Being A `n00b` Is Okay, Really

#womenintech #webdev #beginners

Photo by Adi Goldstein on Unsplash

I have been a back-end software engineer for 10+ years and, to be honest, I lost the passion I once had. After having my daughter in September, and spending three straight months of nothing but eat-sleep-baby, returning to (remote) work in December was nerve-wracking, yet exciting. This was the longest I had been away from work, ever, and in a way it felt like my first day. I decided to take advantage of those first-day-feels, embrace being a n00b again, and try to find that passion I used to have.

If you're starting out or, like me, you've lost your way a bit over the years, here are my tips for embracing your inner n00b to find what excites you.

Install the daily.dev extension

Every developer needs this extension installed in their browser. Period. It is an excellent resource for dev news across the web and every day I am inspired by the articles I read. (Plus, they make like it a game where you "level up" if you read so many days in a row 😉) If you're not quite sure what you're interested in, browse daily.dev at least once a day and I promise you'll find something.

Download it now - you won't regret it!

Start a new twitter account

My original twitter account is old. I signed up when Twitter was barely a toddler and you were limited to 140 characters. I am no where near the same person I was when I started that account and the thought of going through the people I followed was too much work. It wasn't sparking joy so I konmari'd it.

By starting anew I was able to follow accounts based on my interests today, and through them, find others to follow.

Attend events

I can recall attending one meetup in my career. I was still a junior developer and I went with coworkers after work. The only thing I remember is that it was held at Spotify headquarters in NYC and I thought that was pretty cool. 🤷‍♀️

With the world of virtual events, it's a lot easier to find something that will interest you. When daily.dev announced they were holding their first event, The Monthly Dev #1, I knew I had to attend - and I'm glad I did.

So attend a meetup or two! (Hint: The Monthly Dev #2 is next month!) You never know what you will be exposed to or what tidbit of information will inspire you. I was so inspired, in fact, that it led me to my next step...

Get involved with something

The first presenter at The Monthly Dev was David Price (@thedavidprice) showcasing RedwoodJS. As a mostly back-end dev that wants, but has struggled, to enter the world of front-end, Redwood was exactly what I had been looking for.

I drank the kool-aid without hesitation. I joined the community and started the Tutorial right after the meetup ended. After only a week of interacting with the community, I'm a contributor for the first time in my life. (Remember - it's all about baby steps!) I'm an admitted fan girl and I tell everyone about Redwood. #noshame

(I plan on writing more on Redwood in the near-future, but in the meantime definitely check it out. 😉)

Start writing

This is my first public blog post ever. I am so judgmental of myself that I have written at least 40 different versions of this post - but guess what? In attempting to write this one post, I now have a folder full of half-started ideas. Progress.

Even if you're not quite sure what to write about yet, the brainstorming process can be very powerful. #juststart You end up going places you wouldn't expect and the plan you thought you wanted changes.

To sum up...

#juststart has been my motto since December and, so far, it is serving me well. Think of it as the alternative to "Feel the fear and do it anyway". It only takes that first (baby) step to put you on your path, really. (I know, I didn't believe it either...)

So, install daily.dev. Find new people to follow on twitter (hi! 👋). And see where it goes!

Embrace your inner n00b and #juststart.