Catching up with technologies is getting hard every day, however, tech communities help me stay on track.
This blog post talks about how tech communities inspire me to share my knowledge and learn from others.
Teaching
The best way to learn is by doing and the second-best way is to teach someone. You don’t have to be an expert to start teaching. If you are at an intermediate level then you can teach how to get started.
Communities make it easier to learn new skills.
Most of the tech events have workshops. Participating in workshops is a quicker way to get started, in my opinion, you can get real-time help from fellow attendees.
Sharing knowledge
Similar to teaching, sharing knowledge is another a community helps everyone involved.
In fact, StackOverflow helped me ask better questions, and also to answer precisely.
Start sharing your knowledge by answering questions in online communities.
You can share code snippets and tips by blogging
FreeCodeCamp, CSS-tricks, smashing magazine, and tuts+ are some of the communities where you can contribute by blogging and also learn from their content.
Networking
Communities help you expand your network. With online events, you can literally attend conferences across the world and get to know people from different locations.
The network is your net worth, the more connections you have, the more help you can get.
This opens many doors to career opportunities.
Communities simplify the job search. You might have noticed that agencies share their job openings in communities to get more visibility and recommendations.
Giving back
You can always give back to the communities or pay it forward. Annie Fantilanan and her friends offer food and school supplies to kids in their area.
Coding Girls Western Visayas together with WordPress Iloilo and Google Business Group, Iloilo Philippines taught computer skills to prisoners in their city. This helped them start a new life.
I am a member of DEVCON an organization that empowers developers, students, and kids across the Philippines. With regular events including conferences, hackathons, talks, and workshops, DEVCON aims to digitally transform the Philippines.
Angular PH is a tech community led by Seiji Ralph Villafranca, a fellow Auth0 Ambassador, that organizes meetups, seminars, and conferences in the Philippines. They do not just stop with Angular, focus on other skills and technologies too. I got the chance to speak at their meetup and realized the importance of active communities for career growth.
JavaScript (JS) Cebu is a community hub that covers React, Angular, and other JS-related stuff. They have a study group for React which allows beginners to get started and help them finish what they started.
Our React Iloilo community organized React and beyond workshop for beginners. JS Cebu team flew over and made the event a successful one. Auth0 sponsored this event and sent us over cool swags!
Getting help from peer groups is never been easier with communities. Did you know JS Cebu has a React group chat channel called “Reactions”?
WordPress user groups
WordPress powers more than 40% of the internet, and so is the communities. WordCamps happen across the globe, a conference that helps people of all levels to nurture their skills.
WordCamps, meetups, and communities related to WordPress, helped me to grow personally and professionally.
I am able to speak, organize, and contribute to open-source because of WordPress communities.
Be a part of a community
In my country India, people discriminate based on caste. At school, I had to provide a community certificate to get a scholarship.
I never liked the word community, but these tech communities made me realize what is a community and how they impact others.
I get a sense of belonging within the communities, there is no discrimination! They are inclusive and diverse.
As a developer, you should be a member of some communities in your area of interest.
What are your favorite communities and why do you like them? Let me know in the comments below.
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