2025-05-01 –, Ballroom (track sponsored by Checkmarx)
DevOps thrives on the principles of learning, iteration, and adaptability, but these values aren’t just technical, they’re deeply personal. In this talk, I’ll explore how my early experiences in robotics, coding, and competitions taught me to embrace failure as a stepping stone for growth.
Through stories of failing at robotics competitions, overcoming self-doubt, and turning a near-failure of an international hackathon into a global success, I’ll share insights into the mindset that turned challenges into valuable lessons. Whether you’re debugging pipelines, onboarding new teammates, or tackling personal challenges, this session will inspire you to see failure as an opportunity to grow.
Join me to discover how fostering curiosity, experimentation, and resilience can transform your approach to both work and life.
DevOps is as much about people as it is about technology. At its core, it emphasizes continuous learning, experimentation, and turning setbacks into opportunities for innovation.
In this talk, I’ll share personal stories of stepping out of my comfort zone and overcoming challenges:
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Building a Hackathon from Scratch:
After pitching my hackathon idea to anyone who would listen, I eventually found a mentor to guide me. But even with that guidance, there was a point where my hackathon had no participants, no sponsors, and felt like a failure. I was ready to give up but decided to push the date back and give it one last effort. That final push turned everything around—we registered over 50 participants from all over the world, raised $100,000 worth of resources for them, and secured experienced judges and sponsors. -
Robotics Competitions:
At every robotics competition I entered as a child, I came dead last. These moments were hard to face, but they taught me valuable lessons about preparation, resilience, and the importance of learning from setbacks rather than being defeated by them.
Through these stories, I’ll explore the universal lessons that DevOps practitioners can draw from:
- How failure fosters resilience and drives innovation.
- The importance of stepping outside your comfort zone to create meaningful opportunities.
- Practical strategies to create supportive environments where others can safely try, fail, and grow.
Whether you’re mentoring newcomers, adopting new tools, or navigating challenges in your own career, this session will offer fresh perspectives on embracing the core values of DevOps to grow both personally and professionally.
Krishiv Piduri is a passionate high school student with a deep interest in technology, DevOps, and personal growth. From mastering Python at age 9 to earning multiple AWS certifications, Krishiv has embraced challenges and turned setbacks into stepping stones. He has organized an international hackathon, and explored homelabbing with Kubernetes and Docker. Krishiv is excited to share his journey of resilience, curiosity, and experimentation to inspire others in the DevOps community.