April is most often associated with extremely fickle weather and Easter - or possibly finalizing plans for May Day, depending on individual priorities. However, for us, April, especially its beginning, also brings to mind something completely different - a Warsaw conference for IT enthusiasts, in which we had the pleasure of participating this year as an eight-person team.

Of course, we are talking about the Warsaw IT Days - an event that took place on April 4th in a remote format, and the next day, April 5th, in person at the Warsaw University of Technology. It is this second part, the direct meetings, and the atmosphere of the event in person that we want to dedicate this article to.

Presentations that Caught Attention

The entire conference was divided into specific thematic blocks, allowing everyone to find something for themselves - regardless of their level of advancement or area of specialization. The program included panels dedicated to web technologies and various JavaScript frameworks, Data Science topics, programming in Python, the use of artificial intelligence models, as well as the role of women in the IT industry. Since the article is not a collective work, I'll speak mainly from personal experience – the first half of the event I spent alternating between networking (about which a bit later) and typically JavaScript presentations (in the end[JM1]  we are a club of web dev enthusiasts). We learned (or recalled, depending on our level of advancement), what reactive code is and how to properly implement it in our applications, how to implement hand movement detection in JavaScript, and finally how JavaScript really handles asynchronicity. There was also a bit about how to use native APIs available in CSS and JavaScript — without resorting to external libraries.

Among the backend-Python topics, a presentation on configurations in projects particularly stood out. It wasn't about an "introduction to Pydantica," but about advanced use of pydantic-settings to create configurations that simply can't be broken. The presenter shared experiences from years of work: from problems with JSONs, through type issues, to solutions based on solid, typed code. There was also a lot about testing and integration with development tools. If someone thought configuration was a boring topic until now – they probably changed their mind after this presentation.

The AI block did not lack specifics. One of the presentations talked about how to use generative artificial intelligence to process eligibility criteria for clinical trials. A seemingly niche topic, but presented very accessibly: from the problem description (unstructured data, issues with obtaining expert knowledge) through the entire fine-tuning process of the language model to making accurate diagnoses and appropriate treatment dosing.

Finally, we were treated to a presentation that combined humor with substantive knowledge. We talked about whether ChatGPT will replace programmers and how to effectively adapt to the market. According to the speaker, large language models will not only not replace programmers but will also create new jobs. It was also emphasized the role of humans in communicating with the GPT model.

Networking, or What We Talked About with Recruiters

A huge plus of the conference was its accessibility to people in junior positions or just entering the IT world. The presentations were labeled depending on the level of difficulty. Moreover, right at the entrance, at the speakers' stands, there was information on what to ask when just entering the IT market. Practical advice for readers looking for their first job - at events, always ask what technologies are worth learning and how to best use the time during studies. With this mindset, we set off to various booths, passing among others Asseco, Millenium, ING, PKO, Allegro, or Accenture. We managed to talk to almost every exhibitor, gaining valuable knowledge about development opportunities in their structures, as well as grabbing free gadgets and vouchers for the conference lottery. The stakes in the lottery were high, as prizes included, among others, a coffee machine or a rather sizable Lego set. You probably won't be surprised when I tell you that none of us eight won these prizes.

In Conclusion…

… it was worth being there. The Warsaw IT Days 2025 was an event that not only provided specific knowledge in web development, Python, or AI, but also allowed us to chat with industry people, better understand our place in the IT world, and get inspired for further action. Although we did not return with a coffee machine, we returned with something more important - a new perspective, a mass of notes, and motivation that cannot be priced. See you at the next edition – we will definitely be there!