DEV Community: Will Johnson

How To Be A Great Podcast Guest

Will Johnson — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 22:01:24 +0000

After I released my first eBook I was invited on a bunch of podcasts to talk about it. After being on so many back-to-back, I started to notice some patterns that I wanted to change to make a better conversation and better content for listeners.

Research The Host

If someone has podcast chances are they have other content out there. Check if they got a new job, released a new course, anything they would be excited or proud of, and give them props after your introduction.

I got this from The Rock, he does this in interviews a lot. It sets an amazing tone for the rest of the conversation. I mean who doesn't like compliments? Especially if it's someone you never met, it's build trust early.

Also, see if you have any common interests like movies, books, or even previous guests you may have had on the show and what you liked about that episode.

I like podcasts conversations to be laid back and less like interviews, so things like this break the ice and lets everyone relax.

Use the Hosts Name

Dale Carnegie said, “A person’s name is to that person, the sweetest, most important sound in any language.”

I admit I do not do this. It's such a simple concept and I wish I did it.

It can be as simple as "That's a great question, Nick".
It sparks their attention and makes the conversation more personal. Please, don't do this on every single question it will then come off as fake.

Listen for Bits or Rituals

When I was on the Tech Jr Podcast, I noticed they had a section at the end called "Nerd Minute" where you would talk about anything you were interested in like superheroes, anime, Star Wars, etc.

Since I knew about I had something to prepare and I let the host know that I was aware. More trust built.

Have A Story or Two

Humans love stories, it's how we have communicated since the beginning of time. Stories carry emotions they can be funny, said, or triumphant.

More than likely, you have a story to tell from high school, college, your kids, old job, or something you can tie in.

Spicy Hot Takes

This is always a good one, and be careful how HOT you get. This is something I don't think I've done, at least not on purpose. I have commented on how I thought JavaScript was over-complicated compared to Ruby. It's all in fun though I really don't care.

Those are good hot takes light-hearted ones that don't cause any harm.

Any Weird Hobbies

I really like sleight of hand magic tricks, like card magic. I learned a few tricks off of YouTube and show to them to my kids and their friends.

When I bring it up in interviews people are usually interested in knowing more about it, it's an easy way to tell a story. I usually talk about how I scared my daughter the first time I did one.

Don't Worry About Repeating Yourself

I don't try to talk about new things every single podcast I'm on. They are going to have different audiences more than likely.

If you listen to any famous person who's been on podcasts they have been telling the same stories and making the same points for years. It's completely normal if you don't have something fresh every time don't try and force it.

Take Your Time To Answer Questions

I need to work on this! I'm much better at writing because I get to think before making my points and I can always go back and delete or rewrite.

Pro Tip: Same thing with podcasts! They can edit any dead air, you can even ask for a do-over.

Sadly, I haven't done this since podcasts are recorded sometimes I freeze up because I feel like I have to respond quickly before I have a good thought formulated.

Going forward I will pause more and relax so instead of being pressured to blurt out something to avoid awkward silences. (Podcasts have editors for a reason)

Please Don't Reach For Quotes

I've listened to a few podcasts and you can tell when the quest is really trying to get a quote that will go viral or Instagram. It's annoying and sounds weird just be yourself and I promise you'll have something unique naturally come out of the conversation.

Conclusion

These we basically notes to myself, but I wanted to make them public so others can benefit as well.

If you want to keep up with my podcast appearances follow me on Twitter

Announcing the VS Code Snippets egghead Community Challenge

Will Johnson — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 19:10:35 +0000

We are excited to announce the first egghead Community Challenge!

From today Sept 22st until Monday, October 5th, you will have a chance to win some badass prizes by creating VS Code snippets that are helpful for developers!

What are Code Snippets?

Code snippets are templates that make it easier to enter repeating code patterns, such as loops or conditional-statements.

Learn more Code Snippets here

Why Participate?

One of the primary principles of egghead is that we are a "community of practice". One of the tenets of a community of practice is sharing resources that make us better at our craft.

