To those who have founded and/or manage tech communities, would you comment:
- Which platform you use? Eg Discord, Slack, , WhatsApp, Twitter Communities, etc.
- What % of your community participates regularly?
- Which types of activities generate the
I turned 40 today! ๐ฅณ๐๐ฝ
I was 37 when I enrolled in coding bootcamp; 38 when I started my first dev job.
Why do I speak, workshop and share in the Tech community? To encourage all women, esp Black/Brown & mothers like myself: it's NEVER too late to build the life you desire! ๐งก
I will pay the
@AltSchoolAfrica
application fee for 5 mothers in Nigeria who want to become engineers!
I became a developer at 38 as a mum of 2. Motherhood need not hinder you from starting a lucrative career!
Reply below to be considered. Will choose randomly Thursday 12pm EST.
After bootcamp, it took 5+ months to get my first dev job. I got exactly 1 offer and accepted it with no negotiating.
3.5 years later, it took 3 weeks to land my current role. I received 3 offers, and negotiated the best offer to get paid even more.
Growth in Tech is REAL! ๐
So many developersโ craving is to one day be able to post a setup like this on social media.
So that people can repost the pic and comment high congratulations, that they have finally made it.
===
If this isnโt part of your desire or goal, thereโs NOTHING wrong with you.
And STOP shaming
#MTBF
students for getting scammed. It was NOT wrong for them to believe the โget 6-fig tech job in 6 monthsโ selling point. I attended a 6-month coding bootcamp and went from 48k to 96k (base & bonus) in less than 6 months.
Itโs NOT GREED. Itโs HOPE for better!
1 hour into 4 planned for tonight! ๐
React and me. As cozy as can be! ๐ฅฐ
Starting my first project: a Wordle clone.
โ
I will learn, excel in & master React! ๐
Hello Tech fam! ๐๐พ
Some great news: I just signed a new job offer! ๐
My role is Senior Developer Advocate. ๐ฃ ๐ฃ ๐ป ๐
I'll announce the AWESOME company that I'm joining soon! I'm so excited for this role: to grow, be challenged & connect even deeper with the Tech community!
Day 4: I just created my FIRST-EVER Pull Request as a Software Engineer!!! ๐๐๐๐๐
I coded an actual feature, albeit at a snail's pace, triple-checking everything ๐ They didn't lie about getting me into the codebase ASAP!
#CodeNewbie
#womenwhocode
#BlackTechTwitter
@realmamamorgan
@JUSMITHOUGHTS1
@kelechnekoff
Love this answer! Whew! The responsibility-taking was seamless. Youโve taught me something today. Iโm going to be better like this. Thank you! ๐๐พ
Today is a Mental Health Day
@PayPal
@paypaldev
! ๐คฉ๐ฅณ
So how am I spending this tepid-temperatured, rainy Friday morning??
CODING! ๐๐พ๐ฉ๐ฝโ๐ป๐
Feb 2018 - Started coding bootcamp; took out $6300 tuition loan (10% interest)
July 2018 - Graduated coding bootcamp
Jan 2019 - Landed Dev Job
Sep 2019 - Paid Off ENTIRE Tuition Loan!!!
๐๐๐๐
๐๐ฝ๐๐ฝ๐๐ฝ๐๐ฝ
#MomsCanCode
#CodeNewbie
@CareerKarma
#WomenWhoCode
#DEVcommunity
- Tech Company 1 - CTO; 3 months
- Tech Company 2 - CoFounder & Lead Engineer; 4 months
- Tech Company 3 - CTO; 2 months
If you are new to SoftwareEng (<2 years total), and your job history has several short roles at startups where they titled you โCTOโ or โCoFounderโ or
Woah! I made it on a Top 100 Women in Tech list! ๐ฅน๐ฅน๐ฅน
This is a mighty privilege! I am honored and humbled. I will KEEP playing my part alongside these incredible powerful women, to keep inspiring and empowering women to THRIVE in Tech! ๐ฅ
Chile! Here are MY lessons from this Mercedes S Johnson mess:
- Be ultra-careful what I boast about on SM.
- Ensure my content is TRULY empowering, not an exploitative shade-fest.
- Receive feedback humbly, then shut up! ๐
I know y'all won't let me be a mess, so thank you! ๐ฅฐ
Iโve coded professionally for 4 years, using RubyRails, JavaScript & SQL.
