How does being a part of a Community upgrade you?
Many people these days post about being a part of a community. Even if you are one of those who hasn’t officially volunteered to be a part of one, you are already a part of communities. A community is the basis of our living. Irrespective of their differences, when people come together with a certain goal, is it a community. How does this relate to technology, and for that sake anything that you do? What is a tech community and why is being a part of one so important to us? Read to find out.
What is a community?
A group of people coming together to learn, share and grow is a community. It’s like the different ingredients you use to make Garam masala. All of them aim for the same goal. None of them can be called garam masala separately. But when you let them mix and integrate, you get the desired outcome. That’s where the beauty of community lies.
Why should you join a community?
I was in my first year of college when I attended my first community event hosted by City.Ai and the Google Developers Group, Goa. At that time, it was being headed by a 3rd Year Computer Engineering student at my college and had some really intellectual students in the core team. I went empty-handed to the event but returned home with a lot of enthusiasm and encouragement to achieve more. Since then, I have joined various communities, attending, and organizing events.
Back to the question, why should you join a community? Think about those dark hours right before the examination when you are blank and your friends help you clear your doubts. The knowledge imparted by your friends is much more effective than that done by the teacher months before the exams. That’s exactly how a community works. Your fellow members support you while you grow. And you be there for them when they need help.
The strength of a community lies in its togetherness and the impact that it has on networking and building connections. The way a community works can be impacted by the degree of diversity. Communities — whether online or offline, small or big have the capability to change your life in seconds.
How do you find about a community around you?
Talk to people. Surf online for meetups — live or virtual. There’s never a dead-end when it comes to community.
What can you expect from a community?
Meetups, talks, seminars, workshops, boot camps, group discussions, project pitching, hackathons and study jams.
How do you know that a particular community suits you?
Read more about the community and check out the people who are a part of it. Hear testimonials from people who are a part of it and those who left it. Learn from others’ experiences.
How to benefit from a community?
1) Learn — Attend community events and gain as many resources as you can. Make sure you implement your learnings at the same time and work on building your skills.
2) Network — Community is all about networking. When you meet new people, you need to keep in touch. Leverage social media platforms and focus on building long term relationships instead of shorter ones. These people can not only help you excel in your career but also be your friend in need.
3) Create — Create your identity. Work on a skill that you want to pursue. Build projects. Participate in competitions. Build your followers. Prepare a killer introduction for you to help people understand you better.
4) Find mentors — Look out for people who can help you. A good mentor is one who can help you find a way for yourself. Don’t shy away from people. Connect with any person who inspires you and you would wish to be your mentor.
5) Discuss — Use community discussions to solve problems and learn from each comment. Debates on such platforms also help you grow your knowledge base in the domain of discussion.
6) Find prospects — It’s time to sell yourself. Not literally. Imagine yourself as your product. You need to market it and build an identity in the world. Don’t think of ways which make you special to yourself. Wonder what it is that makes you special for others. That’s what will take you ahead in life.
7) Become a mentor — It’s time to give back to the community. This might seem like a boring task, but it is a part of the circle of learning. Mentoring can be a boon to both the parties involved. Use it to your benefit.
My Community Experiences
Over a period of 2.5 years, I moved on from just being a member to being a part of different core teams. I am the Regional Head (Goa) at GirlScript Foundation, Chairperson at IEEE GEC SB Women in Engineering AG, a community representative at Google Developers’ Group, Goa, mentor at WomenTech Network, etc.
Each of these communities have played a huge role in my life. Within 2 months of attending my first community event, I increased my network. I realized that being a student doesn’t make you any less compared to the other community members. Each individual is different and it is this point that makes communities even more valuable.
Soon enough I was able to join the core team of the community. My work became more visible and I was more recognized by people. My community experience helped me gain experiences in the field of Entrepreneurship, Event Management, Social Media Marketing, Human Resources, and many more domains. I not only got access to a variety of resources but could also interview people who got a lot of accolades in their field of interest.
People fear mentoring people for various reasons. Perhaps beginning to mentor people was one of the best decisions I made. It not only helped my mentees but also helped me recap my knowledge and research more about it. I enhanced my communication skills and my experience landed me numerous internships and jobs.
I owe a large part of my inner happiness and success to communities. They not only helped me gain a lot of opportunities and work experiences but also helped me develop into a confident woman with a stronger perspective of life. I learnt how to work under pressure and manage time in a more efficient way.
A community always leads to growth, and I would suggest you join one asap so that you too can pave a beautiful path to your future.
All the best people!
