Tech Communities

Disclaimer:

Off late, I have been trying to say this out loud in the most appropriate manner, but trying to find a way which is not offensive to anybody has been futile. So, I have decided to write about it with utmost honesty. This post is solely about my experience in tech communities and may not be in line with yours. So if you are reading this blog, please read with a light heart and think of it as an alternate perspective from a person in early stages of career and communities who might need enlightenment (and trust me, I am all ears for it).

Gender diversity and women empowerment are very sensitive topics and they mean differently to different people. To me, gender diversity is having equal or good ratio of both the genders in a workplace, community or just about anywhere for diverse and wholesome perspectives. Women empowerment, on the other hand, is standing up for the rights of women in lieu of unfair treatment. This actually should be for the genders again, IMO. In tech, these problems are at an intense level and hundreds of communities around us are actively trying to solve them. There hasn’t been any significant improvement despite the large number of people who are at it, though. Has there?

Talking about communities, how much have we improved our communitiess from years ago to now ? A lot of effort is being put in popularising a community, especially the new ones coming up rather than trying to solve the problems at hand. Fancy venues, buffets, high teas, swag, sponsors and blah blah blah ! The fancy stuff in turn attracts not so serious people who are in it only for the fancy stuff and the problem just multiplies. Mentoring for example, is something that really needs fixing. I understand there aren’t too many devs offering their time to teach or mentor someone in a project. Therefore, not much attention is being paid towards the quality of mentoring that happens. I have met some really awesome mentors who go overboard and teach by putting in a lot of hours, heart and soul and also, self-learn. They are beatiful shining examples of patience and consistency. However, I have also met people who join a program, even a long term one, successfully update their Linkedin/resumes but have no idea about the problems their mentee is facing.

We are here to teach and from what we have been taught, teaching is the most selfless profession and the most noble one in my eyes. Self learning computer science can be really hard. I have clearly struggled with it. So if you are given an opportunity where you could kickstart someone’s technical skills and help them with difficult concepts, please take it seriously. You must. We must learn to be here for nothing. Most definitely, not for fancy lunches and high teas , not to be famous in the communities, not for increasing followers on social media, not for a fancy Linkedin, not for free travel and most certainly, not for portraying yourself more employable whilst being on the hunt for a better opportunity. If you are looking for a better job, please go to an interview. I am not against listing out community work on social platforms, but I strongly think you got the right to do that when you have done your job well. Only when you have got it right.

I have known people working at grassroot in all silence. Their work has changed the lives of a lot of people and inspired them. They keep doing it consistently and selflessly year on year. So next time you think about mentoring or volunteering at a community who’s trying to solve a real world problem, rethink in your head about why you are actually there. Once, you have found your right cause, I am sure your satisfaction level and personal happiness will be way more than the 10 twitter followers you would have possibly gained at the end of the event or programme.

If we are hypocritical in our very own eyes, what are we really ?