The Virtual Coffee Podcast

In Episode 8 of Season 10 of the Virtual Coffee Podcast, hosts Bekah and Dan delve into the intricate process of open sourcing a private repository. Drawing from their experience with Virtual Coffee's community docs, they discuss considerations like verifying the safety of repository content, ensuring appropriate permissions, and maintaining the privacy of sensitive discussions. They also touch on the importance of updating READEMEs, licensing, and providing clear guidelines for new contributors.Episode Sponsor!We're grateful to be sponsored by LevelUP Financial Planning, who understands the importance of finding balance between having an awesome life today, and being confident and excited about your future possibilities. If you want to take your financial confidence to the next level, check out levelupfinancialplanning.com.Sponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community. Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast! Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

In this episode of the Virtual Coffee Podcast, hosts Bekah Hawrot Weigel and Dan Ott delve into the journey of climbing the contributor ladder in open-source projects. They explore the progression from contributor to maintainer, focusing on the importance of trust-building, consistent contributions, and respectful interactions within the community. Key strategies discussed include engaging with project documentation, reproducing bugs, and effective communication. The episode also highlights how projects like Astro and Nuxt guide contributors and the role of events like Hacktoberfest in encouraging new participation. Real-life examples illustrate how proactive engagement can lead to managing more complex tasks and even job opportunities. Sponsored by Level Up Financial Planning, this insightful episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to make significant strides in the open-source community. Visit https://virtualcoffee.io/resources/developer-resources/open-source for additional resources.Episode Sponsor!We're grateful to be sponsored by LevelUP Financial Planning, who understands the importance of finding balance between having an awesome life today, and being confident and excited about your future possibilities. If you want to take your financial confidence to the next level, check out levelupfinancialplanning.com.Sponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community. Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast! Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

In Season 10, Episode 6 of the Virtual Coffee Podcast, hosts Bekah and Dan explore the multifaceted aspects of building and nurturing relationships within the open source community, particularly during Hacktoberfest. The episode highlights the significance of effective networking, making meaningful connections, and becoming a valued repeat contributor. The hosts provide practical advice for newcomers, stressing the importance of understanding projects, submitting quality pull requests, and contributing beyond code through community management and content creation. Emphasizing mentorship, they discuss how maintainers can aid first-time contributors via comprehensive readme files, contributing guides, and constructive feedback. The importance of communication, relationship-building, and the impact of small gestures like a simple thank you are also covered to foster a supportive and efficient open source community.Episode Sponsor!We're grateful to be sponsored by LevelUP Financial Planning, who understands the importance of finding balance between having an awesome life today, and being confident and excited about your future possibilities. If you want to take your financial confidence to the next level, check out levelupfinancialplanning.com.Sponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community. Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast! Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

In this episode of the Virtual Coffee Podcast, hosts Bekah and Dan delve into the benefits and challenges of being a maintainer in open source projects, particularly during Hacktoberfest. They discuss the excitement and responsibility of maintaining projects, the joy of welcoming new contributors, and the importance of community building. The hosts also highlight the preparation involved in enhancing project onboarding and documentation, and the growth opportunities for maintainers. The episode also emphasizes strategies to attract contributors and the impact of efficiently managing open source projects.Links:https://opensauced.pizza/learnBecoming an Open Source MaintainerSponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community. Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast! Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

Bekah and Dan explore the community's engagement with Hacktoberfest, a month-long event encouraging open source contributions. They discuss what Hacktoberfest is and what it means to be a positive contributor in the open source community. They highlight the importance of meaningful contributions, respecting maintainers' time, and provides tips for navigating and contributing to open source projects, and touches on ways to be a good open source citizen and the benefits of contributing consistently to a single project or organization. The episode emphasizes understanding project documentation and being patient with maintainers, while exploring various ways to support open source initiatives beyond writing code.Sponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community. Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast! Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

In Season 10, Episode 3 of the Virtual Coffee Podcast, hosts Bekah and Dan explore the topic of 'Big M' versus 'Little m' Mentorship. They distinguish between formal, one-on-one mentorship ('Big M') and more informal, community-based mentorship ('Little M'). They discuss the advantages and potential pitfalls of each approach, emphasizing the importance of finding the right mentorship fit. They also touch on the role of coaches, the value of community support in events like Hacktoberfest, and the concept of a personal 'board of mentors.' Sponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community. Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast! Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

