## Fellow travelers
-Whenever we think of programmers we think of a person entering code into a computer, with the glow of the monitor reflecting off of their face. Usually that programmer is alone, though there are methodologies that utilize more than one programmer at a time ("pair-programming" for instance). During those coding sessions there isn't a lot of contact with other programmers and it can feel isolating being in the company of yourself. Granted this might be a good feeling (there are times when I really enjoy being by myself at the computer) but there are other times when we need to feel like we're not alone in this. This is especially true when we're learning and pushing ourselves into uncomfortable territory. Finding others in similar situations can help us with our learning process by fielding our questions and reviewing our progress. Finding a good community that is supportive of our learning is essential to our programming journey. When we have a good community we have somewhere that we can learn and help others learn. We can grow in the community and possibly find friendship and support.
+Whenever we think of programmers we tend to think of someone sitting in front of a computer entering code; the glow of the monitor reflecting off of their face. Usually the programmer is alone (though there are methodologies that utilize more than one programmer at a time, "pair-programming" for instance). During those coding sessions there isn't a lot of contact with other programmers and it can feel isolating being in the company of yourself. Granted this can be a good feeling (there are times when I really enjoy being alone at the computer, fully engaged and focused) but there are other times when we need to feel like we're not alone in programming. This is especially true when we're learning and pushing ourselves into uncomfortable territory. Finding others in similar situations can help us with our learning process. Others can help us by fielding our questions and reviewing our progress. Finding a good community that is supportive in our learning is essential on our programming journey. When we have a good community we have somewhere that we can learn and help others learn. We can grow in the community and find support.
-A good community is one that strengthens us and the ones around us. It nurtures us and provides us shelter. It is a safe place where we don't have to constantly keep our guard up from attacks on ourselves and others. It holds people we can trust and feel that trust is reciprocated. It is a community without competition and ego, where we can express ourselves openly and accept others as they are.
+A good community is one that strengthens us and the ones around us. It nurtures us and provides us shelter. It is a safe place where we don't have to keep our guard up from attacks on ourselves and others. It holds people accountable to each other. We can trust the members of the community and feel that trust is reciprocated. Good communities exist without competition and ego, where members can express themselves openly and accept others as they are.
## Finding a good community
That's a tricky question.
-Most programming languages have some form of community around them. Some have mailing lists or other communication channels that you can check out. Unfortunately most popular languages have spaces that are next to impossible to follow, especially when you're trying to learn. I know I have had instances where I've joined the main channel for a popular language only to be overrun with multiple conversations happening at once.
+Most programming languages have some form of community around them. Some have mailing lists or other communication channels that you can sign up and participate in. Unfortunately most popular languages have spaces that are difficult to follow, especially when you're trying to learn. I know I have had instances where I've joined the main channel for a popular language only to be overrun with multiple conversations happening at once. Mailing lists designed to support beginners can have a lot of traffic and it can overwhelm you when you're trying to get the basics of the language while trying to keep up with the deluge of mail in your inbox. It might help to look at the archives of mailing lists or chat logs to see what the level of participation is in that forum to see if it's something you want to participate in. Remember: this is to help you along your journey. Throwing yourself into a crowded room only to be inundated by the amount of conversations going on in that room will only make you feel more isolated and unwelcome.
Some programming languages have local user groups. Those can seem intimidating at first, especially if the group has been around for a long while. I know I was intimidated before I went to my first user group for fear of what I might find inside. What I found was a group of folks who were interested in the topics that I was interested in. I've made lasting friendships through users groups and I encourage you to see if they might work for you.
-If you're at a loss for finding the right group (perhaps you're in an area where you feel you're the only person who shares your interests) you might consider starting your own, or a branch of an existing group. My friend Rick started a branch of a group called Coffee House Coders where coders meet once a week for a few hours to sit and code. We've met some amazing folks along the way. Starting a group is an act of courage and there have been many times where it's just myself sitting in a coffee shop. That's fine. People get busy and interests fade over time. What is important is creating the space for others to feel welcome. And for us that meant finding a local coffee shop with later hours and ample space for setting down a laptop.
+If you're at a loss for finding the right group (perhaps you're in an area where you feel you're the only person who shares your interests) you might consider starting your own or branch off of an existing group. My friend Rick and I started a local branch of a group called Coffee House Coders where coders meet once a week for a few hours to sit and code. All we would do is just post the times that we were meeting and just show up with a laptop to code. We've met some amazing folks along the way and we've kept the group going for many years. Starting a group is an act of courage and there have been many times where I've sat alone in a coffee shop waiting to see if others would show up. That's fine. People get busy and interests fade over time. What is important is creating the space for ourselves and others to feel welcome. And for us that meant finding a local coffee shop that was open late into the night and ample space for setting down a laptop. (It also helps to have a place that has electrical power so folks can charge their batteries).
-There are many ways to be creative with this as well. The advent of many different online tools allows you to build communities with folks across the globe. Bringing these folks together to talk and discuss ideas and offer help is amazing when it happens.
+There are many ways to be creative with starting a community. The advent of online tools allows you to build communities with folks across the globe. Bringing these folks together to talk and discuss ideas and offer help is amazing when it happens. Sometimes it can be as simple as creating a chat room around a common interest. Explore what's out there and if it doesn't meet your needs feel free to create your own.
## The difficulty in finding a good community
+#### FIXME
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I recognize that not everyone can do this. Online spaces have a reputation of not being a welcoming place for folks, and in-person group meetings can use up whatever mental resources you have. It took me a long time to get up the courage to go to my first in-person meetings as I'd had a bad experience with someone who I thought was at these meetings. But I'm grateful that I did get the courage to attend my first meetings. These lead me to friendships and other "traveling companions" to help me along the way. It lead to switching to one of my favorite programming languages (Python) and a feeling of belonging. It also lead to other work as folks got to know me.
But betting over the initial hurdle is hard. Our fear of rejection or of making ourselves vulnerable to strangers takes a lot of mental energy and can sap us of the joy of wanting to be a part of this.
projects / themediocreprogrammer.git / commitdiff