Why You Need a Tech-Buddy As a Newbie
Get yourself a Teju!
If you are new in tech, you may experience either of these conditions: “gosh I know nothing”, “when will I be an expert”, “I haven’t made any progress”, or some other self-beating mental state. While this article isn’t aimed at making you comfortable in your spot, it will, however, help you appreciate your pace.
In May 2022, I decided to switch to a different career as a software developer for my company. We had a working proprietary software but it wasn’t production ready, so my company sought out new staff among its employees to continue the development project.
Though I only had a 2-semester experience with C++ from the university, I was accepted on the development team because of my academic background; handed a couple of resources and asked to learn. And learn I did, but at a very slow pace, given I only had a company system available to me.
Fast forward to DevFest Port Harcourt 2022 in December. I listened to Queenesther Hogan talk about Community Engineering (“what in the world is that?”), and I was shot to the heart by Cupid. Oh, not for Ms. Hogan. I fell in love with the idea of community!
Join community, build community
You see, I had been learning in isolation. And though determined to “blow” in tech–ehn! (👅 👈 | ☝️☁️)–I felt like you probably do now: like an under-sabi (a know-too-little). But listening to Hogan revealed my Chemical X, teaching me a two-edged truth: join community and build community. So I started it right there!
Later that evening, I got on the phone with my brother TJ, a Community Project Analyst at Data Scientist Network (DSN): “Bro, I’m now your brother o…” excitedly telling him about my new career, my goals and expectations. (Yep! There’s a journey plan for this gig.)
Bro TJ is my NCCF brother from service year in Funtua, Katsina 2016/17. He served the Mission as our pioneer Subzonal Leader for Y’Nassarawa (“ever heard of it?”).
TJ? Man! You don’t find a character like that easily: very agreeable (NOT impressionable). I knew he was a follower of the data cause, and at this time I had started towards Data Science to learn machine learning.
“Wow, bro Alfi! Welcome to the family.” And he went on to connect me with our DSN Port Harcourt community. Subsequently, I created a contact label, “Techies”, for everyone I knew and would come to know that was a tech person, newbie or expert, regardless of the field.
Now, when I have a data-related challenge, I’d call Teju. Some time ago I got stuck on a DataCamp learning project. The confusion was with a single method, value_counts(). I called value_counts() on a groupby() operation which took me close to a week to resolve. The code ran alright, but the shell’s grader scored me wrong.
data.groupby(['year','month'])['pid'].value_counts()
So I called Teju who replaced value_counts() with count() and viola! ✅ The grader passed the code (see this and that).
data.groupby(['year','month'])['pid'].count()
That’s just one benefit of having a tech buddy. You can count on them to help or connect you with someone who can. He actually recommended the DSN DataCamp Scholarship to me in the first place. I applied, and I’m glad I was given the 1-year award because it has provided structure to my learning (I’m on the Data Scientist with Python track).
Simulate a real learning environment
There is also the joy of having someone to share your excitement with. Such support–the opportunity to air your excitement and receive reciprocation–fuels your fledgling passion and resolve on the journey. There’s nothing as demotivating as talking with uninterested people.
As important as online resources are, you still need to simulate a real learning environment. And in a real learning environment, you will have other students you can collaborate with. This is why active human participation is crucial in your journey.
Teju and I also attempted Zindi’s UmojaHack Africa 2023 together and emerged 270th of 477. And that was because his hands were full at the time. (Yep! Life continues in a data scientist’s world. It’s not all business.)
the right people know the right people…
I learned a lot by just observing some lines of his code. I use some of them now during my sessions. That’s speed learning!
I’m attempting another hackathon on Zindi, and this same man introduces me to another professional who’s experienced with ASR. Learning sped up 3x. That’s why you should befriend the right people because, the right people always know the right people. Make this a goal.
Speaking of speed, you want to be careful to avoid a learner’s crash. That almost happened on a few occasions but I’m always adjusting my timetable to suit current conditions.
I’m still relatively a newbie, but I am enjoying the experience because I have a better-experienced partner. Even with another newbie, this experience is replicable so long as your goals align with each others’.
If you are interested in joining a tech community and having a tech buddy, I’ll suggest you first know which area of tech you want to participate in and join a community that supports that area. If you are unsure of which area of tech you want to be involved with, it’s okay. Many people find their match after they join a community. And fortunately, many tech communities support various career paths because various technologies and experts are often required to work together.
Here are links to some very supportive communities I am involved in:
WhatsApp: Google Developers Group (Port Harcourt); Octave Talents
Telegram: Data Scientist Network (DSN)
Others: Enyata
There you have it. I hope this article helps you continue your journey enjoyably. Let me know what you think in the comments.
You can connect with me on LinkedIn or Twitter by following the hyperlinks. Don’t forget to like and follow for more interesting reads on my tech journey.
Ciao!