In Episode 2 of Season 10 of the Virtual Coffee podcast, hosts Bekah and Dan discuss the concept of 'trust capital' and its importance in tech communities. They define trust capital as the value and trustworthiness one has with others. The hosts explore how to build trust through consistent actions, showing up, transparency, and effective communication. They highlight the difference between networking and building genuine relationships, emphasizing practical ways to accumulate trust capital, such as writing blog posts, mentoring, and being an active, dependable community member. The episode underscores the benefits of trust capital in fostering credibility, enhancing professional relationships, and reducing barriers to collaborative progress.Sponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community. Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast! Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

In the first episode of Season 10 of the Virtual Coffee podcast, hosts Bekah and Dan introduce the new format focusing on "back pocket topics" from Virtual Coffee community discussions. They delve into common remote collaboration tools and techniques, sharing insights from their experiences in tech. Topics include effective communication, the importance of documentation, and how different company cultures influence remote work. The episode also touches on the role of community members in improving knowledge sharing, both in work settings and open-source projects.Episode Sponsor!We're grateful to be sponorsored by LevelUP Financial Planning, who understands the importance of finding balance between having an awesome life today, and being confident and excited about your future possibilities. If you want to take your financial confidence to the next level, check out levelupfinancialplanning.com.Sponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community. Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast! Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

Join hosts Bekah and Dan as they engage in a captivating conversation with Jessica Wilkins, a prominent figure from freeCodeCamp. In this episode, Jessica shares her invaluable insights on nurturing and developing relationships within the open source community. Delve into the nuances of effective collaboration with maintainers, understand the significance of embracing non-traditional skillsets, and discover the pathways to flourish as a contributor. Jessica's experiences with freeCodeCamp provide a unique perspective on the human dynamics and interpersonal relationships that form the backbone of successful open source projects.Episode Sponsor!We're grateful to be sponorsored by LevelUP Financial Planning, who understands the importance of finding balance between having an awesome life today, and being confident and excited about your future possibilities. If you want to take your financial confidence to the next level, check out levelupfinancialplanning.com.About JessicaJessica Wilkins is a self taught developer and technical writer from Los Angeles, California.In her previous career, she was a professional oboist, educator and owner of JDW Sheet Music.Jessica's interest in programming came during the pandemic when she wanted to build the Black Excellence Music Project which celebrates black artists from the jazz and classical fields.She now works for freeCodeCamp on the curriculum team.@jdwilkin4 on GitHub@codergirl1991 on Twitter@jessica-wilkins-developer on LinkedInSponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community. Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast! Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

Join hosts Bekah and Dan with guests Matt McInnis, Ray Deck, and Tom Cudd, as they chat about the complicated topic of open source software (OSS) licenses. They share insights into how to choose the appropriate license, how to understand licenses on other projects, and general guidelines for maintainers and contributors.Links:ChooseALicense.com by GitHubExample of clarifying subfolders in the LICENSE: TensorFlow's models repo.Example of a License section in the README indicating what parts of the repo the license applies to: OpenAI's Whisper model. Example of a paid product with an open source license: CraftCMSWe're grateful to be sponsored by LevelUP Financial planning, who understands the importance of finding balance between having an awesome life today, and being confident and excited about your future possibilities. If you want to take your financial confidence to the next level, check out levelupfinancialplanning.com.About MattMatt is a full-stack developer (Rails+React) at Typist based in Toronto, Canada. Former artificial intelligence lead at IBM and Microsoft, mathematics professor at Centennial College and Saskatchewan Polytechnic. He really loves brunch.@MattyMc on GitHub@MattLovesMath on TwitterAbout TomAs an advocate for DevOps within teams and communities, Tom strives to bring positive change in the way Development and Operations teams work together. Tom loves to help people learn about teams, leadership, infrastructure, cloud, and automation.tomcudd.com@tomcudd on GitHub@tomcudd on TwitterAbout RayVeteran leader of technology teams and startup companies over the last 20 years. Most recently founder of Statechange.ai, a learning community for solving the hardest 5% of no-code/low-code/AI-code challenges.raydeck.comstatechange.ai@rhdeck on GitHub@ray_deck on TwitterSponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community. Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast! Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

