Embracing Community in Tech

Embracing Community in Tech

Community has been the backbone of my growth as a frontend engineer. Over the past few years, I’ve seen firsthand how being part of a supportive network can transform your mindset, your skill set, and even your professional opportunities. I wanted to share some experiences that I've had with online tech communities and how they've helped me to be a better dev!

The X Connection

For me, Twitter has been an invaluable platform for finding and nurturing a community of fellow developers. I first got involved by participating in challenges like #100DaysofCode, which I completed three times before ultimately completing #365DaysofCode.

By tweeting about my daily progress, I was able to:

🌟 Share my challenges and milestones with a supportive audience

🌟 Get quick feedback on my code, ideas, and debugging issues

🌟 Discover new resources, libraries, and tutorials from more experienced developers

🌟 Cheer on others who were on a similar path

There’s something uniquely motivating about watching your peers build, create, and learn in real time. It pushes you to keep going even on the toughest days and celebrates your wins right alongside you. I've found the biggest cheerleaders in this community and it's my favorite way to cheer on my peers, as well.

Building My Own Cohort & Discord Community

Spurred on by the positive Twitter experience, I decided to start a new 100-day challenge cohort this January. I launched a dedicated Discord community where members can:

👾 Hold each other accountable for daily progress

👾 Offer code help and pair programming opportunities

👾 Discuss tips, best practices, and share resources

This has been a bit of an experience for me, but it's been overwhelmingly positive so far! Ie’ve already seen how a sense of camaraderie and mutual encouragement can sustain momentum, for myself and for my peers. I love that people feel safe to ask questions and explore new ideas, which is exactly what an effective developer community should be.

Empowering Women in Tech Through Girl Code

I’m also honored to be an ambassador for Girl Code, an organization dedicated to supporting and uplifting women in technology. Being part of Girl Code is now allowing me to:

💃🏻 Encourage more women to pursue coding and technology careers

💃🏻 Participate in events, workshops, and mentorship programs

💃🏻 Contribute to a cause that aims to close the gender gap in tech

If you’re passionate about diversity and inclusion in software development, I highly recommend getting involved in similar groups or initiatives. It's another community I'm proud to be part of!

View my interview with Girl Code here: https://www.girlcode.dev/videos

Why Community Matters

Personal Growth: Regular interaction with other developers exposes you to different perspectives and encourages continuous learning.

Professional Development: A strong network can open doors to collaborations, jobs, or mentors who’ll elevate your career.

Shared Resources: Sharing articles, tutorials, or open-source projects quickly expands your toolkit.

Emotional Support: Coding can be isolating—knowing you’re not alone helps you stay motivated, especially during challenging moments.

Cheerleading & Motivation: From retweets to Discord shout-outs, positive reinforcement from your peers goes a long way.

Final Thoughts

If you’re on the fence about joining or starting a developer community, I say go for it. Whether it’s on Twitter, Discord, or a local meetup group, being surrounded by people who share your passion, your struggles, and your curiosity can make all the difference. My journey through #100DaysofCode, starting my own cohort, and becoming an ambassador for Girl Code has shown me that we grow faster and stronger when we lean on each other. I definitely understand that it might be scary to put yourself out there or share your code when you're learning, but there is a group of people out there waiting to meet you! Feel free to join my little community too, we'd love to have you! https://discord.gg/pJVnpPNVYx