WEBVTT NOTE This file was generated by Descript 00:00:05.000 --> 00:00:06.290 Mike Bifulco: This is Tiny Improvements. 00:00:06.320 --> 00:00:07.369 I'm Mike by ko 00:00:11.893 --> 00:00:15.253 At the beginning of my career, I worked in Microsoft consulting organization. 00:00:15.883 --> 00:00:19.213 Every week, I would travel to a customer's office somewhere in north America to 00:00:19.213 --> 00:00:21.013 help them solve their technical problems. 00:00:21.673 --> 00:00:24.223 Apart from knowing a little JavaScript and CSS. 00:00:24.313 --> 00:00:25.843 I really had no business being there. 00:00:26.233 --> 00:00:29.263 I was fresh out of college and was faced with the challenge of becoming Microsoft 00:00:29.323 --> 00:00:33.493 expert on whatever it is I was doing in front of the CIO of a fortune 500 company. 00:00:33.913 --> 00:00:34.993 Truly it's no joke. 00:00:35.233 --> 00:00:38.413 My first project was rebuilding dell.com from scratch. 00:00:38.443 --> 00:00:41.683 And I was the lead front end developer on that project because I was the 00:00:41.683 --> 00:00:44.203 only one in the room who had ever heard of something called jQuery. 00:00:45.253 --> 00:00:48.913 So I was the expert and they were paying for my expertise, which was a problem, 00:00:48.913 --> 00:00:50.833 really, because, well, I didn't have any. 00:00:51.853 --> 00:00:54.673 Nonetheless, anytime I had a problem, I couldn't solve on my own. 00:00:54.793 --> 00:00:58.693 I had the entirety of Microsoft's 100,000 plus employees at my disposal. 00:00:58.963 --> 00:01:01.063 And trust me, I definitely use them. 00:01:01.513 --> 00:01:04.423 I would send out emails to internal mailing lists, getting advice from 00:01:04.423 --> 00:01:08.063 developers.\ The kind of people that they put in charge of building windows itself. 00:01:08.603 --> 00:01:10.703 The responses I got from these people were always helpful. 00:01:10.703 --> 00:01:12.683 And honestly, I learned a ton from that alone. 00:01:13.443 --> 00:01:14.373 Fast forward seven years. 00:01:14.373 --> 00:01:17.583 And I was leaving Microsoft to work as technical director for gymnasium, the 00:01:17.583 --> 00:01:20.853 best damn online code school for creatives who were looking to dip their toes in 00:01:20.883 --> 00:01:22.353 the cool waters of web development. 00:01:23.313 --> 00:01:25.323 I would be using completely new tools in this job. 00:01:25.353 --> 00:01:29.523 I was going from.net and C sharp to Django and Python and from a 00:01:29.523 --> 00:01:33.603 massive network of people to a crack squad of just five people where I 00:01:33.603 --> 00:01:34.893 was going to be the only developer. 00:01:35.643 --> 00:01:38.763 I was an astronaut in a space station, cut off from the world I was used to. 00:01:39.183 --> 00:01:42.123 I had no one to ask for help, and no one to bounce ideas off of. 00:01:42.273 --> 00:01:45.093 There was no one there to tell me if I was doing something stupid for the 00:01:45.093 --> 00:01:46.653 first time, I was really on my own. 00:01:47.703 --> 00:01:50.703 And it didn't take long for me to realize that developers have a unique advantage. 00:01:50.853 --> 00:01:52.803 Most of our peers are chronically online. 00:01:53.283 --> 00:01:56.013 The most knowledgeable people in the world are at your fingertips. 00:01:56.013 --> 00:01:57.183 As long as you know where to look. 00:01:57.603 --> 00:02:00.213 From forums to blog posts, to open source projects. 00:02:00.213 --> 00:02:02.613 There's no shortage of places to find answers and to learn. 