Code snippets speed up workflow and productivity. Creating and sharing some useful snippets will help the community as a whole.

Prizes

3 Winners(1 per category)

3 months subscription to egghead.io
Full egghead Swag Pack from the egghead Swag Store(hat, beanies, stickers, t-shirt)

How To Submit

Create a GitHub repo name egghead-challenge-'yourreponame'
Share the URL to the snippet in the Discord group
Example here: https://github.com/wjohnson85/egghead-challenge-will-snippet/blob/master/snippet-example/

Support

You will be invited to a group DM on discord where we will share resources to help get you to start creating and sharing snippets.

You can also ask questions, get tips, and share ideas with other challenge members.

I highly suggest sharing on social media your progress using #eggheadchallenge

Dates To Remember

September 22: Community Challenge Begins!

October 5th: Community Challenge Submissions Due at 11:59 PM PST.

October 8th:: Community Challenge Winners Announced

If you want to participate comment below and an egghead staff member will be in touch!

How I Switched Careers Into Tech With No Degree In My Mid 30's

Will Johnson — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 23:18:18 +0000

When you're 30+ years old, married with kids, it may seem impossible to change careers into tech without getting a degree and potentially taking on a bunch of debt.

That's exactly what I thought. I was stuck working at factory jobs that treated me subhuman and so were all my friends. I remember a time I asked for a day off for my daughter's birthday, and was literally laughed by the supervisor. I wasn't making a lot of money, I had to take care of my wife and 6 kids, and work tons of overtime on 12 hours shifts. Sometimes I was working 2 jobs. I was miserable.

How I Got Started Learning To Code

One day I was said, "This can't be life, I have to figure this money thing out". From then I started several things, from a YouTube Channel, a cleaning service, and selling t-shirts on Shopify. I was constantly looking for the right skills to learn so I could dig myself out of this hole.

I stumbled across a forum post and everyone was talking about buying Colt Steele's Web Development Course. I looked up what web development was and the pay and I told my wife "In a year to a year and a half, I'm going to get us out of this".

My wife was super excited she said she "just felt" like this was the right move for our family. So after working 12 hour days I would come home and code. My wife sacrificed her time so I could put in the work and I appreciate her for that. I know it wasn't easy. We both had our eyes on the prize.

Building A Community

I know that since I didn't have a degree, I was "old", and my job history was mostly manual labor and call center work. My resume wasn't going to have people beating down my door to hire me. I figured a way for me to stand out was to get to know as many people in tech as possible.

After about 2 months of learning, I started to go to meet-ups(if they were on my off day), volunteered to teach kids to code with my local CoderDojo once a month, mentored at a workshop to teach women Angular, attended the biggest developer conference in my city. I even spoke at a few meet-ups before I got a job.

I would meet people and tell them what I was doing, ask them questions about what they were doing, and try to learn as much as possible. During this time I'm still learning to code before work, and on weekends. I was super tired and exhausted and always felt like I wasn't doing enough.

Building An Online Community

I wanted to have as many job prospects as possible. So in addition to being active in my local community, I was super active on Twitter. I would share everything I was learning on Twitter. I shared everything I was doing offline on Twitter as well. I would update my progress and ask questions. I helped other people with their questions who were learning to code.

I built relationships with developers, I reached to be on a podcast before I had a job. I was blogging things I was learning on Medium. I consistently showed up and I think I really proved that I was willing to work hard.

The Hard Times

It wasn't all fun & games. This process was stressful, I was getting forced to work overtime every week at my old job. I was rejected from job after job, even the ones I got referrals to.

Most jobs wouldn't even call me back. At one point I thought maybe this is what I'm meant to be. Honestly, it hurt thinking I was stuck here and couldn't do more after trying so hard.

Going to work putting powder in boxes 400 times a day really seemed like a waste of my time and potential. I wanted to do more and experience more.

When I was studying I stopped doing anything fun, no TV shows, no video games, no sports, and no Netflix. I think I saw two movies(Avengers). It was just work, code, and reading books. If I wasn't with my family.
I wouldn't recommend this, but I felt like I had to go hard
like I was making up for the lost time.