Iโm JUST now learning React.
I would be confused AF if I didnโt know the foundational JS I do!
If anyone tells you to learn React before JS, they donโt want you to win!
Start with JS. Thank me later. ๐
Tech family,
I need game development learning resources for my 11-year-old son. ๐
Preferably resources that are fun and engaging.
He wants to build a soccer game (for now! ๐ )
His Javascript is much better than mine, and he's a Scratch wizard too.
Thanks so much! ๐๐พ
Tonight I reached one of my most significant financial milestones: I saved 12 months of full living expenses! ๐
I'm overwhelmed with gratitude & pride. ๐ฅน This was a 4-year process of discipline, budgeting & purpose!
Now I focus on next goals: home purchase & smart investing!
๐ฅ Shameless Plug: Iโm changing whole lives by mentoring ppl into Tech!
๐ My mentee just got her 1st full-time offer after 10 months learning to code!
I told her no bootcamp; use free resources. Had frequent checkins to focus her learning.
๐ From state employee to Developer!
Are you studying for
@AltSchoolAfrica
's exam? ๐
I created a playlist of lectures related to the study-kit, to explain some concepts visually or more fully.
Please retweet so students can empower themselves! ๐๐พ
@hackSultan
@AdewaleYusuf_
@Mochievous
When I am building apps, the part I dislike most of all is styling. ๐๐ญ
I think CSS is my weakest skill.
I can find the styles to apply, but I do not enjoy the process.
I am much more at home in the logical backend, or the configuration frontend.
But this styling ... ๐ญ
I am LOVING working at
@ThePracticalDev
! ๐
I'm in my first "cooldown" - a period of time after each work 'cycle', during which we may:
- resolve tech debt
- work on any pet project within our codebase
- take coding courses (โฌ ๏ธ my choice! ๐)
- blog
#DEVCommunity
#WomenWhoCode
โ Devs: STOP showcasing clones in your portfolio!
๐ฉ๐พโโ๏ธ Theyโll be judged against the original, and you KNOW yours ainโt as good!
๐กInstead build projects that solve relatable problems in everyday life.
๐ So your apps can be judged on thier own features.
๐With love!
#LevelUp
I wanted to share specific things Iโve been doing to get promoted to Senior Software Engineer:
(a thread ๐งต)
1. Taking the time to ensure my code is typo-free, well-organized, uses abstractions when it makes sense, and follows the software design patterns used in the codebase.
The pic below is my current setup (in my kitchen). ๐ฅฐ
Whew! ๐ฎโ๐จ It appears that I offended some yesterday with my setups post! ๐
For the record: I love setups, I appreciate setups and I enjoy seeing setups!
So this is a Setups Appreciation post! Repost or comment with your
โ "Hello. How are you?"
โ "Hello! I found your advice in the Space yesterday very useful and relevant! I'm in coding bootcamp, due to finish Mar 2023. May I please ask you some questions about having a successful job search? I understand if you don't have time. Thank you!"
๐ฅฐ
If you DM someone for the first time, like a hiring manager or someone you want to network with, it should NEVER be just "Hey" or "How are you".
You need to structure your message like this:
- Why you are reaching out
- Value you bring
- CTA
Make them WANT to reply!
@SiyandaWrites
When I birthed my first child, my mother flew in for 8 weeks.
What she did daily:
- bathed & massaged me
- bathed my son
- changed every diaper
- fed me 4 fresh-cooked meals
- slept with him at night, only bringing him to me for feeding
Sheer paradise! I bless you Mum! ๐งก๐ฅฐ๐
๐๐พ Tech Twitter!
๐ฉ๐ฝโ๐ปIโm running a 12-week Coding project for new women devs to gain practical experience building an app as a team.
๐ง๐ฝโ๐ซ I need 2 FullStack Developers with at least 3 years professional experience, to serve as project mentors. Stipend offered.
๐๐พ Pls send solid recs!
The apps that got me my first dev job:
- quote generator
- Yelp clone
- Udemy clone
- ToDo app
- Instagram clone
- Chess app (group project)
All but one were built on Rails. ๐
Details of each app's features are in the thread. โฌ๏ธ
Another ๐ฉ tech take! ๐คฃ
Code for the paycheck, and use that money to pursue and enjoy any passions you have outside of work!
