There is a important thing in being a developer, and that is meet ups. Meet ups are a great way to network and to see that there are many different kinds of developers out there. I think one of the biggest misconceptions is that all developers live in their parents basements coding away in utter blackness with little to no social skills. That isn’t the case. Meet up’s are a great way to make connections and meet people with other skillsets. Cause as you know, I am sure all of you have eventually got asked. “do you know someone who can do me this.” and its a great way to get a nice reference. Especially when you have a group of developers, there are always way to build connections and add to your whole network.

I also believe meet ups are important cause it shows that you aren’t the only person out there trying to become better at what you are trying to do. Bouncing ideas off each other, sharing tips, tricks. I use the Meet Up app to find stuff that I want to be a part of. There are definitely a lot of meet ups, and if you live in a city its easy to find a group of people and get to it.

Currently I assist and help with a meet up in Austin, called the Self Taught Developers. The developers who learn everything on their own and code stuff on their own. The meet up, consists of self taught, freelancers, people who have jobs and people who have major experience. This is a very solid group of people and its definitely I suggest everyone do, find a meet up that is good for them and build on it and create friendships and connections.

Now I bet you are asking yourself, have I had any success with meet ups. Why yes I have had quite a few things happen. I have assisted with helping fellow developers get jobs, helped put new developers on the coding path, and of course had people connect me with future clients.

Well I hope this blog helps you realize that sometimes meet ups are important, but also even if you aren’t a developer, there are SO many other types of meet ups. Just use the app and get involved and see what else is out there.

see you space cowboy…