Join hosts Bekah and Dan in this episode with Nadia Eghbal's "Working in Public" enthusiasts Jessica Wilkins and Brian Meeker. We discuss the nuances of open source collaboration highlighted in the book, the challenges and rewards of being both a contributor and a maintainer, and the profound impact of individual contributions in the open source community. Dive into the transformative journey of participating in open source and redefining its true meaning with OpenSauced.LinksWorking in Public: The Making and Maintenance of Open Source Software by Nadia EghbalVirtual Coffee Book Club DiscussionThe left-pad storyEpisode Sponsor!We're grateful to be sponorsored by LevelUP Financial Planning, who understands the importance of finding balance between having an awesome life today, and being confident and excited about your future possibilities. If you want to take your financial confidence to the next level, check out levelupfinancialplanning.com.About JessicaJessica Wilkins is a self taught developer and technical writer from Los Angeles, California.In her previous career, she was a professional oboist, educator and owner of JDW Sheet Music.Jessica's interest in programming came during the pandemic when she wanted to build the Black Excellence Music Project which celebrates black artists from the jazz and classical fields.She now works for freeCodeCamp on the curriculum team.@jdwilkin4 on GitHub@codergirl1991 on Twitter@jessica-wilkins-developer on LinkedInAbout BrianBrian Meeker is a full stack engineer who occasionally leaves his basement in Indiana. Currently, he works as a Senior Engineer at Online Rewards. He works mostly in Elixir these days, but has a past littered with a wide variety of technologies and platforms. Outside of work, Brian is a devoted father, avid nerd, and lover of metal.brianmeeker.me@CuriousCurmudgeon on GitHub@CuriousCurmudge on Twitter@brianmeeker on LinkedInSponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community. Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast! Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

Join hosts Bekah and Dan in this episode with monthly challenge Preptember leads, Dominic and Ayu. We talk about the importance of preparing both as a contributor and a maintainer, some of the challenges you might face as someone new to those roles during Hacktoberfest, and some of the benefits you'll receive by participating in open source.LinksAyu's Episode: Working through burnout as a self-taught developerDominic's Episode: Finding value in challenging ourselvesYour GitHub Issues---About DominicDominic is a Full Stack Developer, community builder, remote worker and aspiring polymath. He's passionate about open source everything, decentralization, peer-to-peer tech and cryptocurrency. He's also to be found playing board games, studying paper maps and riding public transport.About AyuAyu is a self-taught front-end developer and technical blogger based in The Netherlands.She has a strong interest in building projects that are accessible to everyone.Her passion for life-long learning is what motivates her open-source contributions, project collaboration, and community engagement.Learning new things is something that fills her with excitement and she's eager to share her learning in public and pass on her knowledge through her blog and Twitter.---Sponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community. Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast! Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

Sponsor: LevelUP Financial PlanningWe're grateful to be sponsored by LevelUP Financial planning, who understands the importance of finding balance between having an awesome life today, and being confident and excited about your future possibilities. If you want to take your financial confidence to the next level, check out levelupfinancialplanning.com.Join hosts Bekah and Dan in this episode featuring Rafi, a talented full-stack developer from Bangalore. In this episode, you'll discover how building new things  and making progress helps him find calmness and focus. Learn Rafi's approach to side projects, including his exploration of Blender, mobile development, Chrome extensions, and Ionic framework. Rafi also shares valuable tips on leveraging AI to enhance learning during project workAbout Rafi: I am a developer, hobbyist who loves JavaScript, Star trek and Cats. I build things, talk tech and write things.@Rafi993 on GitHubSponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community. Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast! Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

Sponsor: LevelUP Financial PlanningWe're grateful to be sponsored by LevelUP Financial planning, who understands the importance of finding balance between having an awesome life today, and being confident and excited about your future possibilities. If you want to take your financial confidence to the next level, check out levelupfinancialplanning.com.Join Bekah and Dan in this week's episode,  where they talk with Taiwo Yusuf, a back-end engineer with a passion for developing innovative solutions.  Despite being the top of his class in Electrical Engineering, he found his passion in backend development. He shares the importance of always learning, growing, and surrounding yourself with people who are more skilled than you are to find inspiration, support, and motivation.Links:Grace HealthAbout Taiwo: I'm Taiwo Yusuf, a back-end engineer with a passion for developing innovative solutions. I've been fortunate enough to work with amazing companies like Grace Health, LogicShift, and JufoPay. When I'm not busy coding, I'm an avid fan of generative art, and I adore cats. So, whether you want to talk about tech, art, or felines, let's connect and have a chat!@Taiwo_HY on Twitter@teezzan on GiHubSponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community. Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast! Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