Code for the paycheck and enjoy a life of ease!
Code for the paycheck and empower your familyโs future!
Itโs YOUR CHOICE why you code! Period!
If you're coding only for the paycheck, you're in it for the wrong reasons. Passion is what drives innovation.
Code because you love it, because it challenges you, because it excites you. Then, success will follow.
It's my birthday!!!
Hip! Hip!! Hooray!!
You are all invited to my birthday Space celebration today.
.
I will be randomly giving out prizes to people who tweet quotes from the space with
#LevelUpWithArit
THIS is the reason why I am vocal about my age. Yup my specific age. ๐ ๐ฝ
Messages like this are fuel to my soul! ๐ฅน
Iโm blessed to be used in giving people the hope and courage to turn doors into doorways, and mountains into stepping stones! ๐ฅ
We CAN create the life we desire
โฆ
@colin_walker
โฉ My dear friend, Iโve surrendered to the truth that it was your time to leave. I miss you so much. You showed me who a true manager is: an advocate, a protector. You were so vulnerable with your life story. I am blessed to know you. I will see you again. ๐
My life transformed when I stopped worshipping romantic love, and embraced all loves.
I'm rich with love: parental love, sisterly love, brotherly love, friendship love, teammate love, children love.
So much love! But if you're desperate for just one type, you may starve so bad.
Idea for Developer Project
๐ฆ๏ธ๐งฅWeather App with Outfit Recommendations
After you look up your weather, the app recommends what to wear that is appropriate for that weather.
Stretch Goal: The user gets their weather & outfit recs texted to them if they give their number
๐๐พ๐ฅฐ
I was just invited to an expedited interview for a Team Lead Engineering role. ๐ณ
I would lead the projects for a dev team of 4; their main stack is Rails. I would also do technical-focused 1:1s for each team member (they are managed by another).
Iโm not ready for this! ๐ ๐ซฃ๐ฅน
๐กBuild-From-Scratch App Idea:
๐ Birthday Reminder App
โ Features
- When authenticated, user can add, edit and remove birthdays
- If there are birthdays on a certain day, the user receives an SMS reminder of those birthdays
๐งฑ Go forth and BUILD! ๐ฅ
Hot take: STOP building more portfolio apps!
Instead, improve and/or extend the ones you have already built!
Eg
- Convert a JS frontend to React
- Add a feature that requires a backend to a frontend app
- Add a feature that requires a different user persona to a fullstack app
@speakmercedesj
@shonique_thomas
The much better response would have been โThe company offering is more than what youโve asked. Would you like more time to reconsider your ask?โ
Now THAT is empowering and encouraging!
I actually quit during my Tech journey. After 5 months and 100+ applications, I was done. Went back to freelance; 1 month in, I got a call from a company Iโd interviewed at 4 months prior. They had a junior position open & remembered me. One more conversation & I got the job! ๐
People who have made it in this tech might not have known when itโd happen but they just didnโt stop improving.
Your breakthrough may be just around the corner. Don't give up now.
You've come too far to quit.
My dear friend
@Dominus_Kelvin
gifted me this power-packed book by
@jkhoey
! ๐๐๐
Kelvin, your generousity is heart-warming and very much appreciated! Thank you! ๐๐๐
Iโve said it before, and I will say it again: When services are free, the majority of those who say โI really need this!โ will not take the opportunity seriously.
My free course โTech Careers for Newbiesโ has over 200 students.
BUT less than 20 of them have actually completed
Have a peaceful, purposeful and productive week! ๐
Remember: life will not fix itself before you move. So MOVE, regardless of what is happening or not happening around you.
YOU are your secret weapon!
RISE! ๐ฅ
Some of the hardest lessons of my life:
I CANNOT want something for a person more than they want it for themselves.
I MUST always pay more attention to the fruit I see manifesting in a personโs life, than to their claims of what they planted.
Spending mental, emotional &
Heard from a lot of exhausted Developers recently.
โ Lots of job hunt rejections.
๐ตโ๐ซThe learning is not sticking; feeling left behind.
๐ซ Life is happening and is increasing stress & reducing time for Tech things.
๐ฅฐ Come let me love on you a bit! ๐ฅฐ
A MAJOR lesson I have learned in my 41 years is to set goals based on what you TRULY control.