I remember when I went to New York for CodeLand Conf (I got a free ticker off Twitter), I took a flight there and back. I took one day off of work and I only had one day left to miss from work or I would've been terminated(We could only miss 4 days in a year). So it decided to rain like crazy that day. Brooklyn looked like it was flooded on the News and my flight got delayed.

I WAS STRESSED. I ended up making it home at 3 AM and was at work at 7 AM. Before I went I asked could I get an excused absence if my flight was delayed of course it was declined.

Just got off of work before heading to NYC

Light At The End Of The Tunnel

I met with the co-founder of egghead Joel Hooks over zoom after interacting a bit over Twitter. He invited me to do a few things like teach on egghead or review courses. I was too busy at the time because we decided to sell our house and look for a new one. I felt bad because I felt like I was wasting an opportunity.

Over the course of the next few months even though I was in the middle of moving. I kept posting on Twitter, I kept learning, I kept networking. My wife kept supporting me, even though she was getting tired.

5 months later after our first zoom meeting, I was offered to come to egghead to foster the community and learn Ruby on Rails. It was the biggest sigh of relief I've ever had.

I had visions of that day where I would walk out that factory and never come back. Through work, luck, and sacrifice I made it happen.

Now I spend plenty of time with my family because I work remotely. We found our dream home and life has been good for us. Looking back I would've never thought I would be here.

What's Next

Currently, I'm aiming to get better at Ruby on Rails and React and continue to build new relationships and help others build themselves professional networks.

Thank you for reading! If you would like to keep up with what I'm doing next follow me on Twitter

How To Find a Mentor Using Twitter

Will Johnson — Sun, 13 Sep 2020 02:56:47 +0000

A question I hear people ask a lot is "How Do I Find a Mentor?"

I understand why you would want someone who can help you and has been on the same path as you. They can help you avoid pitfalls and mistakes and point you in the right direction.

Should You Look For A Mentor

My advice? Don't look for a mentor. That's not the same as don't get a mentor, but I don't think you should actively ask around for one.

There's a quote that says "When the student is ready, the teacher shall appear".

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This is definitely something I have experienced, as noted by my tweet above. If you are consistently showing your work and your progress, people who have the experience you desire will reach out to you to help you reach those higher levels. BOOM! You have a mentor.

The reason I say you shouldn't directly reach out asking for mentors is that a mentor relationship is built on trust. If you haven't established any prior history with someone, they don't even have any context to mentor you.

However, if they know that you've been learning, progressing and you reach out for something specific like "Do you know why then API isn't returning any data?" with the steps you took so far. They know that you value their time. If you implement that advice and tell them, the next time you reach out they'll be eager to help you.

When I was learning web development, Eric Poe from CoderDojoKC reached to me on Twitter and showed me how to use GitHub because I was confused. I didn't have to ask he was willing because I built trust by constantly showing what I was doing. He knew that I was would take his advice seriously, and he wouldn't waste his time.

Get Mentorship Indirectly

Also, in 2020 there are a ton of ways to get indirect mentorship, people have done podcasts interviews, wrote blog posts about their careers, conferences talks, and more. You can learn a lot from people without ever having to reach out to them directly. Just reading the tweets can give a lot of information.

By getting that information it can better assist you if you do decide to ask a question. I decided to reach out to Joel Hooks from egghead for advice because he was a self-taught developer who learned to code in his mid-thirties with a wife and 5 kids.

That was the situation I was in, it had the right context. I'm not 100% sure if a 22-year-old, single Computer Science Grad could have given advice that was right for me and my situation.

Also, I never asked him or anyone to be my mentor. As I implemented the advice that was given. trust was built and more advice was given. It was organic, not formal.

Conclusion

I really believe organic relationships built on trust, are better factors in your success than trying to find someone who mentors you. If you make your self mentor-able, a mentor will appear when you least expect it. That's what has happened to me.

I believe it can happen to you.

Let me know in the comments, "Do you have a mentor?"