Sponsor: LevelUP Financial PlanningWe're grateful to be sponsored by LevelUP Financial planning, who understands the importance of finding balance between having an awesome life today, and being confident and excited about your future possibilities. If you want to take your financial confidence to the next level, check out levelupfinancialplanning.com.Join Bekah and Dan in this week's episode,  where they talk with Josh Goldberg,  an independent full time open source developer working on projects in the TypeScript ecosystem, where he shares valuable tips and insights on how you can get started with contributing to open source, whether you're a seasoned developer or just dipping your toes into OSS.  Josh also shares the story of his prolific speaking journey over the last couple of years and how staying involved in the tech community has been a rewarding experience.Links:typescript-eslinttypescript-eslint GitHubCode AcademyMicrosoft Sway Josh's Blog posts about applying to conferences:How I Apply to ConferencesHow I Apply to Conferences: FAQsJosh's Book: Learning TypescriptAbout Josh:Hi, I'm Josh! I'm an independent full time open source developer. I work on projects in the TypeScript ecosystem, most notably typescript-eslint: the tooling that enables ESLint and Prettier to run on TypeScript code. I'm also the author of the O'Reilly Learning TypeScript book, a Microsoft MVP for developer technologies, and an active conference speaker. @JoshuaKGoldberg on Twitter@JoshuaKGoldberg on GitHub@JoshuaKGoldberg@fosstodon.org on mastodonSponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community. Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast! Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

Join Bekah and Dan in this week's episode, where they dive into the transformative journey of Reda, a self-taught developer. Hear about the unique challenges and victories Reda faced as he navigated the journey to becoming a front-end developer. Gain valuable advice on the ideal timing for job applications, as Reda shares advice he heard along his journey: "When should you start applying for jobs? Yesterday." Tune in for an enriching conversation that will inspire aspiring self-taught developers and offer practical insights for your career paths.Links: Free Code CampCollab LabPython CourseAbout Reda:I'm a self-taught front-end developer based in Morocco, with a background in Marine Mechanics. I first got introduced to programming back in college where I learned about some basic algorithms and C++. During the pandemic, I decided to take the leap and teach myself ML and then Python. When I'm not coding, I do traveling, read manga, watch anime, or play video games.redapy on GitHubredabaha12 on Twitterredabaha on LinkedInSponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community. Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast! Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

This week Bekah and Dan sat down with Caitlin Floyd, a front-end developer, to chat about the concept of collective learning and explore new possibilities in the evolving landscape of tech mentorship. Discover firsthand how Caitlin's experiences highlight the power of collaboration, breaking down silos, and leveraging collective knowledge to drive innovation and success. Links:Jonan SchefflerNick TaylorAbout Caitlin:Caitlin is a front-end developer driven by the power of technology as a force for good. Before entering tech, she worked in linguistics, education, and nonprofit management. When not coding, she loves reading, studying languages, traveling, and most of all doting on her puppy.caitlinfoyd.com@cafloyd on GitHub@caitlinfloyd on LinkedInSponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community. Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast! Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

This week Bekah and Dan sat down with Carmen Kohole, a DevOps Engineer based in Portland, Oregon, to chat about the benefits of collaboration and the valuable opportunities you can gain just by asking for help. We also discussed the benefits of fostering strong relationships in the tech industry, and what it means to be a DevOps engineer.About CarmenDevOps Engineer based in Portland, Oregon. Big fan of house plants, hiking, hats and cats. Here to help build stuff, break stuff, learn stuff and make friends.@carmenkolohe on GitHub@carmenkolohe on TwitterSponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community. Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast! Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

This week Bekah and Dan sat down with Alex Curtis-Slep, long time member and volunteer and self-taught developer, about documenting the small wins, falling in love with the process, and aligning your goals to maintain a healthy life while job searching and during your tech career.About AlexAlex Curtis-Slep is a self taught software developer. After getting his initial tastes of HTML and CSS in the early 2000's on his basketball blog, Alex jumped into coding in early 2019. He heard about a course Madison Kanna created on roadmapping to become a developer and took the plunge. Following a few years of learning, creating, contributing to open source, and much more, Alex landed his first job in tech at Paypixl. When he's not coding and hyping up his developer friends, he loves everything basketball, tropical fruit, vegan, travel, family, friend, and foreign language related!alexcurtisslep.com@AlexVCS on GitHub@AlexCurtisSlep on Twitter@alexcurtisslep on LinkedInSponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community. Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast! Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

We're starting the new season with a conversation with our maintainers, including our new maintainer, Julia Seidman! We share our thought process for adding a maintainer and walk through our culture citizenship statement to share how we intend to create a positive community.About Julia Julia Seidman is a developer education consultant based in the Seattle area. Julia is a believer in embracing the 'careen' over the career. @juliaseid on GitHub@juliaseid on LinkedInAbout KirkA full stack developer in the Caribbean interested in Functional Programming, Domain Driven Development, and Security.@KirkCodes on TwitterSponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community. Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast! Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