For example, aim to:
- Workout 3 days/week, not drop 20 lbs
- Apply to X jobs/week, not land a job in 2 weeks
- Love yourself, not make so-and-so love you
This reduces frustration.๐งก
Great news: I was promoted
@Forem
! ๐ฅณ
I LOVE my job. ๐ฅฐ I love our products, our mission, our ethos, our ethics, our teamwork.
The managers & leaders advocate transparently for the improvement & advancement of the team.
@ThePracticalDev
@forem
@CodeNewbies
Learning in public can be hazardous to your dev journey.
Attracts all sorts of "tech bros" telling you what to do, how to do it, and "helping" you when u never asked for help. They don't bother giving an encouraging word.
Still, keep learning in public. The benefits are worth it!
React developers! I need your help!
Could you give me ideas for a few straight-forward projects, so I can practice using (just!) the following hooks together: useState, useId, useEffect, useRef.
Please, for my sake, do not inundate me with complexity. ๐คฒ๐พ
Thank you! ๐งก
Calling on all newbie
#designers
#designtwitter
!
I am leading a group of newbie software devs in building a React web app.
They have wire-framed the app & seek to collab with new UX/UI designers.
There's a stipend of up to $70 total.
Visit for more info!
Ready for my short talk on the roles of quality assurance (QA) and audits when creating developer documentation! ๐
@paypaldev
is in Chicago, baby! ๐๐จ๐ฌ๏ธ Looking forward to spending time with awesome developers! โจ๐๐๐พ
@NikemaCodes
@dev_christina
@devpato
@gorman_dev
Farshad
Flight delays notwithstanding (๐ฉ), I am SUPER blessed and excited to be attending
#MSBuild
! ๐คฉ๐ฅณ๐๐พ
Looking forward to meeting so many of my network IRL, soaking up all the innovation, and being inspired & edified as an engineer. โจ๐ฏ
I have received exactly ONE entry for this
#uxui
opportunity.
Just one!
Sadly, we tend to discourage ourselves from applying because we feel too many people will apply.
But I have received just ONE entry, and the entry window closes in ~16 hours. Wow!
Iโm that girlfriend that you can call at 2am in the morning, falling apart, wailing, cattarh & tears, catastrophizing. I will talk & calm you down and love on you โฆ then in the morning send you a โGirl whatโs up?โ text like none of it happened.
Iโll protect your dignity. ๐๐
Today, my mentor at work informed me that he doesn't consider me a Junior Developer by any stretch.
I have just under 1 year professional dev experience.
It's proof that I'm truly leveling up.
I'm so encouraged!
๐ ๐ ๐
Random non-Tech tweet:
Hotels are making a comeback.
Tried finding an airbnb for my kids upcoming water park trip.
For 3 nights, cheapest airbnb was $2000.
Found a 2-room-suite with full kitchen at a regular hotel for $800, same three nights. Hot breakfast included.
Wild!
Iโm HONORED to be a panelist at the 2023 Black Is Tech conference! ๐๐พ๐
Topic: Defining Our Career Pathways
When: Monday August 7 @ 1:30pm EST
Where: Virtual
REGISTER:
#blackistech2023
@speakmercedesj
Sister, youโre calling holding you accountable for your salary gatekeeping โhateโ. It saddened me that you were INSTRUMENTAL in a fellow woman not getting paid what the job was worth. But your mistake is not the totality of who u are. So letโs do better. No hate. Stay well. ๐
๐ ITโS HAPPENING! ๐
You are enthusiastically invited to my Birthday & 10k on Twitter Celebration Space!๐ฅ
Theme: Grace & Gratitude ๐ฅฐ
I will award prizes to people chosen from among those who tweet quotes from the Space with hashtag
#LevelUpWithArit
This was my portfolio as a brand-new coding bootcamp grad.
This was the portfolio that landed me my first developer job (together with my Resume and LinkedIn profile).
My top skill was Ruby on Rails.
All my portfolio apps were Rails apps.
I knew ZERO JavaScript.
Youโve GOT this!
In my Space today, a brother asked several questions.
He later shared that he'd attended much larger Tech Spaces, but never felt "seen" enough to step up and ask for career help & clarifications.
Small Spaces are mighty Spaces.
