300
The beginning.
So today, TeenDev hit 300 members. I’m still trying to take it all a bit in. A small project I started the summer after my 8th grade year is slowly taking on a life of its own and to tell the truth, I’m incredibly excitied to see where it goes.
While gaining 300 members over the course of 4 years sounds incredibly bad when you do the math, I think it’s pretty good. 300 members over 4 years is 75 members a year which is 6 members a month on average but I’m not writing this to explain the math. While we are on the topic of math, I tend to think the growth of TD is like an exponential graph. Start off small and explode like crazy.
Lately, the group has been exploding. It was bound to happen. We had <75 members for the first good 2.5 years and now look at where we are.
I think teenage developers need to be a given a place where they can voice their opinions and ideas. A place where they can connect with other teenage developers like them and realize that they’re not the only ones. I like helping people. TD was created so we, teenage developers, could all help each other. At MHacks, I got to meet with some of the members and I’m still dumbfounded at the things they are creating.
Take a moment and imagine every teenager in the world that likes programming and likes to make things. How many of them are there? Hundreds, thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, maybe millions. I don’t know the exact number but in the world we live in currently, the idea of the teenage developer or high school hacker (had to mention my buddies at HS Hackers) is becoming more and more prevalent. Doesn’t it just make sense to create a central meeting place for all those teenage developers? You can meet people, collaborate with another teenage developer on the other side of the globe and share the things you make. The fact that there are a number of teenage developers out there becomes even more surreal when you realize that TD has members from over 10 different countries. Members in Korea, Finland, Norway, Brazil, Canada, etc. World wide.
I’m incredibly proud of the TeenDev community and the things I and the other admins have done to make sure it’s a good and stable community. The most surreal moment for me has to be when I was introduced to Tom Erdmann, the creator of MHacks which is the largest hackathon in the world. As I was about to speak, he says “You’re Fisher right? You run TeenDev and your website has all the crazy colors. I’ve heard of you and I like what you’re doing.” I was once told “Hustle until you no longer have to introduce yourself.” I guess it’s all paying off.
“Good things come to those who execute.”
Imagine a world where we all help each other. A world where everyone is willing to help each other out and put differences aside. TD is a first step in that direction because that’s the kind of world I want to live in. A world where everyone shares resources and work together to achieve greater good for all humanity.
I know 300 members doesn’t sound like a whole lot but for me, a kid who started with nothing but an idea, it’s mind-blowing.
I’d like to thank everyone who I have met through TD or even HS Hackers. Everyone that I have had a chance of meeting has left a definite mark on who I am and why I do the things I do.
I just want to thank everybody. I’m nothing without the TeenDev community. I’m nothing without my team (Henri, Ian, Bret, Patrik, Matthew, Edward).
It’s been a long journey but this is only beginning. Everything that I am working on deals with people helping other people. It deals with keeping information open. Thing will not improve unless we all get together to help each other and that’s what I’m working on.
“Giving to other people makes me feel alive. Not my car or my house. Not what I look like in the mirror. When I give my time, when I can make someone smile after they were feeling sad.”
Thank you all so much. I truly, truly love you all from the bottom of my heart. This shit is crazy. Since day 1, I’ve been at it. Recruiting teenage developers to join the group and I’ll keep doing that. I’m a bit tired right now but I’ve been up for the past 4 days doing what I love. It’s just been crazy.
I can’t wait to show everyone the things I’ve been working on later in the year.
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