How To Gain Network For Those Who Don't Have Sufficient Network? Which Applications Should You Use And How?
There is a saying "Network is your net worth" which means that your network is your value. In the industry, especially in the software sector, networking creates many opportunities, from job and internship opportunities to getting support for your projects, and collaborating on projects with others. To give a simple example, I obtained my internship opportunity at Tamamliyo, where I currently volunteer, thanks to the Tech Lead of the company seeing my work on LinkedIn. Your network creates many opportunities and possibilities like this. To build your network, you can use many applications and resources, but it is also important to know how to use them. Now, let's take a look at the applications you can use to build your network and how to use them effectively.
We can say that GitHub is a perfect platform to gain network, develop projects, share your projects, and collaborate with others on projects. Using GitHub is a must for a programmer, but it is also a great tool to network in the software industry. By sharing your projects on GitHub and sharing the links to these projects on your social media accounts with a short and concise description, you can create networking opportunities for yourself. You may even meet and communicate with people whom you can collaborate on projects with. Share your projects on GitHub, regardless of their size, to showcase your skills and build your network.
As you all know, LinkedIn is an application that helps people find job and internship opportunities in their industry and also allows them to network in the industry. By sharing your projects on GitHub with a short and concise description and adding as many people as possible from the software industry to your network on LinkedIn, you can make your posts visible and expand your network. Just like I found an internship opportunity, you can also find job or internship opportunities. Share all your projects, regardless of their size, and expand your network by adding as many people as possible. Communicate with people in your industry, ask for help, and seek advice. This platform is not just a tool to expand your network, but also a great tool to chat with people who are more skilled and experienced than you in the industry and benefit from their experiences.
Twitter, as we all know, is one of the most commonly used social platforms in our daily lives, but do we really know how to use it? Twitter can be another tool to network and connect with people in your industry, just as important as LinkedIn. Share your projects on Twitter that you've shared on GitHub. Prepare a bio that indicates that you're in the software industry and start following people in the industry. Many people will follow you back and even support your projects. I saw this clearly when I shared my C#, JavaScript, and Tailwind notes. Twitter has a very strong developer community, take advantage of this community. Support other people's projects, and contribute if you can. Also, chat with people who are better and more experienced than you, and meet people who are your peers and share the same industry as you.
Although Discord is often seen as an application mainly used for gaming and gaming communities, it is also a platform that many people in the software industry frequently use and benefit from. There are many software communities and groups on Discord where you can chat, ask for help with errors you have encountered, and share your projects to receive support. Discord has been particularly helpful for me in terms of asking for help with errors and getting support for my projects. I think it can also be helpful for you. There are many software communities and groups on Discord, but my favorites are Genç Yazılımcılar, Webtas, Bilgisayar Genetiği, Codexia, and Yazılımcı Mekanı(Turkish Discord Groups). I strongly recommend that you join them. I have received a lot of help from the Yazılımcı Mekanı group in solving the errors I encountered, and all of these groups have been very helpful in supporting, critiquing, and improving my projects. In addition to all of this, you can chat with people in the group, make friends, and work on collaborative projects. I met my friend Ali while working on a blog project through the Yazılımcı Mekanı Discord group. You can also gain network, receive support for your projects, and collaborate with others by meeting people.
You can share your software-related articles on Hashnode and benefit from many useful resources. Share the articles you write on Hashnode on your social media accounts and with your friends. Through these articles, you can network and learn how to write articles, and by reading the articles of Hashnode users, you can expand your knowledge and vocabulary and learn how English is used in the industry. Compared to other platforms, it may not be as beneficial for networking, but the biggest advantages are learning knowledge, vocabulary, and how to write articles. I recommend using it.
Don't think that your school group, with whom you're already acquainted with, and your teachers, can't contribute to your network. Share your projects with your friends and ask for their support, and as I frequently do, ask them to criticize your project and see if they notice any shortcomings that you missed. Your friends can be very helpful in identifying the missing points, errors, and conflicts in your project that you didn't see and improving your project. Don't be afraid of criticism, as criticism makes the good things better. It's important to know what the shortcomings of your project are and how to fix them. Share your projects, especially those that are of source quality, in your school's WhatsApp groups. Don't forget to share a message like "I've prepared such a project, hope it can be helpful to you." You can share the grades you get during midterm and final exams on your GitHub account and then share your project with your classmates who are in the same department as you using social media platforms. Share your projects with your teachers as well. They are more knowledgeable and experienced than you and can contribute to your projects and give you advice on how to improve them. Listen to their advice and make your project even better. It's just as important for your projects to receive support and for people, especially those in your immediate circle, to know and see what you're doing. Make yourself visible and let people know and see what you're doing. Many of them will support your project and give you ideas, suggestions, and recommendations to take your project to the next level.
Attending meetups and conferences related to software development is an excellent way to meet new people and learn about the latest trends and technologies in the field. You can use websites like Meetup and Eventbrite to find events in your area.
There are many online communities dedicated to software development. Joining these communities can help you connect with other developers, get answers to your questions, and learn from more experienced developers. Some popular online communities include Stack Overflow, Reddit, and GitHub.
Creating a personal website or blog is a great way to showcase your skills and projects to potential employers and network with other developers. You can use platforms like WordPress or Wix to create your website or blog also you can watch website tutorials on YouTube and customize them to create your own website.
