Social Media & Tech
When I started my coding journey, one of the things that helped me was social media. I know, it sounds crazy, right? You are probably wondering how social media could help me in my journey to becoming a software engineer? Well, the same way it can help me in any other industry, it connected me with people who had similar experiences. So here are some social media platforms that can help you pre-bootcamp,post-bootcamp, an everything in between.
If you are at the beginning of your bootcamp journey and your a visual learner, youtube will be your best friend! But even beyond coding, youtube is a great resource for not only code but for learning about the different bootcamps. There are some youtubers that vlog their bootcamp experience, overall coding experience, different routes that can be taken to get into tech, and much more. Youtube is also great to use to learn how to make sure you are best representing yourself when applying for bootcamps. The last thing you want to do is apply for a bootcamp with only a few sentences describing yourself when you should’ve written paragraphs. Let Youtube be a resource that you use before you even apply to the bootcamp. If you are in the Post-bootcamp phase, there are videos to help you not only brush up on your tech skills but also learn how to land a job as a software engineer. Here are a few youtube channels you should check out:
Pre-bootcamp:
Post-bootcamp:
The next social media platform I can’t stress enough is Twitter. Twitter is a gold mine for connecting with other developers. Ideally, I would say to create your Twitter for tech early in your tech journey but you can really start it at any point. Twitter is filled with all types of techies! Some of these software engineers may even be people who have attended the same bootcamp you’re interested in. It is also a great way to motivate you to dive into tech more by seeing others tweet about their projects or reading about different developments in technology. When it comes to visibility, especially when starting a Twitter account, the power is in the hashtags.If you’re posting about Ruby on Rails in a blog post then go ahead and hashtag #rubyonrails. You can also include things happening in the world and merge them with tech. Here’s an example of a tweet I made during bootcamp:
Ideally, when posting on social media you want to stay away from certain topics but this is a very neutral post. It doesn’t get too deep into politics because I am not stating a heavy opinion on politics, but I am still able to use the hashtag in my post. My project used Javascript and React so I added those hashtags on there as well to help with visibility of my post. So when possible, use hashtags!
If you are reading this pre-bootcamp or during bootcamp, do yourself a favor and make a Linkedin profile. It’s easier to build your connections up while in the program versus trying to get these connections after graduating. During the bootcamp, I used Linkedin to be able to connect with engineers in the industry and ask them questions. It is also a great place to share details about your projects to potential employers. Linkedin is a great way connected with anyone you meet throughout your tech journey. For those reading this post-bootcamp, there are job recruiters on Linkedin and job postings on there as well. If you attend any networking event you can connect with anyone you have met on Linkedin to keep in touch.
Finally, a resource that may not have been so apparent is Facebook. Now, I haven’t use Facebook heavily for tech like I have with the other platforms I’ve mentioned but I will say it has helped me. Letting your network of friends and family know about your tech endeavours is great because you never know what your degrees of separation are to the next job you may get because of your network! I posted about graduating from Flatiron on Facebook and then a few friends I had on their reached out to tell me that they also are getting into tech. This is great because now I will have more people that I personally know added to my tech network. It’s also another platform to be able to share any projects, blogs, or anything tech related you have. Facebook also has networks of people in tech in Facebook groups. I joined the “Sista Circle: Black Women In Tech”. Here are a few others:
Coming from the world of music, social media was a huge part of networking and growing my network. I realize that tech is not too far off. It's not mandatory, but it will help you connect with more techies like yourself which will grow your network. If you don’t have a job in the tech industry yet, social media will come in handy. Let this be a sign to create a Twitter account if you haven’t done so, join a Facebook group or add your projects to you Linkedin .Make sure when you do that you are not only posting but also engaging with others too. Now go and build your network!
