About

BASE is the Birmingham Area Software Enthusiasts, a 501(c)3 organization, serving new and established practitioners of software engineering in Birmingham, AL and the surrounding regions. We are an education- and community-focused group dedicated to assisting people interested in any of the various aspects of software to grow and meet others that share their interests.

Our Mission

BASE exists to foster a vibrant and inclusive software development community in the Birmingham metropolitan area. We believe that technology thrives when diverse minds come together to learn, share, and build. Our mission is to provide a supportive environment where software enthusiasts of literally (not figuratively) any skill level, from the newest n00b to the most seasoned pro, can expand their knowledge, develop their careers, and contribute to the Birmingham tech ecosystem.

What We Do

Educational Events

We host regular meetups, workshops, and presentations covering a wide range of topics including:

• Programming languages and frameworks
• Software architecture and design patterns
• DevOps and cloud technologies
• Data science and machine learning
• Mobile and web development
• Emerging technologies and industry trends

Community Building

• Networking Opportunities: Connect with like-minded professionals, students, and hobbyists
• Mentorship Programs: Pairing experienced developers with those just starting their journey
• Collaborative Projects: Working together on open-source initiatives and community-driven software projects
• Career Development: Job placement assistance, resume reviews, and interview preparation

Inclusive Environment

We welcome developers, designers, project managers, students, career changers, and anyone curious about technology. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or writing your first “Hello, World!” program, you have a place in our community.

Get Involved

Join us for our regular meetups, on our Discord server, contribute to our projects, or volunteer to share your expertise with others.

BASE is what we make it together – a community where Birmingham’s software talent can flourish and grow.

Specific Event Types

BASE hosts a variety of events, but has a couple of recurring event types that we want to highlight here:

Show and Tell

The BASE community has a lot of offer, and we want everyone to be able to experience it!

Every month, BASE sponsors a Show and Tell session where our enthusiasts bring what they are working on and spend 5 minutes showing it to the rest of us.

This all started when Chris Winslett posted a chat in Magic City Tech’s slack team.

The goal here is to kick-start the developer meetup scene in Birmingham a little – bring people together to show what they’ve been building + show what others are building. Looking to share knowledge and build some connections. Come and give a quick 3-5 minute presentation about what you’ve been building, then watch what others are building. Live demos are encouraged – broken demos are cheered.

We’ve had a number of Show and Tell meetups and they’ve been well-received. People have demonstrated tools and projects. They have described theoretical systems and asked for input. They have demo’d (far too successfully, if we’re being honest).

We get new attendees and returning folks every time. Come be one of them!

The Rules For Showing

You are the presenter? The rules are pretty simple.

• Bring something you’re interested in showing to other people to the meetup and show it to them. You’ll get at least 5 minutes, depending on how may people are presenting, and possibly longer.
• Do a demo, if it can be demo’d. If your demo fails, you will get applause.
• There might be questions. Stunned silence is also a possibility.
• If you want feedback, ask for it.

The Rules for Being Shown To

You’re watching a presentation?

• Be respectful. Someone is taking time to show you something. It may not be relevant to you, and you may not be able to provide feedback.
• Be constructive. If you’re going to comment on all the work you didn’t do, make that comment useful. Add to the work.

The Schedule

This meetup is generally scheduled for the first Tuesday of every month.

The Location

Currently, Show and Tell is most-often hosted at Innovation Depot. Individual instances of the Show And Tell are usually scheduled by Meetup and should be posted on this website, and they may occasionally be held at other locations.

Innovation Depot 1500 1st Ave N, Birmingham, AL 35203

All Your BASE

BASE is first and foremost a community. Our goals are to grow and educate this community, and to have fun doing it. One of the ways we do this is through events such as “All Your BASE”.

All Your BASE is a [usually] monthly gathering of BASE members and friends to meet face-to-face to socialize, share ideas, and interact. There is no agenda, no speakers, and no presentations. Just come, hang out, and have fun. The location varies, but is often at a local restaurant or bar. Food and drinks are on you, but the conversation is on us!