I Wrote a Book! How To Use Twitter To Break Into Tech

Will Johnson — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 14:50:16 +0000

TL:DR

I wrote an eBook with all the tips and strategies I used to get build a professional network to get a job in tech! It's priced at $10 and you can grab it HERE!

About Me

Hi, I'm Will I currently work at egghead.io. At 33 I decided to change careers and teach my self web development. I knew that since didn't have a college degree or any experience in tech, I had to find another way to get into tech.

From years of using social media to create opportunities for myself from booking performances for my dance group in other cities to being featured on EA Sports website when I was gaming. I knew that in order for me to stand out in tech, I needed to apply the same strategies. It worked! Now I want to help you do the same.

What Is This Book About?

It's about creating a presence so strong on Twitter that opportunities start to just come your way. I know that sounds like a big promise. I agree is it but after using Twitter over and over again and still using it to this day. I have and continue to get amazing opportunities out of nowhere all the time.

I don't focus on followers, likes, or retweets. I focus on getting your profile seen by the right people, not a lot of people.

What Are People Saying About The Book

Brian Douglas Developer Advocate @ GitHub
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Alex Hillman Author of TinyMBA
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How can I get a copy?

You can purchase your PDF copy for $10 here: Break Into Tech With Twitter

You also get a limited amount of FREE copies from Alex Hillman and Rahat Chowdhury

If you purchase the book and have any questions let me know! I'll be happy to help!

How To Get Started with AWS (Q&A)

Will Johnson — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 18:28:43 +0000

To celebrate the release of Tomasz Łakomy's new AWS course Build an App with the AWS Cloud Development Kit.

We hosted an AWS Q&A on Twitter. The egghead web developer community on Twitter was able to ask questions, and Tomasz provided some great answers.

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I kicked off the discussion by asking "Can you use other databases besides DynamoDB with AWS?

Tomasz:
Absolutely! DynamoDB is an AWS-exclusive NoSQL database (or key-value store if you'd like to be really accurate) but for instance.

You can use Amazon RDS (Relational Database Service) to use MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, Oracle (if you need to) and Amazon Aurora

Amazon Aurora is another type of database built for the cloud, unlike DynamoDB it's a MySQL and PostgreSQL-compatible relational database

Ceora asked for suggestions for getting practical/real-world experience in AWS?

@ceeoreo_

Tomasz:
When it comes to getting actual experience: start experimenting

Use S3 to backup your photos
Use Lambda to build an API for your website
Use DynamoDB as a todo list
Use SageMaker to appear incredibly smart because machine learning is magic

He also added going through the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner prep might be a good idea because the purpose of the exam is to get you familiar with AWS Cloud

The Code Pixi and Vaibhav asked: "What are your recommendations for someone who's a total beginner with AWS?"

@TheCodePixi
@Vaibhav

Tomasz:

First, start with AWS Lambda - you don't have to become an expert, but you can start using it in order to (for instance) build your own serverless APIs

It doesn't have to be a really deep dive, IMHO experimenting is an excellent way to learn (and you're not going to get charged anything on a new account thanks to the free tier - a million free requests per month).

IMHO this egghead lesson WTF is AWS Lambda by yours truly is a great place to start:

Secondly, consider checking out some of the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner courses - it's the easiest AWS certification exam and the goal of it is to show that you "have the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively demonstrate an overall understanding of the AWS Cloud"

This course is also a great introduction into the world of serverless/AWS:
Develop A Serverless Backend Using Node JS on AWS Lambda

Something more official:
AWS Fundamentals

Aengus asked "What sort of use cases would best be served by using AWS vs something like Netlify or Heroku? When would it be overkill?"

@aengusmcmillin

Tomasz:
"As with all great questions in programming, the answer is: "It depends"

Netlify, Heroku, AWS Amplify solve similar problems when it comes to building web apps and they are amazing at that. My personal site uses Netlify, but all of our infrastructure at OLX Tech lives on AWS since we have a lot of traffic.

Of course, to get started with AWS you don't have to be a huge company, thanks to their free tier (my last bill was $5 though). Even if you use Netlify, IMHO there's a great value of getting to know serverless technologies a bit better.

