florapdx · March 23, 2020 04:55
diff --git a/Getting involved in the community b/Getting involved in the community
 ## Why get involved in the community?
  * Meet lots of awesome people -- it's networking without all the "work" (like playtime for big people!)
  * Great way to practice and further develop your skills as a programmer
    * Pairing with people you meet at user group meetings can lead to great things!
  * Great way to keep up on new techniques, libraries, frameworks
    * User groups can be a great place to pick up clues about the direction of development and which technologies people are             currently excited about 
  * May help you refine your goals as a new programmer (gives you the chance to "try on" different technologies, communities, etc.)
  * Adds value to your resume (open source, leadership skills, investment in the community, shows you love what you do)
  * May lead to your next job

 ## Ways to get involved:
  * Attend user groups -- try as many as possible!
    * Take a friend if you're nervous or shy
    * If you have the chance, ask someone to pair with you on a project or volunteer to pair on someone else's
    * Consider giving a talk
  * Organize a user group! You don't need to be an expert to do it!
    * It can be as casual as organizing a hack day at a local cafe/bar, or as elaborate as a full-day workshop w/staff mentors, etc
      * organizing panel discussions can be a great way to find people who might not be inclined to give a formal talk
    * you don't need to start a new group to be an organizer! Many local groups would love to have more help.
  * Attend a conference:
    * Buy a ticket (if you can afford it)
    * ask your boss (if you're employed and s/he's awesome)
    * give a talk: many conference organizers are interested in hearing new coders' perspectives
    * apply for financial aid
    * scour the conference blog, local user group mailing lists, and twitter for ticket giveaways
  * Contribute to open source
    * Can be tricky for newcomers, but there's a few things that you can do to make contributing easier:
      * start small. Don't try to patch Rails just yet. Try looking through Github issues on a smaller project that you've already         used. If you've ever had trouble installing software, getting a program up and running, or following the documentation on a         project, offer to help by submitting a pull request with some documentation.

 ## Tips for maximizing enjoyment:
  * Don't force yourself to schmooze, but do force yourself to engage people about their projects, etc
  * Remember that going to tech events is supposed to be fun, not mandatory. If you're not having fun, there's plenty of other     
    events to try out.
  * If you're attending a conference, be sure to plan a little time for decompression. These are usually pretty long and intensive     days, so give yourself a break and plan a little "you time".
    * But don't skip the sprints, if there are sprints!
  * If you have any inclination towards giving a talk, there are tons of resources out there to help you prepare. 
    * Try using a friend as a sounding board to test out your talk
    * Try doing a dry-run to a smaller audience at a local user group
    * If you need help or advice concerning drafting a talk proposal, remember that many conferences will indicate areas they're         especially interested in hearing about. When in doubt, write down the questions your talk aims to answer, and base your            proposal on the answers. Think about audience takeaways.
  * If you're getting involved with an existing project, whether open source software or organizing a meetup or event, remember to     respect the work that's already been done. Don't be too critical, even if the code is bad or the group is disorganized.            Remember that most of these activities are volunteer-run, so give the other volunteers the benefit of the doubt.
  * Putting yourself out there as a newer developer can be scary. Our community here in Portland is really friendly, but there are       still people out there who seem really tone-deaf at times. Just because another dev might have been writing software since         the turn of last century doesn't mean s/he knows how to teach it or talk to new coders about it. The sad truth is that you'll       probably run into someone at some point who will make you feel crappy for no reason. Don't internalize it. If it's anything        beyond your garden-variety offhand comment, many reputable groups have codes of conduct that codify acceptible behavior, and       you should report anyone who violates those codes.
	## Why get involved in the community?
	* Meet lots of awesome people -- it's networking without all the "work" (like playtime for big people!)
	* Great way to practice and further develop your skills as a programmer
	* Pairing with people you meet at user group meetings can lead to great things!
	* Great way to keep up on new techniques, libraries, frameworks
	* User groups can be a great place to pick up clues about the direction of development and which technologies people are currently excited about
	* May help you refine your goals as a new programmer (gives you the chance to "try on" different technologies, communities, etc.)
	* Adds value to your resume (open source, leadership skills, investment in the community, shows you love what you do)
	* May lead to your next job

	## Ways to get involved:
	* Attend user groups -- try as many as possible!
	* Take a friend if you're nervous or shy
	* If you have the chance, ask someone to pair with you on a project or volunteer to pair on someone else's
	* Consider giving a talk
	* Organize a user group! You don't need to be an expert to do it!
	* It can be as casual as organizing a hack day at a local cafe/bar, or as elaborate as a full-day workshop w/staff mentors, etc
	* organizing panel discussions can be a great way to find people who might not be inclined to give a formal talk
	* you don't need to start a new group to be an organizer! Many local groups would love to have more help.
	* Attend a conference:
	* Buy a ticket (if you can afford it)
	* ask your boss (if you're employed and s/he's awesome)
	* give a talk: many conference organizers are interested in hearing new coders' perspectives
	* apply for financial aid
	* scour the conference blog, local user group mailing lists, and twitter for ticket giveaways
	* Contribute to open source
	* Can be tricky for newcomers, but there's a few things that you can do to make contributing easier:
	* start small. Don't try to patch Rails just yet. Try looking through Github issues on a smaller project that you've already used. If you've ever had trouble installing software, getting a program up and running, or following the documentation on a project, offer to help by submitting a pull request with some documentation.

	## Tips for maximizing enjoyment:
	* Don't force yourself to schmooze, but do force yourself to engage people about their projects, etc
	* Remember that going to tech events is supposed to be fun, not mandatory. If you're not having fun, there's plenty of other
	events to try out.
	* If you're attending a conference, be sure to plan a little time for decompression. These are usually pretty long and intensive days, so give yourself a break and plan a little "you time".
	* But don't skip the sprints, if there are sprints!
	* If you have any inclination towards giving a talk, there are tons of resources out there to help you prepare.
	* Try using a friend as a sounding board to test out your talk
	* Try doing a dry-run to a smaller audience at a local user group
	* If you need help or advice concerning drafting a talk proposal, remember that many conferences will indicate areas they're especially interested in hearing about. When in doubt, write down the questions your talk aims to answer, and base your proposal on the answers. Think about audience takeaways.
	* If you're getting involved with an existing project, whether open source software or organizing a meetup or event, remember to respect the work that's already been done. Don't be too critical, even if the code is bad or the group is disorganized. Remember that most of these activities are volunteer-run, so give the other volunteers the benefit of the doubt.
	* Putting yourself out there as a newer developer can be scary. Our community here in Portland is really friendly, but there are still people out there who seem really tone-deaf at times. Just because another dev might have been writing software since the turn of last century doesn't mean s/he knows how to teach it or talk to new coders about it. The sad truth is that you'll probably run into someone at some point who will make you feel crappy for no reason. Don't internalize it. If it's anything beyond your garden-variety offhand comment, many reputable groups have codes of conduct that codify acceptible behavior, and you should report anyone who violates those codes.