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5 awesome last-minute Christmas gifts for your techie friends
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5 awesome last-minute Christmas gifts for your techie friends

Written by Nuskha Semaun on 9 December 2022 for Graduates

Still wondering what to get your techie friend or loved one this Christmas? Well, stop stressing because we’ve got you covered! Techies are notoriously difficult to buy for, but we’ve picked out five sure-fire winners that are guaranteed to bring peace and joy to any techie this holiday season!

Rubber duck

Wait, what? Is this a joke? If you’re puzzled by our first suggestion, then you’re obviously not a techie! In layman’s terms, rubber duck debugging is a way of identifying and removing problems, or ‘bugs’, from computer code. Trust us, it’s a thing.

The phrase comes from a book called The Pragmatic Programmer in which a programmer carried around a rubber duck to help them debug their code. Instead of bothering his colleagues, he would explain his code to the duck and, in doing so, would spot any problems or errors. When the book became a best-seller, the idea gained traction and a new debugging technique was born!

Rubber duck debugging

So, if your techie friend, colleague or family member has been burning the midnight oil lately and needs a lighthearted reminder to wind down, this Santa Rubber Duck will put a smile on their face! The Amazon store Duckshop makes a whole range of festively-themed rubber duckies including a Santa and reindeer duck. Thanks us later!

Coffee mug

You may have heard the famous phrase; ‘Programmers turn coffee into code’.

The saying apparently derives from a similar phrase coined by the Hungarian mathematician Alfréd Rényi and has adorned millions of t-shirts, mouse pads, and coffee mugs over the years. Techies LOVE coffee and you can’t go wrong with a mug!

There are a bunch of mugs with even more quotes so choice overload is almost inevitable. But we suggest this one!

 

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Raspberry Pi

If you have vague memories of hearing the techie in your life mentioning ‘Raspberry Pi’ at some point, you may have assumed they were talking about the dessert! In fact, a Raspberry Pi is a tiny computer that has seemingly limitless uses. Anyone can start writing programs for a Raspberry Pi and create anything from a time-lapse camera to a retro gaming console or even a media server! If you don’t know what a media server is, don’t worry – trust us, it’s cool!

Raspberry pi

Nerf Gun

If you’re looking for the perfect last-minute Christmas gift for the techie on your list, buying a Nerf gun is a smart move! You see, when techies aren’t busy coding or solving hardware issues, they love nothing better than blowing off steam by waging Nerf gun wars in the office! Why? No one knows, but it’s fun!

 

If you haven’t heard, Nerf guns are toys that shoot harmless foam darts (or balls) and can be safely shot at other people without the need for protection. They’re perfect for quick office offensives and all-out blasting sessions with coworkers. They’re equally great for getting a colleague’s attention if they messed up a line of code! Nothing says ‘You messed up!’ quite like a Nerf dart to the back of the head!

Noise canceling headphones

When they’re not busy dodging Nerf darts or explaining lines of code to their rubber duck, your techie colleague or loved one is likely struggling to find some peace and quiet! There’s nothing worse than not being able to focus due to the background noise around. That’s why noise-canceling headphones make one of the best last-minute Christmas gifts!

These headphones contain tiny microphones that pick up outside noises and then create a noise cancelling wave to block out the sound. Pretty cool, right? Due to the amount of tech inside them, they’re a bit more expensive than the average rubber duck but they will get you instant kudos and plenty of festive goodwill from the recipient!

 

Whichever set you choose, noise cancelling headphones will go down a storm and will help your techie enjoy an ultra-productive New Year!

Final thoughts

If you’re looking for the perfect last-minute Christmas gift for the techie in your life, our list of festive treats covers everything from cheap and cheerful goodies to super-serious indulgences. So, whether you’re buying for a colleague, partner or a family member, we hope that something caught your eye!

What do you think of our list? What did we get right? What did we miss? Let us know!

From all of us at Exellys, have a Merry Christmas and, if your dream gift is a new professional adventure, make sure to reach out to us!

About Exellys

Exellys is a Tech Talent Incubator. We match ambitious companies with the finest tech talent. Are you ready to drive the innovations of tomorrow? Ready to make an impact and become a future-fit digital leader?

Whether you are a graduate or (young) professional, Exellys will unlock your full potential by guiding you to a challenging work environment that perfectly matches your personality, expectations and ambitions.

On top of that, you are enrolled in one of our very own training and coaching programs (based on your personal and professional ambition and experience). This means that, while working as an Exellys consultant, we are helping you to bridge your ambition to excellence.

Through intensive training and coaching, you’ll gain the essential skills, competencies and knowledge necessary to become the highly effective professional you aim to be.

Become an Exellyst and get in touch with us today!