I wanted to say that serverless is the future, but it's not entirely true serverless is here now and it'll stay for a while"

Kranthiasks "Is it possible to build complex applications completely using AWS lambda/serverless?" and "Can you refer to any resources related to architecting fully serverless applications?"

@kkranthi438

Tomasz:
Yup! It definitely requires a shift in perspective when it comes to thinking about your architecture (you don't have a server running your monolith 24/7).

For example, at OLX Tech we're running serverless services which are built on top of multiple lambdas + DynamoDB

For resources read and watch everything that @theburningmonk has even written/recorded. As well as this eggheadio course:
Building Serverless Web Applications With React AWS Amplify

Lauro asked: "Is it worth getting AWS certified?"

@laurosilvacom

Tomasz:
IMHO it is - it's an excellent way of getting and solidifying your knowledge about AWS Cloud. Having a concrete list of services that you need to understand is better than "I'm going to learn all of it!".

I wrote a bit more about my experience in this post: Passing AWS Solutions Architect Associate exam

John wanted to know "Did diving deep clear up any misunderstandings you had going in?"

@johnlindquist

Tomasz:
Absolutely! For instance, I considered S3 to be an actual 'simple' service: "just buckets that store files, how hard can that be". While that's true on a surface level, S3 has much more to offer when it comes to features like versioning, encryption, different storage tiers

Another thing, I had this idea that since DynamoDB is a NoSQL database it's really flexible and you don't need to think about your access patterns before you start using it. As Alex DeBrie (@alexbdebrie) explains in his excellent "DynamoDB Book", this is not true

Tyler asks, "What are some features you wish AWS would add or possibly features that are coming out that you are excited about?"

@iamtylerwclark

Tomasz:
I'd love to see a CloudWatch console visual overhaul, currently, it's not exactly intuitive and it could definitely use some love. Apart from that (it's a common complaint, I'm not exactly unique in that regard) AWS docs are famously... not approachable for beginners (Which is actually part of the motivation behind my course. I went through all of that so you don't have to!).

I'd also love to see more educational content from AWS featured in the Console - for instance when you go to DynamoDB console for the first time.

And yes, there are various conference talks, webinars, etc but what I feel folks are lacking are guidance when it comes to "I have all those features, which ones are going to solve my problems"

One more thing: Dear AWS, please make the SAVE button in AWS Lambda Console bigger, make it blink, jump, or whatever when I have unsaved changes in the editor. Don't make me debug code that is not even saved :(

These were some really great questions and Tomasz provided some great insight on how to get started learning AWS!

His course Build an App with the AWS Cloud Development Kit is available now!

You Should Speak At Meetups Before Your First Dev Job. Here's Why

Will Johnson — Tue, 26 May 2020 23:16:11 +0000

If you're a self-taught developer or Bootcamp student trying to get a job in tech can be hard. It's a lot of people aiming for the same goal of becoming a developer. A lot of times your resumes get ignored.

That's because:

resumes are boring

One of the best things I did was speak at meetups BEFORE I had my first dev job.

Speaking at meetups puts you in front of professional developers, but in this situation, you're the star, you're the expert. That's a different position to be in than when you're just blindly submitting apps. You now have a face with your name and a personality.

It's basically a cheat code to stand out in a sea of aspiring devs because not a lot of people like to speak in public and meetups are ALWAYS looking for speakers. You're giving them one less thing they have to worry about.

What Do You Talk About?

Some you might be thinking what can you talk about you're a noob speaking to professionals, There are two approaches you can take. I took both.

First, you can talk about new and hot technologies or tools. I gave a talk on a new framework called Svelte at a JavaScript Meetup. Not a lot of people knew about it and I was able to add something new.

I was asked questions that I didn't know the answer to. I answered that I didn't know but that actually helped me make my talk better for the next time. I can add info about those questions.

Second, you can do "soft skills" talks that aren't tech-specific but can benefit developers. I did a talk on "Personal Branding for Developers" and a talk on "How to Use Social Media to Boost Your Job Search".

