For me, Networking plays a huge role in my progress until now. When first I listen to this word while attending my 100devs class; I thought of a subject that I have in my college(that's related to wire networking). But believe me, this word changed my life. Let's know about networking and how it could make a difference.
What is Networking?
Networking is connecting with people having the same interests, like if you are into UI/UX connecting with people having the same interest, is networking. Connecting doesn't mean just following the person on social media but also interacting with them, let's know how can we make a network.
How to connect with like-minds?
For me, networking started when I first joined the 100devs community(It's a free boot camp run by Leon Neol about web development) on Discord.
How can social media platforms help in networking?
Platforms like Discord, Twitter, Reddit and much more help you get connected with like-minds.
Discord could help you join tech communities where you can get in touch with thousands of individuals having the same interest as yours. and joining these communities will also help you know different things in tech, but don't follow everything together( Follow the principle of "One thing at a time" - By Leon Neol). Some of the communities I have joined are: Learn w/ Leon & Friends, GrowInCommunity, Mimir's Circle etc.
Twitter can help you dive into the tech world, it's a good place to hang out with devs and leverage the knowledge shared over there by developing developers. Just come and follow like-minded people and then there is no going back.
What you would get by doing so?
Expands your network which might help you from time to time.
Help you increase your knowledge because you would come to know what others are learning.
You would come to know about open-source tools to ace your knowledge and much more.
Believe me tech Twitter will change your life completely as many lives are changed today a friend of mine to shared his blog about his tech journey and showed how he learned by making good connections.
Points to keep in mind while networking:
- Don't be too personal while making online connections.
If feeling uncomfortable tell them calmly, if getting negative vibes surely got ahead and block or report them.
Conclusion:
So yeah networking does worth it. If you are an introvert please give it a try. First connect with tech legends like Kunal Kushwaha, Leon Neol, Eddie Jaoude and more, and then connect with suggested people and build strong connections. I and several other people too converted from introverts to extroverts in this journey of changing our life, Now it's your turn.
Thanks for reading. Hope you find it beneficial.