Host your Space. It's needed more than you know.
My ๐ is full, to overflowing!
@MissSuperNerd
and
@neda_sefati
, THANK YOU for making my first trip to Canada so special! ๐
Iโm grateful for the laughs, the gems and the company. ๐ฅฐ
Until next time! ๐
LOVE the simple argument for using Early Returns that
@JoshWComeau
presents in . โจ
Option 1 is harder to read; the returns are nested, and 1 return is placed far from its associated condition. ๐ซ
Option 2 is cleaner, more readable & more maintainable. ๐
How To Ask For Time with a Busy Professional:
"Hello! I am Arit, a developer at PayPal. I am seeking advice on how to best position myself for a Staff-level promotion. Would you be able to meet with me for 20 mins? We could also communicate async; I would send..."
(continued โฌ๏ธ)
Part of what hurts me about the
#MTBF
scam is the apparent use of the โIโm Black supporting Black people so trust meโ angle.
Black people are WORTHY of high quality. High-quality services, high-quality products, high-quality help.
The whole drama just galls me honestly. ๐ช๐
Before making 6-fig in Tech, I kept a budget where I allocated $0 each month to most columns.
I practiced telling money where to go, even though I had none.
Which enabled me not to lose my sh*t when tech money entered.
Create the room for what you want before you get it.
๐งก๐งก
Alright
@bojnuga
I will be your first paying client! ๐๐พ
I need a new logo for the Arit Developer brand. Check my website at .
Time for u to practice what youโve learned in
@TheRuqayyah
โs Space! My DMs are open (ONLY to Boj oh! Others should not flood me!)
@7thAllison
From my experienceโฆ its not just feelings that makes the care linger. Its when youโve experienced someone. So experienced them and loved them in that experience. Then that care lingers even though the relationship is gone. Its true.
Alright! This will be a learning-in-public THREAD of my from-scratch React Weather App! (thanks
@jolenemango
)
Rebuilt my app after doing my best to map my feature flows (see pics of my drawings) ๐๐พ
Next: fix some bugs, then start building the Outfit Recommendation feature. ๐
So far in my React training, I have been introduced to:
- Props
- State
- Changing State through onChange() and onSubmit()
To practice my brand-new skills, I am going to build a simple project from scratch, using only documentation or my course material. ๐
Stay tuned! ๐
Absolutely NOTHING wrong with using a template for your portfolio.
Donโt be burdened by these shallow, instigating takes.
Your portfolio is for the presentation of your best work. Keep it clean and simple, easily navigated, and by ALL means: use a cool template to save time! ๐
A huge lesson I have learned in my 40s: Sometimes you are destined to be the villain in someoneโs life story.
Why?
Because you didnโt enable them.
Or turn a blind eye.
Or carry the burden of their irresponsibilities.
Or lie for them.
Or pretend they are who they arenโt.
So
This is your sign to recommit to your fitness goals. ๐ช๐พ
Iโm back at my gym for the first time in almost 6 weeks. ๐ฎโ๐จ
Itโs alright for us to derail sometimes. ๐ฅฐ
But letโs get back at it - no matter how small the step! ๐ฅ
@_talentseeker
Hello! ๐๐ฟ Iโm Arit, senior devrel engineer at PayPal. I lead the Arit Developer Circle (community of devs), & also serve as a mentor within other groups, such as WWT led by
@_talentseeker
. My preferred stack is Rails, React, RTL/Jest & Cypress. Thank you!
Hello everyone.
Tomorrow I celebrate my birthday & 10k followers on twitter with a Twitter space celebration
โฆ
Prizes will be given randomly to people who tweet quotes from the space with
#LevelUpWithArit
Come one...Come All
A number of attendees from
@ShawnBasquiat
's THE HUNT DM'd me asking for my resumes to use as templates. ๐ฅฐ So here you go!
The first is my resume after I had worked 1 year as a dev.
The 2nd is the resume I used to get my current job.
Feel free to ask questions in the comments.
By interacting with the people posting that โ8+ hours of sleep is for weak failuresโ, youโre making them money.
Thatโs ok.
Just donโt foolishly implement their bullsh*t โadviceโ.
Get enough sleep.
Regularly.
Diligence != hrs of healthy sleep sacrificed.
Get enough sleep.