You can do talks on your learning techniques, bootcamp journey, what you learned from applying to 100 jobs. This list is endless because they come from your experience and no one can tell you your experience is wrong because it's yours and yours alone.

What are the benefits?

Speaking at meetups lets people come to you. Afterward, people will ask you questions about resources, you're background etc. Now you get a chance to craft a story and build new relationships.

From speaking at meetups people have approached me months later saying they enjoyed my talk and how it helped them. I even got reached out to be on a podcast from someone who was in the audience at my Svelte talk.

This also strengthens relationships with people you already have met on your journey. When people see you really exceeding your comfort zone they start to gain a deep appreciation for what you're doing and will find ways to support you.

What If Nobody Likes My Talk or Don't Do A Good Job?

That's definitely not a possibility! I thought every talk I gave sucked and I was being exposed as a fraud but the feedback I got was quite the opposite. I was told "I really enjoyed that you didn't talk like a walking computer" and one bootcamp student said "Thank you, your made me realize I can be a developer, you made it seem so easy.".

So your viewpoint might be just what someone in the audience needs. You never know who out there is watching and waiting for your perspective.

So go out there and show the world what you know. I looked forward to seeing it.

If you like this post subscribe to my newsletter. I help people get into tech by sharing tips that worked for me.
http://tinyletter.com/willjohnsonio

Why You Should Stop Being Scared To Write A Blog Post.

Will Johnson — Sat, 23 May 2020 03:53:12 +0000

Blogging is one of the best ways to share with other people something you learned. One thing I always hear people say when I tell them to blog is that they are scared.

They're scared

they don't have anything new to say
that it might be wrong
that it won't be good enough
they don't know what to blog about

All of those are legit concerns! but before I get too far into writing this post I want to share this video by Will Smith on fear if you have time watch it and let me know what you think.

To sum the video up Will Smith says that basically before we even do something we let our mind build up all these scenarios that are negative and we start to even have physical pain.

But when we actually follow through with it we feel bliss and we wonder why we let ourselves get all worked up in the first place. There's no reason to be scared because nothing is actually happening. We get scared of what MIGHT happen.

The majority of the time those things don't even happen.

"The best things in life are on the other side of terror"

I'm not going to lie I "feel" a little fear writing this post but it won't stop me and I have been every time I posted a blog. My mind jumps to all the bad things people might say etc. But those things never happen. I'm not saying they won't but there's no reason to hold back from the world because of maybe's

I can always delete my post and try again it won't end my career.

Don't block your opportunities because of fear

Blogging, sharing knowledge and being helpful is one of the best things you can do for your career you never know where it can lead and while it may pose some risk to your ego maybe. But isn't landing your dream job worth the risk? Isn't building relationships with people you admire worth the risk?

If you're worried about writing new and novel that's not necessary the new and novel is YOU! You haven't written on this topic from your viewpoint before. I mean think about how many brands of water there is. If something as regular as water can have different versions. You can write another post on JavaScript array methods.

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To quote another Will Smith line this was from "After Earth" I've only seen this movie once but this line stuck with me ever since.

Please watch this clip it's only 1:23

Fear is not real it's a product of our thoughts and imagination

I've been scared to do so many things like write blog posts, speak at meetups, be on podcasts, be on twitch streams, start a podcast, heck even tweeting people and much more but going through with all those things has lead to even more amazing opportunities and allowed me to meet more people.

If I would have listened to my thoughts I would have missed out on all the great things that come from taking those risks.

People love risk-takers, everyone you admire felt those same fears and will really respect you for following through despite them. That's a career hack on another level.

I'm not saying your fears aren't real, that anxiety doesn't exist or trolls who live to make people feel like crap don't exist.

But don't let those things hold you back from living your best life.

If you like this post subscribe to my newsletter. I help people get into tech by sharing tips that worked for me.
http://tinyletter.com/willjohnsonio

Looking for code streamers? Here's a list for you!

Will Johnson — Fri, 17 Apr 2020 22:35:04 +0000

Code streaming has become very popular.

