkan Alc, who is a great
team worker and supporter. We are building a community through GDG. So we can say for both
domains of my work and community, the most exciting projects are creating Bootcamps and
webinars that help and motivate people to take a step into the field of tech.
—
Want to start
growing your career and coding knowledge with developers like Ceren? Then join a Google
Developer Group near you,
here. Learn more about upcoming DevFests
here!