Join Bekah, Dan, and Special Guest Nick Taylor for a live-streamed episode of the Season Seven Finale!Watch the video replay here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Wj-zlORvm8Sponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community. Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast! Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

This week Bekah and Dan sat down with Ramón Huidobro, a developer advocate and DevEd enthusiast, and chatted about the process of learning and growing and how asking questions and knowing what questions to ask is an important part of the tech experience.Check out Ramón's article about reaching out for help!About RamónRamón Huidobro is a developer advocate and DevEd enthusiast. He thrives on lifting others up in their tech careers and loves a good CSS challenge. Always excited to talk about teaching tech, especialmente en Español, oder auf Deutsch.ramonh.dev@hola-soy-milk on GitHub@hola_soy_milk on Twitter@hola_soy_milk on MastadonSponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community. Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast! Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

This week Bekah and Dan sat down with Dominic Duffin, a Full-Stack Developer, Co-founder of ArtTechChat Twitter chat, Salon Host at The Interintellect, and Open Source contributor, and chatted about the the value gained in creating a learning environment wherever you go and the importance of participating in community experiences.Links:Pass the Pen: https://codepen.io/collection/nZrZLyhttps://twitter.com/arttechchatAbout Dominic:Full Stack Developer, community builder, remote worker and aspiring polymath. Passionate about open source everything, decentralization, peer-to-peer tech and cryptocurrency. Also to be found playing board games, studying paper maps and riding public transport.dominicduffin.uk@dominicduffin1 on GitHub@DominicDuffin1 on Twitter@dominicduffin1 on Mastadon@dominic-duffin on LinkedIn@dominic on PolyworkSponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community. Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast! Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

This week Bekah and Dan sat down with Arthur Doler, a Software Engineer and Community and Culture Steward, and chatted about the human side of tech, the importance of recognizing our emotions, communication styles, and the dynamics of the environments we're working in.Links:Daniel Pink's DriveArthur's talk: You're Not Just Tired: The Psychology of BurnoutAikidoPro Disc GolfersAbout ArthurArthur (or Art, take your pick) has been a software engineer for 19 years and has worked on things as exciting as analysis software for casinos and things as boring as banking websites. He is an advocate for talking openly about mental health and psychology in the technical world, and he spends a lot of time thinking about how we program and why we program, and about the tools, structures, cultures, and mental processes that help and hinder us from our ultimate goal of writing amazing things. His hair is brown and his thorax is a shiny blue color.arthurdoler.com@doleraj on GitHub@arthurdoler on Twitter@arthurdoler on Mastodon@arthurdoler on LinkedInSponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community. Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast! Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

This week Bekah and Dan sat down with Rebecca Key, a PhD in Organic Chemistry and now Software Engineer, and chatted about her career journey, Ham radios, being left-handed, taking notes, and the importance of consistency.About RebeccaRebecca Key is a Software Engineer based out of Atlanta, GA. She is a first-generation college graduate that went on to obtain a PhD in Organic Chemistry from Georgia Tech. After many years in research (roles ranging from Laboratory Technician to Research Director), she made a career change into the tech field, where she currently works as an Independent Front-End Engineer. When not coding, she enjoys mountain biking, running, weightlifting, crocheting, and knitting!rebeccakeyphd.com@rek990 on GitHub@rebeccakeyphd on Twitter@rebecca-key on LinkedInLinks:Brassica oleracea (the plant Dan was talking about)SOTA-AT: An interactive map that displays and provides information for peaks along the GA section of the Appalachian Trail that count toward activations for “Summits on the Air”, a ham radio contest.Row Counter: A tool to help fiber artists (crocheters, knitters, rug makers, basket weavers, etc.) keep track of the row they are on with a given project. Live Demo of the Progress Toward my Row Counter AppRebecca's RF Quests: Blog and YouTube ChannelParks on the Air (POTA)Summits on the Air (SOTA)SOTA Mountain goat awardEmacs Org ModeLeft-handed Deep DiveYour Left-Handed BrainLeft-handed DNA found - and it changes brain structureThe inheritance of left-handednessSponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community. Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast! Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