00:02:03.033 --> 00:02:05.883 For me, the key to truly benefiting from this wealth of information 00:02:05.883 --> 00:02:09.153 came from active participation and engagement with the developer community. 00:02:09.763 --> 00:02:12.673 It can do the same for you, but you're going to need to put yourself out there. 00:02:13.093 --> 00:02:15.553 Here's three things that you can do right now to get started. 00:02:16.093 --> 00:02:17.323 First joining the community. 00:02:17.923 --> 00:02:21.583 Whether it's a local meetup, a slack channel, a forum, a discord community. 00:02:21.773 --> 00:02:24.173 Find a community that has people you can engage with. 00:02:24.263 --> 00:02:26.903 It's a great way to meet like-minded people to share your knowledge 00:02:26.903 --> 00:02:28.163 and to get advice from others. 00:02:29.407 --> 00:02:30.727 Give helpful feedback. 00:02:31.417 --> 00:02:33.787 When you're starting out, it can be intimidating to contribute, to 00:02:33.787 --> 00:02:36.727 open source projects or forums, but remember you don't have to be an 00:02:36.727 --> 00:02:38.527 expert to provide good feedback. 00:02:38.917 --> 00:02:41.707 By giving constructive criticism and suggestions, you can help 00:02:41.737 --> 00:02:44.677 others improve on their work and you'll learn a bunch in the process. 00:02:44.677 --> 00:02:47.047 Finally, it's a good idea to keep an eye on trends. 00:02:47.407 --> 00:02:50.797 The tech industry moves really fast and it's important to stay up to date with 00:02:50.797 --> 00:02:52.297 the latest trends and technologies. 00:02:52.627 --> 00:02:55.957 This doesn't mean you have to use every new tool or framework that comes out. 00:02:56.207 --> 00:02:58.637 But having a general understanding of what's happening in the 00:02:58.637 --> 00:03:01.547 industry can help you make informed decisions about your own work. 00:03:01.944 --> 00:03:04.224 the Pavlovian power of constructive engagement. 00:03:04.884 --> 00:03:08.214 Some of the best career advice I ever received is from my old pal Thomas: 00:03:08.604 --> 00:03:10.344 give and receive feedback in good faith. 00:03:10.404 --> 00:03:13.044 And you'll find yourself surrounded by people who are willing to help you grow. 00:03:13.674 --> 00:03:16.824 To me, this means being honest, respectful, and open to new ideas. 00:03:17.074 --> 00:03:19.504 It means that you're willing to admit when you're wrong and that 00:03:19.504 --> 00:03:20.794 you learn from your mistakes. 00:03:21.304 --> 00:03:23.644 You're generous with your time and knowledge and you should be willing 00:03:23.644 --> 00:03:24.874 to help others when they need it. 00:03:25.594 --> 00:03:28.054 The inverse of this situation is all too common online. 00:03:28.414 --> 00:03:31.684 I'd wager to say that the vast majority of Reddit, Twitter and YouTube comments are 00:03:31.684 --> 00:03:33.874 people who are not engaging in good faith. 00:03:34.214 --> 00:03:36.854 They're there to tear down to be little, to make themselves feel 00:03:36.854 --> 00:03:38.504 better by making others feel worse. 00:03:38.964 --> 00:03:42.214 I'm sure you've seen and felt that, and it sucks, but it also means that when you 00:03:42.214 --> 00:03:44.014 come correct, you will really stand out. 00:03:44.704 --> 00:03:47.914 It's a simple concept, but it's incredibly powerful by engaging with 00:03:47.914 --> 00:03:50.914 your community using constructive, meaningful, and thoughtful feedback. 00:03:51.154 --> 00:03:53.254 You'll build a powerful reputation for yourself. 00:03:53.674 --> 00:03:55.684 And I bet you'll find yourself learning along the way too. 00:03:56.194 --> 00:03:56.824 Before long. 00:03:56.854 --> 00:03:58.744 You'll be the one that people come to for advice.