The Importance of Finding Community as a Self-Taught Programmer

When you think of a self-taught programmer what mental image comes up? Do you envision someone sitting at a computer alone, maybe pulling at their hair in anguish? What if I told you it didn’t have to look like this?

Being a self-taught developer myself, I can tell you that we are not sitting at a computer pulling Javascript methods out of the recesses of our minds. We aren’t literally teaching ourselves. We are all using resources to learn, some are just paid and in a formal setting while others aren’t.

No, the biggest difference between “self-taught” developers and developers who have taken a more traditional route, like a bootcamp or university, is that the former are often isolated as they learn while the latter have people around them going toward the same goal. Maybe we should be calling self-taught programmers isolated programmers instead.

Being an isolated learner is really hard. It’s easy to get stuck on a problem when there’s no one to bounce ideas off of. Even if you end up solving the problem, maybe you don’t know why you even needed to know how to solve it in the first place or where that might come up in the real world of development. Being self-taught and without community can lead to rabbit holes and the confusion of not knowing the right place to focus your energy.

As a self-taught, isolated programmer, I didn’t know what I didn’t know.

This is why I started to consider becoming a full-time student at a bootcamp. For me this was going to be Turing School’s Front End Engineering program. The curriculum was all available online and the program fully remote, but what I was most interested in was the people who would be in it with me. The teachers, peers, and mentors. A cohort of learners going through the same difficult journey. A whole slew of people dedicated to seeing that we succeed in our endeavor.

The thought lasted a single, hot minute.

Bootcamps and coding programs are expensive, even without considering how much it would cost to be a full-time student, unable to bring in any income. Turing is 7 months long, which, granted, is long for a bootcamp. That would have been at least 7 months with no income plus the cost of the program.

Besides, if I distilled my reasons for why I needed to attend a bootcamp down to their core, what I was really looking for was other people. I decided to go about finding that on my own. I started thinking about that big scary word: networking.

Trust me, I know the idea of networking can be scary. It was for me too. It sounds so official and serious. But when I started actually doing it, I realized that all of the scary strangers I was reaching out to were really just human beings like me. When it came down to it, I was just having conversations with cool, like-minded people.

How to Find Community

• LinkedIn — A great first step is to start reaching out to other developers on LinkedIn. Start with me! Send me a message and say hello! Having a conversation is nothing to be afraid of. In my experience, everyone I’ve connected with has been kind and helpful. This was how I found a mentor and another learner to collaborate on projects with. Reach out. The worst that can happen is to not get a response.
• Meetups — Local meetups are another great way to meet people with similar interests and goals. You can browse through different local groups on Meetup.com and Facebook to find meetups that get together on a monthly basis. These small events are a casual way to to meet other developers committed to learning who want to meet for happy hour, have shared-space coding sessions, come together for tech talks, or just meet new friends in the industry.
• Local conferences — Conferences are a great way to learn something new with other people in a more formal and large group setting. You can easily strike up a conversation with those you are sitting next to and there are usually designated breaks where you can meet other attendees. You can find local conferences, workshops, and seminars on Eventbrite.

My experience

Finding other developers in my local community has been crucial for motivation and solidifying a clear path forward. After one meeting with my mentor and peer, I had a solid plan in place for the next few months: continue working through the Odin Project, blog my progress, go through Turing’s Javascript lessons, build Turing’s IdeaBox project. Then, another learner and I will collaborate on a paired-project together. Talking with other developers through LinkedIn direct messages, zoom chats, and coffee meetups has given me advice, direction, and the drive to keep going. It’s shown me I’m not alone and that where I am right now is a normal part of the process.

I know first-hand how daunting it can be to get out of a comfortable, isolated learning bubble, but with practice comes confidence. The first couple of coffee chats and meetups are scary but after a while, venturing into the land of people becomes easier and even enjoyable!

Don’t get stuck in the land of isolated, self-taught programmers. Pursue community, find a mentor, find other learners, and grow together! It will accelerate your learning and give you the confidence and motivation to keep going. Be bold and reach out. You will thank yourself later.