Welcome to Elixir Wizards, today we are joined by Dr. Jim Freeze to talk about his passion for and history in Elixir and functional programming. Dr. Freeze is one of the organizers of one of our favorite things in the world, Elixir Conf! He shares his story of coming to functional programming and his early days with Elixir, what he sees as the most important aspects of the conference before diving into what is on offer for those that attend. We talk about how employers can get Elixir newcomers up to speed on the language and the most effective ways Dr. Freeze stays abreast of developments in the field. Our guest also recommends a few resources for those wanting an introduction to Elixir and makes a great argument for the usefulness of a functional approach to programming. For all this and a whole bunch more, join us today!
Key Points From This Episode:
How Dr. Freeze got started with Elixir and his programming background.
A little bit about the early days of Elixir Conf and what the first events were like.
The particulars of Dr. Freeze's doctorate and his title.
Education, networking and how Elixir Conf fits into the developer hiring game.
The training that is offered at the conference and the philosophy to serving attendees.
Dr. Freeze's recommendations for employers bringing newbies up to speed with Elixir.
How our guest continues his learning and stays focused on what is necessary.
Useful resources and materials for Elixir, according to Dr. Freeze.
Contemplating functional programming and its key components.
Why to consider functional programming coming from an object-based background.
The biggest hurdles in moving over to functional programming and Elixir.
Following the data and how much the simplicity of this directive can help.
Dr. Freeze's favorite thing in the functional world!
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
SmartLogic (https://www.smartlogic.com) 
Dr. Jim Freeze on Twitter (https://twitter.com/jimfreeze)
ElixirConf (https://elixirconf.com/events) 
Sophie DeBenedetto (http://sophiedebenedetto.nyc/)
Elixir Radar (https://elixirnation.io/references/elixir-radar-weekly-newsletter-on-elixir)
Phoenix In Action (https://www.amazon.com/Phoenix-Action-Geoffrey-Lessel/dp/1617295043)
Geoffrey Lessel (http://www.apple.com)
Saša Jurić (https://codesync.global/speaker/sasa-juric/)
Sandi Metz (https://www.sandimetz.com) Special Guest: Dr. Jim Freeze.