Finding Your Community! - Social Networks & Finding Your Tribe in Tech

January 19, 2020

This post originally appeared on my DEV.to blog on August 17, 2019.

Coding would not be considered a spectator sport by most but since joining the collective minds via Twitter I’ve never experienced such a supercharged group of individuals!

At the end of each night, once I’ve finished my coding “homework,” I search my twitter feed to see everyone’s daily wins and losses. Since I code at home I make it a point to interact with the community so as not to isolate myself further. It’s a great way to work with each other and recognize the fact we are all out here trying to wade our way through this vast sea of knowledge. Especially as a self-taught, code newbie it sometimes feels as if you’re thrown out into the wild with no compass.

This can be daunting and I think to myself, “why am I doing this?” I could be hanging out after work, watching Netflix, or having a drink. I think there is something to say about the tenacity of people who want to code whether they are self-taught or going through a boot camp. It may at times seem almost masochistic but there is something I love and appreciate about someone wanting to challenge themselves. We may not all go into programming full-time, heck some of us may just do it just to try it out but finding a support system is important. Finding someone who will be on the sidelines cheering for you is imperative to your overall moral.

When I first started Twitter, back many moons ago, I really saw no purpose to it. I rarely talked to anyone and sent tweets basically into the void. I occasionally posted my artwork but rarely received feedback or critiques. Naturally, after not receiving much interaction, I opted to quit Twitter. Fast forward to the summer of 2019 and my appreciation for twitter has been rekindled with the tech community. I have found “my tribe.” Now I’m not promoting Twitter as THE community but my point is to find people who will cheer you on and genuinely empathize with you on your struggles, programming-related or not. This will help keep your momentum going and act as sort of an accountability group.

Now some of you may counter and say, “what about the trolls?!” Well first off, use that unfollow button, use that block button to curate anyone who is not on your team. Criticism should be constructive and helpful for you not deflating. Don’t be ashamed or “too nice” to curate your feed because the way I look at it these will be your future coworkers. It would be a disservice to you to surround yourself with a group you don’t enjoy working with, who don’t uplift you when you feel like quitting. Programming is difficult enough, surround yourself with people who will support you in your journey. Shout out to everyone out there taking it one day at a time. I’m rooting for you.

List of friendly and inclusive DEV Communities I have found:

This list will be updated as I find more communities!