A Techie’s Growth: The Importance Of Joining Communities
Like every other aspect of life — family, school, career, etc. — the significance of peer support to a techie’s growth cannot be over-emphasized. There are various tech communities available. There are gender-specific ones like She Code Africa and Women Who Code, track-specific ones like Àșà Coterie, WordPress Community and She Designs Africa, and the ‘come one, come all’ types like Google Developer Student Club and ForLoop Africa. Tech communities can also be micro — the ones in your local community, religious institutions, or department or a group of friends — or the macro ones like the ones in the previous sentence.
You might ask, “what’s the fuss about?” or “why are they even necessary?” Outlined below are some of the benefits of being a part of tech communities:
1. An Emergency Helpline:
Just like you call the fire station when there is a fire outbreak or a customer care line when something goes wrong with your networking device, tech communities are your 911, literally. If you encounter problems or need guidance on something, you can share it among your community members, and you will get (a) timely solution(s) or the help required. It saves you from spending a longer-than-necessary period, missing deadlines, or getting discouraged.
Get people who can be your attentive, responsive, non-grumbling, and willing emergency contacts in time of trouble. — MO
2. Several Opportunities:
If you are already a part of a tech community, you will affirm that people share links to various opportunities almost every day. Whether it’s an internship, a volunteer opening, training, webinar, or a vacancy ad, there will always be something for everyone in different tracks and levels. They foster learning, growth, and, of course, income generation.
As a tech community member, when people see your growth and willingness to learn more, they could help refer you for opportunities even in your absence.
3. You Will Never Walk Alone:
You may be thinking, “all these people are experts and gurus already; what would I be doing there?” Hey there, beginner! There is space for you too. Tech communities are often a mix of people with different skill levels — the transitioners, the undecided, the beginners, the intermediate, the multi-skilled, and the gurus. Whatever level you fall in, there are people like you. The good news is this: when you share or talk about an issue, you get responses from people facing the same thing and those who have experienced it in the past. Encouragers, listeners and cheerleaders surround you; you will never walk alone.
Be strong, be fearless, be beautiful. And believe that anything is possible when you have the right people there to support you. — Misty Copeland
4. A Platform For Impact:
Everyone, whether a beginner or an expert, has a story to tell. While telling your story, people learn from it. Some people get encouraged when you share your struggles because it reminds them that they are not alone. Some get inspired by success stories because “if she could do it, I can too.”💪🏽
We’re here for a reason. I believe a bit of the reason is to throw little torches out to lead people through the dark. -Whoopi Goldberg
In a tech community, you are encouraged to share your story and impact people as you have been impacted. In a book, I once read that “you never stop touching lives, because someone once touched is like this — they go on to touch other lives, and the chain reaction never ends.”
The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great at whatever they want to do. — Kobe Bryant
You can contribute towards creating a safe space for people like you by being a part of a tech community.
5. Vibes, ‘bants’, fun, name it:
No, we do not only attend/organize webinars or help debug and edit; we have fun too! Engagement sessions and techies’ parties take place, and bonds and relationships — long-term and short-term — are also formed in tech communities. Did I mention the swags, food and even giveaways?😂 Being a part of a tech community is more than just helpful to your tech career; it is also fun and exciting.
A tech community is more than just a community; it is a family.
I hope with these few points of mine, I have convinced and not confused you to join a tech community, lol.🤭 To enjoy all of the highlighted advantages, you can join any of the communities in the first paragraph or any other you see around you. The growth journey just got easier!
