-Whenever we think of programmers we tend to think of someone sitting in front of a computer entering code; the glow of the monitor reflecting off of their face. Usually the programmer is alone (though there are methodologies that utilize more than one programmer at a time, "pair-programming" for instance). During those coding sessions there isn't a lot of contact with other programmers and it can feel isolating being in the company of yourself. Granted this can be a good feeling (there are times when I really enjoy being alone at the computer, fully engaged and focused), but there are other times when we need to feel like we're not alone in programming. This is especially true when we're learning and pushing ourselves into uncomfortable territory. Finding others in similar situations can help us with our learning process. Others can help us by fielding our questions and reviewing our progress. Finding a good community that is supportive in our learning is essential on our programming journey. When we have a good community we have somewhere that we can learn and help others learn. We can grow in the community and find support.
+Whenever we think of programmers we tend to think of someone sitting in front of a computer entering code; the glow of the monitor reflecting off of their face. Usually the programmer is alone (though there are methodologies that utilize more than one programmer at a time, "pair-programming" for instance). During those coding sessions there isn't a lot of contact with other programmers and it can feel isolating being in the company of yourself. Granted this can be a good feeling (there are times when I really enjoy being alone at the computer, fully engaged and focused), but there are other times when we need to feel like we're not alone. This is especially true when we're learning and pushing ourselves into uncomfortable territory. Finding others in similar situations can help us with our learning process. Others can help us by fielding our questions and reviewing our progress. Finding a good community that is supportive in our learning is essential on our programming journey. When we have a good community we have a place where we can learn and help others learn. We can grow in the community and find support.