Skip the Stepping Stones with Saron Yitbarek

Starting something new can feel super overwhelming…and kind of terrifying. The good news? A lot of us feel this way — no, really, that’s the good news! That, and we’re all in this together.

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On this week’s show, we talk with Saron Yitbarek about how she started, grew, and nurtures CodeNewbie — the most supportive community of programmers and people learning to code. It all started with one little (but powerful) sentiment: be nice. We also talk to her about what it’s like to be new at something, making a place for yourself at the table even if you’re not sure there’s a seat for you, and living up to your own potential.

Saron Yitbarek living up to her potential.

I don’t think I’ve ever taken a piece of feedback that I didn’t immediately inside respond with like intense anger and, you know, taking offense to it. But…we’re not optimizing for my feelings. And we’re not optimizing for me patting myself on the back. That’s not the point. We’re optimizing for creating a really strong and amazing community and to be a resource for other people.

Also in this episode, we:

• Swap stories about first jobs, finding office advocates, and gaining the confidence to take the reins at work.
• Get pumped about summertime vibes and vow to spend a little more time outside, even if it means sweating a little. (A lot.)

Don’t forget check out the CodeNewbie Twitter chat, podcast and the Codeland conference. And there’s always a full transcript.

This episode of NYG is brought to you by:

Shopify, a leading global commerce platform that’s building a diverse, intelligent, and motivated team — and they want to apply to you. Visit shopify.com/careers to see what they’re talking about.

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