Why are meetups so important for aspiring technologists? They offer a social roadmap

A new attendee introduced himself at our last meetup.

Fresh out of high school and eager to learn, Carlos wanted the best roadmap for breaking into tech. He’s not alone in staring down the paths of numerous college programs, bootcamps and endless online resources with some hesitation. 

This labyrinth of options, taken with a highly competitive job market, can make climbing the tech industry’s professional ladder daunting to start and tough to finish. 

Ultimately, the best path depends on the person walking it, but one way to lighten the load is to get involved with your local tech community.

At Code & Coffee, community involvement is the cornerstone of our work. Every event is designed to yield active participation, sharing of ideas and experiential learning. From lightning talks to demo days to workshops and symposiums, we aim to give technologists, both established and early-stage, a breadth of opportunities to grow their skills. 

You enter the room to a scene filled with engineers, designers and business people of all backgrounds, each demystifying their respective jargon and taking turns as student and teacher. Through this caffeinated mixture of expertise, the beginner sees firsthand the world they want to join, learning a lot with little effort and making friends along the way.

Concerning the question of the best roadmap, we knew we wanted to help members build on what they’ve been learning in a real-world setting, but needed a program of sustained development for substantial growth. As a result, we created our first volunteer developer team  — a mix of beginners with some professionals for good measure — and set out to build our new website as the first project. Working for four months on pure enthusiasm, our core team of six engineers leveraged what they’ve learned, met challenges and overcame them while gaining invaluable confidence. New team members came and went as they pleased, gaining experience and contributing as their free time allowed.

The team members got exposure to the daily routine of a professional software engineer: standups, agile task management and, most importantly, collaborative development. While sharpening their current skills, they discovered new ones, as well as learned from making mistakes and iterating on feedback. 

Outstanding members include Brent Gauthier, Briceson Roy, Mark Reed, Beza Mogese and John Bidlack, just to name a few. They eagerly took on tasks they’d never done before and persevered in getting them done. Gauthier, who works a non-tech day job, worked late into the night to get the upper hand over different bugs, never failing to alert the team that the task was completed in time. It’s through similar acts of hard work and consistency that we were able to complete the project. 

Reflecting on similar projects and programs we’ve organized over the years has shown us that true professional development is personal development. Stepping out of your comfort zone, taking on challenges, finding your strengths — these signs of personal growth are as integral to any roadmap as technical certifications or completed courses. 

So for those who, like our friend Carlos, hope to navigate the fast-moving world of tech, remember to get involved, get connected and stay in touch with your local tech community. You never know what opportunities may arise. 

To stay plugged into our corner of the community, stay tuned to our LinkedIn and website for more upcoming events and programs, like our next gathering on March 29`.