More and more people are streaming themselves, solving problems, building things, and interacting with the developer community. They are starting channels on Mixer, Twitch, and YouTube.

We wanted to create a resource of code streamers that can be found all in one place!

We asked the egghead community to share their streams.

Do you stream? Leave a link to your stream in the comments!

Here are some streamers from the egghead community!

Pachi is self-taught developer who loves CSS(who doesn't, though?). She streams herself creating small pages and sometimes playing League of Legends, being a new and showing her drive it's an excellent opportunity to watch someone on their way to big things!

https://www.twitch.tv/pachicodes

Tyler Clark is DevRel Engineer at Auth0. He pairs up with other developers and open source maintainers to learn new tools and technologies in real-world apps. His topics are very diverse in subjects, from tools like React-Query to mastering codesandbox or illustrating development concepts. There's something for every developer.

https://www.twitch.tv/livewithtyler

Eric Boggs teaches free intro to Web Dev lessons. All you need a VSCode and a good attitude. No experience required. This would be an excellent way to introduce someone you know to web dev.

https://www.quarantinecode.com/

Jason Lengstorf hosts the Learn With Jason show where his guest either teach him something new or he teaches them something new in 90 mins. Jason has a great community around him, and his chat is super enthusiastic.

https://twitch.tv/jlengstorf

Eva is a co-founder of includesJS focused on improving diversity in tech. Eva host online conversations on Twitch with developers, organizers, conference speakers, and more.

https://www.twitch.tv/edieblu

Chris Biscardi streams the cutting edge. He is very interested in new technologies and seeing how they crack. On his stream, you can learn about more than what's hot, you learn about what's going to be hot so you can be ahead of the curve.

https://www.twitch.tv/chrisbiscardi

Rahat Chowdhury is a full stack developer and podcast host he streams himself building actual projects with in-demand technologies like React, Gatsby, and GraphQL. In one series, he showed behind the scenes of building his podcast site!

https://www.twitch.tv/rahatcodes

Kurt Kemple streams a variety of coding, design, video/photo editing, fitness, and a bit of gaming. So if you're not in the mood for just development, you can join his community for other topics as well.

https://www.twitch.tv/theworstdev

Sam Julien is a DevReal at Auth0 he streams coding (mostly Angular & React), talk-building, and tech career information. He decided to rebuild his blog in Gatsby and let the community join him in the process.

https://www.twitch.tv/samjulien

Khaled Garbaya if you're interested in learning JAMStack, this would be the stream to follow. Khaled builds real projects live from start to finish using the JAMStack, and you don't miss a thing!

https://www.twitch.tv/kgarbaya

Ryan Warner for developers looking to improve their design skill's Ryans stream in an excellent place to start. Ryan starts working in Figma and brings designs to life with code.

https://www.twitch.tv/RyanWarnerCodes

Give these streamers a follow and get involved in their chat!

10 Tips To Get The Most Out Of Meetups and Conferences

Will Johnson — Fri, 06 Mar 2020 22:20:34 +0000

We asked the egghead community on Twitter for their best tips on how to make sure you get the most of out meetups and conferences. We wanted to share those answers with the DEV community!

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1) Get out of your comfort zone.

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2) Try to connect with people before the event.

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3) Network for knowledge transfer.

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4) Focus meeting people over the talks.

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5) Bring a friend to make you more comfortable.

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6) Congratulate the speakers.

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7) Don't be in a rush.

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8) Takes note then share them later.

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9) Make sketch notes

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10) Focus on what's being presented

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Hope these tips are helpful for you! Our twitter community is very helpful. Give us a follow to get tips in real-time!

15 Tips For Someone New To Web Development

Will Johnson — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 18:01:03 +0000

On Twitter we asked the egghead community for advice for new developers:

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Tons of developers gave out some awesome advice and we wanted to share some with the dev.to community.

1) The fundamentals are always a good start.

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2) Don't get stuck on the "right way".

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3) Make a journal for your future self.

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4) Hang out with veterans to see they don't know it all.