This week Bekah and Dan sat down with Aishwarya, front-end developer from India, about her first open source contributions and how her perspective on open source changed after her fourth (of ten!) Pull Request during Hacktoberfest.One word to describe you - DedicatedOne word to describe your developer journey - EvolvingMe Before You by Jojo MoyesOpen-Source YouTube Videos:How to Find Beginner-Friendly Open Source Projects4 Beginner Friendly Open Source Projects to Contribute before 20235 Beginner friendly Open Source Organisations to start your Open source journeyAbout AishwaryaAishwarya Mali is a front-end developer (React+XState+Redux) based in Pune, India. She loves to read!@aishwarya-mali on GitHub@aishwaryamali24 on Twitter@aishwaryamali24 on LinkedInSponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community. Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast! Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

This week Bekah and Dan sat down with Kai Katschthaler, a technical writer and content creator, about their creation process, finding learning approaches that work for them, and mentoring others.Links:Kai's appearance on the Coming Out PodKinesthetic LearningFreecodecampCodecademyFlatironschoolExercismKai KatschthalerKai is a tech content specialist and mental health advocate. They run Taboola Rasa, a mental health awareness project that seeks to erase the stigma connected to mental health.linktr.ee/thegrumpyenby@thegrumpyenby on GitHub@thegrumpyenby on Twitter@kaikatschthaler on LinkedInSponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community. Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast! Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

This week Bekah and Dan sat down with Joe Karow, the Lead Engineer at a nonprofit, about his career change from the hospitality industry, his experience with the online bootcamp, 100devs, and about the ADHD experience.Joe KarowJoe is the Lead Engineer at InReach, a 501(c)3 registered non-profit building world's first tech platform matching LGBTQ+ people facing discrimination and persecution with safe, verified resources. Formerly a Director of Finance for a large hotel chain, he made the leap in to tech in 2022. Tech was always a part of Joe's life, it just took a global pandemic for him to decide to start getting paid for it.joekarow.dev@JoeKarow on GitHub@JoeKarow on Twitter@jkarow on LinkedInLinksAll Hands Job Board100devsResilient CodersLeon NoelCedar PointBusch GardensKennywoodcssbattle.devremoSponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community. Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast! Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

This week Bekah and Dan sat down with Jörn Bernhardt, a 2x founder in Germany, about his career path, the challenges of being a founder, and the key traits that have led to his success.About JörnJörn started developing web-based software in the last century when he was still in school. In 2018, he founded his second company compose.us where they implement digital solutions and share their knowledge with public administrations. In his spare time Jörn organizes local meetups in Germany and creates at least one open source commit per day to push his side projects.compose.usJörn on GitHubJörn on TwitterJörn on LinkedInSponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community. Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast! Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

It's the final episode of season six of the podcast and we're bringing it to you live with Bekah, Dan, and Kirk! We talked a lot about Hacktoberfest with many side-tracks and segues in between.Sponsor Virtual Coffee!Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community.Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast!Virtual Coffee:Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.ioPodcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.ioBekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhwDan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltottKirk: @kirkcodes

This week Bekah and Dan sat down with Shelley McHardy, a former chemistry teacher turned front end developer at Rightpoint, and talked about the early career developer's journey. She gave insight into what her seven-month interview process looked like, forcing interviewers to interview you, the importance of finding "your people", and being picky in your job search.Links:edXCollab LabPLCs- Professional learning communities------About ShelleyShelley is a former chemistry teacher turned front end developer at Rightpoint. A native San Franciscan, she is currently doing her best to stay cool in Atlanta, Georgia. When not crocheting, she and her wife love hiking the Georgia State Parks, geocaching, cooking, baking, and video games.GitHub: @shelleymcqTwitter @shelleymcqDevLinkedIn shelleymchardy-----Sponsor Virtual Coffee!Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community.Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast!Virtual Coffee:Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.ioPodcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.ioBekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhwDan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

In today's episode, Bekah and Dan talk to Ryan Kahn, a developer experience and productivity consultant from New York City, about his work as a consultant helping companies to build better software teams. He emphasizes the importance of recognizing that teams are made up of individuals who have different needs and approaches. He also breaks down the difference between quality, technical, knowledge, and innovation debt and the need to identify which most impacts teams as they seek better communication to build a stronger team.Links:ADR GitHub organizationOblique StrategiesAbout RyanRyan loves solving the human and technical problems of software development, and works on both as a developer experience and productivity consultant. He lives in New York City with his partner, daughter, and dog. Outside of his work he loves Astronomy and Amateur Radio.

