-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.
+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 find the courage to go to my first in-person meetings as I'd had a bad experience with someone I worked with that I thought would be at these meetings. (I'm not sure if that person ever went it to those meetings). But I'm grateful that I did eventually attend my first meetings. Attending these meetings lead me to friendships, opportunities, and other "traveling companions" for our journey. It lead me to switch to one of my favorite programming languages (Python) and several of the jobs in my career. It also helped me to feel like I wasn't alone with my interests and had others I could rely on. It gave me a feeling of belonging.