5 ms·

Communities are key to me. For many years I worked remote contracts from home very much focused on just doing a good job. Only in the last couple of years have

• rubicon33 10y ago
  Can you shed a little more light on what it's like joining one of these communities for the first time? As someone who's always heard of these programming communities, and been interesting, I've hesitated to join one largely due to misunderstanding their utility / purpose. What does one DO at a meetup, for example?
  • karmelapple 10y ago
    I organized an iOS development Meetup for years in a fairly low-population area, and I had no idea what our Meetup would actually do when I created it! I didn't even know if other people in the area were doing much iOS development; I literally knew nobody who truly wanted to attend when I started it. Primarily I wanted to meet other smart folks who were interested in similar tech problems as myself, hopefully learn something, maybe make some friends (which I did - many I still keep in touch with!), and have fun. So the specifics of what one does at a meetup include, but are not limited to: * listen to talks * meet new people * say hello to people you've already met and - important to avoiding burnout - ask how their projects (or life in general) is going * grab a beverage or a little food after the event Bonus if you organize it: people start to think you're an "expert" in this field, even though you may have really just wanted to meet some people. I went on to help organize other meetups and events with great people because of it, too. Whether you organize or attend a meetup, simply approach it as a way to meet some new people and talk about the topic at hand, and you shouldn't be disappointed. If you think you'll make lifelong friends after attending one or two, or think you'll find your cofounder for a new startup after attending one meetup, temper your expectations. Just like any community or relationship, really getting to know people takes time, and there's very little substitute for that. Get out and meet some people!
    • Arizhel 10y ago
      Personally, while I like doing solo technical projects at home in my free time, I really have little interest in spending my socializing time with more techies. I get enough of that at work. One thing I've been sick of for a long time was a lack of diversity in my social circle, which is a big problem in tech because there's almost no women there, it's a big sausagefest and in many workplaces has a frat-house feel to it. I really don't want more of that. So these days, I look for social opportunities with a lot more diversity. There's a lot of great groups on Meetup.com (outside the tech-focused ones) where the participants are far more diverse, and I mean that in every way: not only in gender, but also ethnically, age, career background, national origin, etc. Personally I like the outdoor activity groups. This also helps me be more physically active, something else that's wrong with this career field where we sit in a chair all day long in front of a monitor at arm's length.
      • rubicon33 10y ago
        What is with this "diversity for diversities sake" thinking? I don't care if I'm in a room with nothing but all _ race or _ gender. If they're interesting people, with an interesting perspective, thats what matters.
        • Arizhel 10y ago
          Maybe you like being in a frat-like sausagefest. I don't.
  • awjr 10y ago
    My first meetup, I just sat there and watched the presentations, had a few drinks, and spoke to a few people. Felt almost uncomfortable. Now I go at them with gusto. People are there because they love the tech. They want to talk about it and want to tell you what they are doing with it. Meetups are usually filled with people who do not look at coding as "their day job". It's very obvious to me that it's more than that. Great place to meet kindred spirits. Some groups though are just for fun. That's how I ended up attending a regular board game group for a while.