PART 2: FOSTERING TECH COMMUNITIES TO IMPROVE CRAFTSMANSHIP

Strong communities improve our craft

This article is part two of a four part series focused on strengthening tech meetups and user groups through community organizing best practices. The author, Justin Stevens, is a senior software engineer and craftsman advocating for developers on a daily basis. These articles were inspired by a decade of good intentions.

Part 2

User groups, also called tech meetups, do some pretty cool things for your local tech communities. Members have a chance to practice new and emerging technologies that are normally too risky to use on client work. They'll also learn better processes from their peers and make strong networking connections. I've seen members move on to work for major corporations and hold fairly prestigious positions. Groups are usually hosted by local tech companies, giving new developers direct access to potential employers. A strong tech community can raise the awareness and skill level of developers on important frameworks and processes to their industry.

I've been a part of multiple groups over the years and made amazing friends and built long-lasting relationships. Whether you have just started your journey into software development, or you're at the end of it you will benefit from attending user groups and tech meetup events.

Some places to start are:

- Techlahoma – https://www.techlahoma.org/

- NebraskaJS – https://nebraskajs.com/

- DSM Web Collective – https://dsmwebcollective.com/

- Web Geeks – https://www.dsmwebgeeks.com/

- Meetup.com – https://www.meetup.com/topics/...

Strong tech communities advocate for others. Realize that your peers are in the same boat as you. Organizing and attending tech meetups gives everyone a chance to benefit from collective knowledge. This is how we build upon our craft and ensure that everyone has a chance to succeed.