Tech Communities: The benefits & active online communities to join

What is a tech community?

In a nutshell, a tech community is a location (online or onsite) where you can learn how to become better techie by keeping up with the most recent developments, obtaining the exposure you require in your area, and studying with others who share your interests in tech. By establishing connections with peers and mentors through these groups, you can further your tech career goals.

Techie: a person who is an expert in or enthusiastic about technology, especially computing.

Benefits of joining a tech community

• Getting Assistance

  Anyone in a tech community can assist you. You are allowed to ask questions, even the ones you may think are silly, and a member of the community will respond with the information. I can still recall trying to deploy a Django project to Heroku for the first time a few weeks ago and running into some problems that prevented the deployment of my project. Google was unable to help me with my problem. I visited DevCareer Africa to discuss the problem I was having. To fix it, people made suggestions. One even went so far as to arrange a Google Meet meeting with me in order to assist me. It turned out that the person is a more seasoned developer and could quickly identify the source of my problem, which allowed me to successfully deploy my project. Since that day, I have learned how to effectively deploy my Django projects to Heroku while avoiding any potential problems.

• Access to resources

  You have unrestricted access to materials and training programs in these tech communities, which will help you advance in the field of technology. These resources include articles, classes, webinars, and other things relating to technology. I can't even begin to count how many times I've gotten free helpful resources that aided my development journey from these communities.

• Opportunities

  Updates about job openings, internships, and scholarship possibilities are frequently distributed in most communities, like the ones I belong to. These chances are compiled by community administrators and community members from many sources, including job sites, Linkedin, Twitter, and other social media platforms, and distributed to community members.

• Access to events

  Tech conferences, meet-ups, and product launches are all arranged to address issues impacting people or products as well as to introduce new products and learn new things. These events can be online or in person, and they can be local or worldwide. Sometimes, tech communities may offer their members discounted or free passes to these events.

• Networking opportunities

  In addition to giving techies a place to network, communicate, and exchange ideas with other members of their industry, these communities also give them a platform to work together on projects. It's a good idea to level up your portfolio with collaborative projects, especially for novices, to demonstrate to potential employers that you can function well in a team. I recall a pair programming exercise for front-end development in which I took part. I took on the role of the team leader for my group in an exercise that my community organized. I used Git and Github for the first time to work on a project with other developers, and I learned a lot from the experience, including how to work efficiently in a team, how to communicate effectively, and how to manage my time.

• Unwinding and relaxation

  Even techies occasionally need to relax, take a break, and have fun, perhaps by playing games. To keep members interested in something other than tech-related activities, several communities host offline meet-and-greet, online game nights, and book and movie reviews.

Making a name for yourself as a tech novice, enthusiast, or even a tech professional can be done by joining a tech community. The Slack platform, which is utilized by the majority of these communities, has proven to be a very efficient method of bringing together techies. Additionally, most businesses use the Slack platform to communicate with their staff.

Do you consider yourself a member of any tech communities? If so, have you ever benefited from any of the advantages I listed above? Please feel free to add any additional advantages in the comment section. If not, I urge you to join the following incredible tech communities:

1. DevCareer Africa: Developers Career, is an African Non-profit organization that supports budding developers in Africa with resources like free courses, workspace, laptops, and mentorship. Join the slack community and follow the DevCareer Africa Twitter Page.

2. Google Developers Group: GDG events establish a welcoming environment where junior and senior developers can network and talk about their interests. It also offers tech enthusiasts the chance to learn new skills through workshops. You can join a GDG chapter close to you.

3. She Code Africa: This is a gender-specific community for women in tech that was founded by Ada Nduka Oyom. It aims to mentor, train, and empower women transitioning into tech all over Africa. Join the slack community. You can also follow the SheCode Africa Twitter Page for updates.

4. Empower Her Community: This is also a gender-specific community whose mission is to introduce more women to tech, train, and mentor more women in tech. It was founded by Elizabeth Okaome. Join the slack community here. Also, follow the Empower Her Community Twitter Page.

5. Enyata: This is a community that recognizes and celebrates the creativity and collaboration of independent members and the diversity of skills, talents, experiences, cultures, and opinions that they bring to our community. Join the slack community here. Here's a link to the Enyata Community Twitter Page.

6. Ingressive For Good(I4G): This is a community for working and aspiring tech professionals in Africa. The community offers access to the training, supplies, and equipment required for a prosperous tech career. Join the Ingressive For Good Community.

7. Frontend Mentor: This community is specifically for frontend developers at different levels of their careers but mostly for beginners to improve, and join challenges, get resources, and so on. Join the Frontend Mentor Slack Community.

Additionally, you can look online for additional tech communities to join. For more updates, connect with me via:

• Twitter

• Github

• Medium