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5) Get a study buddy!

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6) You can learn a lot from your mistakes.

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7) You don't have to chase the newest thing.

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8) Build things you don't think you're ready for.

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9) It gets easier with time.

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10) Don't forget to network.

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11) Communication is important.

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12) Don't compare yourself to others.

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13) Don't worry about what you don't know yet.

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14) Keep on building.

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15) Don't give up.

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Of course this wasn't all of the great advice from this thread. Check it out if you want to read them all.

Share any advice you have for new developers in the comments.

Intro to CSS Variables

Will Johnson — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 07:03:07 +0000

In CSS you can use variables to store information and reference it later in your app using the variable name. This make writing CSS a lot easier because, it cuts down on having to type the same things over and over when you need to make changes in multiple places.

Declaring CSS variables

You can declare a css variable inside of any CSS declaration block {} type --variable-name as the property, then set the value. We'll use red.

body {
    --main-color: red;
}

Using CSS variables

To use a CSS variable you need the var() function. Type var(variable-name) inside of the declaration block you want to use the variable on.

button {
    color: var(--main-color)
}

This is useful because now anywhere you need to change the main-color you change it once and it changes everywhere main-color is referenced. Without CSS variables you would have to go and change each red color manually. 😫

CSS Variable Scope

The CSS selector that you add the variable on, is available for all the children of that element. For example, a variable inside a <div> will be useable by all the elements inside that <div>.

CSS variables are based on CSS specificity and the most specific selector used will be the one that shows in the browser.

For example in this code:

body {
    --main-color: red;
}

header {
    --main-color: blue;
}

Any element that uses main-color outside of header will be red. Any element that uses main-color inside of header will be blue.

Here is example here you can experiment with on codepen

DEV Community: Will Johnson

How To Be A Great Podcast Guest

Research The Host

Use the Hosts Name

Listen for Bits or Rituals

Have A Story or Two

Spicy Hot Takes

Any Weird Hobbies

Don't Worry About Repeating Yourself

Take Your Time To Answer Questions

Please Don't Reach For Quotes

Conclusion

Announcing the VS Code Snippets egghead Community Challenge

What are Code Snippets?

Why Participate?

Categories

Prizes

How To Submit

Support

Dates To Remember

How I Switched Careers Into Tech With No Degree In My Mid 30's

How I Got Started Learning To Code

Building A Community

Building An Online Community

The Hard Times

Light At The End Of The Tunnel

What's Next

How To Find a Mentor Using Twitter

Should You Look For A Mentor

Get Mentorship Indirectly

Conclusion

I Wrote a Book! How To Use Twitter To Break Into Tech

TL:DR

About Me

What Is This Book About?

What Are People Saying About The Book

How can I get a copy?

How To Get Started with AWS (Q&A)

I kicked off the discussion by asking "Can you use other databases besides DynamoDB with AWS?

Ceora asked for suggestions for getting practical/real-world experience in AWS?

The Code Pixi and Vaibhav asked: "What are your recommendations for someone who's a total beginner with AWS?"

Aengus asked "What sort of use cases would best be served by using AWS vs something like Netlify or Heroku? When would it be overkill?"

Kranthiasks "Is it possible to build complex applications completely using AWS lambda/serverless?" and "Can you refer to any resources related to architecting fully serverless applications?"

Lauro asked: "Is it worth getting AWS certified?"

John wanted to know "Did diving deep clear up any misunderstandings you had going in?"

Tyler asks, "What are some features you wish AWS would add or possibly features that are coming out that you are excited about?"

You Should Speak At Meetups Before Your First Dev Job. Here's Why

What Do You Talk About?

What are the benefits?

What If Nobody Likes My Talk or Don't Do A Good Job?

Why You Should Stop Being Scared To Write A Blog Post.

Looking for code streamers? Here's a list for you!

10 Tips To Get The Most Out Of Meetups and Conferences

15 Tips For Someone New To Web Development

Intro to CSS Variables

Declaring CSS variables

Using CSS variables

CSS Variable Scope