Networking changed everything for me and here is how.
I'm like your stereotypical developer , awkward, introverted, and with very little social skills. I've always heard that networking is important. People say you meet lots of others, build connections, and grow your career. But for someone like me, the idea of walking into a room full of strangers was terrifying. Still, after getting laid off in 2022, I knew I had to try something different.
At the time, I was looking for a new job in tech. I felt like my role didn't appreciate me as a developer. I felt like a tool that was being used. I didn't like the constant sense of uncertainty within the company. So I decided to attend a few networking events. This was way out of my comfort zone.
I started by searching online and downloaded the Meetup app. That's where I found a community called Grammerhub. They met online through Discord, which felt like the perfect entry point for someone like me. I joined and quietly listened in on their Monday sessions, where they discussed different tech topics. I was excited at first, but quickly felt like I couldn't relate to the others. They were all smart and confident - I felt like an imposter. Eventually, I stopped attending.
Still determined to grow, I started going to in-person meetups for developers in my area. I polished my resume, practiced my introduction, and gave it my best shot. But these events didn't turn into job offers or meaningful connections. No one even wanted to add me on LinkedIn.
I asked why and got honest feedback: my LinkedIn was bare. No one knew what I did or who I was. And they were right. I had barely filled out my profile. It was just my name and my resume. So the very next day, I gave my LinkedIn a full overhaul. I added projects, wrote a proper headline, and cleaned up the layout.
As I kept attending events, I started to get a few connection requests here and there. But it still wasn't what I had hoped for. I tried talking to anyone who would listen, but the people I really wanted to talk to were always surrounded. I felt like I had to fight just to get a conversation. And even then, it often led nowhere. Everyone wanted a job. The competition was intense.
After about a month of this, I felt like I had hit a wall. I had maybe ten new people added on LinkedIn, but no real leads. Then, one Monday afternoon, I opened Discord and saw that Grammerhub was having another Learning Day. I decided to join.
This time, something clicked.
There were people just like me - developers in transition, trying to improve, looking for opportunities. I finally felt like I belonged. This was a true network, a group of individuals who supported each other and wanted to grow together. Everyone was open, willing to help, and ready to share knowledge. It was refreshing.
After that night, I started participating more. That's when I met Allen, the person who created Grammerhub. Allen was an amazing leader who genuinely cared about helping others grow. A great mentor - just don't let him near production, he wasn't the best coder.
Allen invited me to join a group project the community was organizing. The idea was simple: we'd be put into random teams and build a website under certain constraints, with a tight deadline. This was right up my alley. I had done similar things before, but my coding skills were rusty. I hadn't coded in nearly a year. I remembered some things, but had forgotten a lot. You know what they say - if you don't use it, you lose it.
So I took it as a challenge. My team and I got to work and built the website within a week. It felt amazing. Then, we were asked to rebuild the site using Solid.js. I had never used a JavaScript framework before, so this was new territory. We took two weeks and got it done.
After that, we had to host it using Netlify. That part was easier for me - hosting was something I had done in my job before, so I got it done in a couple of days. These projects weren't just technical practice - they were real experiences that helped rebuild my confidence as a developer.
But Grammerhub wasn't just about code. I also attended their networking events. That's where I finally met the people I'd been chatting with online. It was great to connect in person and share stories. One event even had a LinkedIn representative who taught us how to improve our profiles so recruiters would actually look at them. They also explained what building a network really means and how to do it well.
I was blown away. I realized how wrong I had been about LinkedIn. I had been treating it like a static resume when I should've been using it to build relationships. The kind of network I had in Grammerhub - encouraging, collaborative, growth-focused - was exactly what I needed to recreate on LinkedIn.
As Grammerhub grew, something amazing started happening. People in the community began landing jobs. And because we had such a strong bond, those who got hired started recommending other members. That sense of pay-it-forward community created a ripple effect of success.
That's when I finally understood the real power of networking.
It's not about how many people you meet. It's about connecting with the right ones. It's about being part of a space where people want to help each other grow. Networking helped me find confidence, community, and clarity in my career path. And most importantly, it showed me that I don't have to go it alone.
Top comments (1)
I so love this story. Yours is unique and interesting because while you were networking, you were also offering value and trying to support others, so that invariably came back to you.