Some cheat codes for soon to be college graduates (like myself), older generations of devs struggling to keep hip to the latest and greatest, or anyone interested in development.
Tip 1: Read developer blogs.
There are a ton of really good dev blogs out there! Make it a routine to read at least one article before getting ready for the day or winding down for the night. Use the opportunity to commiuncate with other professionals or take away something new via someone else’s experiences/lessons learned. My favorite go to blog community for discussions and more is DEV.to
Tip 2: Make Meetup your best friend.
As a college student, Meetup has allowed me to meet and interact with people already in the workforce. Rubbing elbows and being intentional in growing a networking circle can help you land a internship/job, or even make a lifetime friend. Make an account. Find something you’re passionate about or want to learn. Attend the events in your city, even if you’re by yourself at first (I promise you, it will get easier as your keep attending)
Tip 3: Be strategic with making connections on LinkedIn .
Depending on where you are at in your walk on the dev path, you should consider who you add on LinkedIn. As a rule of thumb, you always want to add those who are have years of experience, seem wiser, and are two steps (three steps) ahead of where you are. Why? Because it broadens your networking circle and makes you more visible to those that are hiring. As a student, I learned pretty quickly to be selective in developing relationships with individuals that could be a mentor, potential resume checker, or just a voice of reason to lean on in the storms of life. Purposeful connections carries more weight rather than how many people you can connect with. “Quality over Quantity” should be your mantra in everything.
Tip 4: Attend conferences/workshops!
Do not let the fear of not being able to keep up with others or not understanding workshops, keep you from attending tech conferences. It truly does not matter what you know at the time, it’s about seeing the possibilities of what you could learn and what’s hot in the tech community. Cons keep you on your toes, they intrigue, and they inspire. So, do some research..see if there are any free cons you can attend, or if you’re a student if you can get a special discount or scholarship to attend. Be sure to bring along some colorful pens and a notebook to sketchnote your takeaways for later on. Sketchnotes are a good tool to refresh on things you don’t remember or to share with others via social media.
There are many cheatcodes to successfully ease your way into all things dev related, but the more important tip of all is
…
Have fun! learn & teach! & always be welcoming to the next batch of new kids on the block.
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