Dreamforce Highlights!

A few weeks have passed since my favorite event of the year. And after all the hype and fanfare has died down, I now take some time to reflect on the things that lasted to me.

Getting an SFDC99 shout-out during the developer keynote!

WOOP WOOP! Thank you Adam Seligman for mentioning SFDC99 during the keynote!

Not gonna lie, 2015 wasn’t the best year for me. But just because of this, 2015 is now instantly one of my best years! I would have never imagined that a simple guy like me would ever get mentioned at Dreamforce! I’ll never ever forget this for the rest of my life!

Meeting friends and students!

Front row keynote seats! @dvdkliu @CynthiaSaalfeld pic.twitter.com/O5Gy66ee7U

— Liz Gladstone (@lcgladstone) September 18, 2015

The @SalesForceDevs #DynamicDev @DvdkLiu of http://t.co/YX5AeCQTxN w/ mad @VetForceSFDC love at #DF15 #AnyoneCanCode! pic.twitter.com/FNTavkoLVX

— Donald Bohrisch (@DBohrisch) September 18, 2015

Finally tracked u down! Happy I got a chance 2 meet u in person @dvdkliu. You r an inspiration. Glad you are back ☺️ pic.twitter.com/bze0tNtwHf

— Jennifer Lee (@jenwlee) September 17, 2015

Glad I was able to #GetAppHappy at #DF15 with the one and only @dvdkliu! #SelfieSuperstar pic.twitter.com/VxiGoJo6Gk

— Adam Olshansky (@adam17amo) September 17, 2015

@tonivallentine all smiles after winning $100 via #getapphappy!!! Great to finally meet you Toni!!! pic.twitter.com/F1LsUxpeco

— David Liu (@dvdkliu) September 17, 2015

@dvdkliu My Dreamforce day #3 started meeting this awesome friend! pic.twitter.com/o5MpRex7G4

— Cynthia Saalfeld (@CynthiaSaalfeld) September 17, 2015

Just met the one and only @dvdkliu!!!And – I am one of the lucky ones to get a shirt! #anyonecancode #DF15 pic.twitter.com/mKxnUguP6L

— David Litton (@DavidLittonSFDC) September 16, 2015

WOW we have here a crazy #GetAppHappy winner!!! Enjoy the $100!! pic.twitter.com/8Is0na3mUt

— David Liu (@dvdkliu) September 16, 2015

Guess who I met at the #DevZone ? @dvdkliu !!! pic.twitter.com/vJAVzpqdAo

— Mohamed El Moussaoui (@melmoussaoui) September 15, 2015

Honored to meet the person who inspired me to be where I am today! @dvdkliu #DF15 pic.twitter.com/JW6R3xd5ic

— Mayank Srivastava (@sriv_mayank) September 15, 2015

Snap with @dvdkliu during MVP party.. It was nice meeting you.. See you soon #DF15 #DF16 pic.twitter.com/O0CmNdfs9V

— jitendra zaa (@jitendrazaa) September 19, 2015

Captain Ballinger's #Dreamboat tour. Feat. @PeterKnolle @andyinthecloud @jessealtman @bachovski @dvdkliu pic.twitter.com/wFKfO1S0kN

— Daniel Ballinger (@FishOfPrey) September 17, 2015

It was a ton of fun leading people on a wild goose chase – everyone wanted SFDC99 t-shirts and $100 gift cards! (I love giving out other people’s money – thanks Salesforce and #GetAppHappy!)

Some people came up to me, shook my hand, and thanked me for changing their lives and helping them accomplish their life’s dreams. This is the reason I made SFDC99 – to pass on the life changing advice that was once given to me when I was learning. I sincerely believe nothing else I will do in my lifetime will have an impact like this on people, and I’m grateful everyday for the opportunity to help many of you out. Never give up chasing those dreams =)

I also met a lot of people who told me I inspired them to code, but, they had either given up, gotten discouraged, or stopped somewhere along the way. These are always painful conversations for me, Dreamforce or not! My wish is that everyone who has the will to learn will be successful, and I often wonder whether it’s a lack of will or a lack of teaching that failed.

Right now I believe it’s a lack of teaching, and I intend to do something about that =)

Stay tuned!