This week Bekah and Dan sat down with Julia Seidman, a technical marketing consultant and developer in the Seattle area, and talked about her work writing about different technologies, learning by teaching, and embracing the careen over the career. She talks about her career journey from studying anthropology to financial analysis to teaching high school English, ESL and Debate, before landing her current role as a technical writer.LinksKrugerrandGold DoubloonsRhodiumFlutterDeveloper Marketing Does Not Exist------About JuliaJulia Seidman is a technical marketing consultant and developer in the Seattle area. She has 2 terrific kids and a wonderful partner, and her family cos-plays as a “normal” family.Julia is a believer in the careen, rather than the career.After studying anthropology and writing a senior thesis on the ethics of museum collections of human skeletal remains, she took the job she could get, which was fundraising for a hospital.From there, she became a financial analyst and employee educator for 401(k) and pension plans. After that, she got a Master's in Teaching, and taught high school English, ESL and Debate for most of a decade.Now, she works as a freelance technical writer and software developer, specializing in technical content marketing.Along the way, she has learned a lot about a lot of things, including the Python ecosystem.-----Sponsor Virtual Coffee!Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community.Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast!Virtual Coffee:Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.ioPodcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.ioBekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhwDan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

In today's episode, Bekah and Dan talk to Chad Stewart, a Software Engineer from Kingston, Jamaica, about his journey into contributing to Open Source projects like Open Sauced and how to find your way to your first contribution. He shares the inspiration behind his #TechIsHiring project, which helps to identify tech jobs and resources, but more importantly, to connect people in the wider tech community.LinksMy Side of the MountainBrian Douglas, aka BdougieOpen SaucedTech Interview HandbookThe AlgorithmsAyuTech is HiringVirtual Coffee Contributors GuideAbout ChadSoftware Engineer from Kingston, Jamaica. Founder of TechIsHiring.@Chad_R_Stewart on TwitterSponsor Virtual Coffee!Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community.Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast!Virtual Coffee:Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.ioPodcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.ioBekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhwDan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

This week Bekah and Dan sat down with Sadie a frontend developer for a federal agency, to chat about her experience navigating the interview process and how she found success after giving tech a second shot. She shares tips on how to avoid burnout both during the interview process and while you're working in tech.Links:18fSkill CrushLeet Code ChallengeJennifer's List of Interview QuestionsTechnical Test Preparation Advice post by SadieWords of Mouth job emailUS Web Design StandardsJekyll---About SadieSadie is a Front-end Developer and bootcamp alum. In 2016, Sadie started her journey into tech with web design courses. Along the way, she graduated with a Masters specializing in Web Design and Online Communication, taught yoga, searched for cheap flights at a travel startup, volunteered as a writer and proofreader for various non-profits, and contributed to a number of open source projects. Outside of coding and writing, Sadie can be found petting her cat Maxie, hanging out with her mom, or looking up the next vegan restaurant to check out.Sadie's Portfolio Site@sadiejay on GitHub@sadiej on LinkedIn---Sponsor Virtual Coffee!Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community.Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast!Virtual Coffee:Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.ioPodcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.ioBekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhwDan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

For the 50th episode of the podcast, Dan and Bekah are live at the Kansas City Developer Conference 2022 answering listener questions and practicing their accents.Check out the video version on YouTube!Listener questions:What time do you go to sleep? (2:19)How does a computer get drunk? (12:42)What's the hardest part of community? (22:20)Ayu would like to hear the history of how Virtual Coffee was founded. (31:57)What does community mean to you? (38:01)At in-person events, what are some techniques or tactics you used for starting a conversation with a stranger? (41:00)Sponsor Virtual Coffee!Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community.Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast!Virtual Coffee:Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.ioPodcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.ioBekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhwDan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltottThe Virtual Coffee Podcast is produced by Dan Ott and Bekah Hawrot Weigel and edited by Dan Ott 

In today's episode, Dan and Bekah talk with Seth Hall about the importance of intimate collaboration, advocating for yourself, and transferable skills as part of his job as a Technical Product Owner at Uniform. He shares how his background as a creative producer informs how he guides demo initiatives, creates roadmaps, and collaborates with other departments.About SethSeth is a Technical Product Owner at UniformWebsite: sethhall.devDev.to: dev.to/sethburtonhallPolywork: polywork.com/sethhallTwitter: @sethburtonhallGitHub: @sethburtonhallSponsor Virtual Coffee!Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community.Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast!Virtual Coffee:Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.ioPodcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.ioBekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhwDan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

This week Bekah and Dan sat down with Bogdan Covrig, a Software Engineer in the Netherlands who's into Typescript, React and Node, about navigating different learning and career paths in tech before landing a job that fulfills his interests to see the changes he's making and provides a dynamic work environment. He also drops his tips on the most important things you can do if you're starting your journey into tech.Linksp5.jsArduinoTwitch TypeScript TuesdaysNick and Bekah's Lunch & Learn Coding questions: Problem-solving and working through challenges

This week Bekah and Dan sat down with David Alpert, Director of Engineering at Northfield IT, about taking a personalized approach to helping others as they ask coding questions and navigate career paths. David shares the importance of bringing empathy to every situation and gives tips on how to handle challenging situations.Links:Logo (the programming turtle)Virtual Coffee Co-Working RoomThe Agile ManifestoTypescript Tuesdays---About DavidDavid Alpert is a collaborative leader and agile coach striving to reduce friction between people and software. Based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, David has over 20 years of professional IT experience in software development, system design, and project and people management spanning the finance, manufacturing, and sports entertainment industries. David is passionate about test-driven development, refactoring, pair programming, and helping people become better developers.Website: Spin the MooseTwitter: @davidalpertGitHub: davidalpert---Sponsor Virtual Coffee!Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community.Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast!Virtual Coffee:Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.ioPodcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.ioBekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhwDan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

In this episode of the podcast, Bekah, Kirk, and Dan discuss the decision to pause new membership and what the maintainers are doing to progress towards opening the community up again. We share what we think makes our community special, how we're working to preserve that, and some of the challenges we're figuring out as we take steps towards reopening membership. What goes into the long-term strategy of making Virtual Coffee an intimate group of devs, optimized for you? You'll find out in this episode.Links:DX BallOmega VirusOthellovirtualcoffee.io/membersVirtual Coffee Paths to LeadershipSuze ShardlowDunbar's Number---About Kirk ShillingfordSoftware Developer, and Community Maintainer at Virtual Coffee.@KirkCodes on Twitter@tkshill on GitHubAbout Bekah Hawrot WeigelFront-end developer, and Org Maintainer at Virtual Coffee.dev.to/bekahhw@bekahhw on Twitterbekahhw on InstagramAbout Dan OttFront-end developer, and Org Maintainer at Virtual Coffee.dtott.com@danieltott on Twitter---Sponsor Virtual Coffee!Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community.Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast!Virtual Coffee:Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.ioPodcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.ioBekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhwDan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

This week Bekah and Dan sat down with Matt McInnis a former Math Professor, and current data scientist, full-stack engineer, and founder, about his journey through tech as a self-taught engineer. He shares his insight into building personal projects and creating value in the projects you work on, even if those projects are just for you.LinksMalcolm Gladwell's Tipping PointKidstreetHacker ParadiseStar Wars Force Trainer---About Matt McInnisMatt is a full-stack developer (Rails+React) at Typist based in Toronto, Canada. Former artificial intelligence lead at IBM and Microsoft, mathematics professor at Centennial College and Saskatchewan Polytechnic. Matt really loves brunch.MattyMc on GitHubMattLovesMath on Twittermattmcinnis on LinkedIn---Sponsor Virtual Coffee!Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community.Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast!Virtual Coffee:Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.ioPodcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.ioBekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhwDan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

In today's episode, Bekah and Dan talk to Meg Gutshall, a Ruby on Rails Developer, and community volunteer at Virtual Coffee. She shared all things Philly and some memorable stories of how she's supported others--including Bekah--in their journeys into tech. Meg talks about her Accountabilibuddies group at Virtual Coffee and how she chose Ruby after graduating from a full stack bootcamp.LinksGrittyfreeCodeCampPenn medicinejawnMeg's blog post on code and Spanish: The Little Things MatterRuby for GoodHumanEssentials.appCASAPhilly Tech WeekAbout MegMeg is a Ruby on Rails developer with a passion for open source and tech for good. She's always smiling, continuously learning, and quick to strike up a conversation. She takes her advice with a grain of salt & a shot of tequila.Sponsor Virtual Coffee!Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community.Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast!Virtual Coffee:Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.ioPodcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.ioBekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhwDan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

In today's episode, Dan and Bekah talk to Andrew Bush, a Mobile Engineer Specializing in React Native. One of the updates we've made to our site is to have tags on our members page to indicate what volunteer roles they have. Andrew is one of our Monthly Challenge team leads, and he shared with us his experiences helping to facilitate the challenges, keeping our community motivated, and the processes we go through. We also go into what it's like to be a mobile developer, and the learning path he's been on throughout his career.About AndrewAndrew is a mobile developer specializing in React Native based out of Wisconsin in the US. He has been developing professionally for 3 years and has really found his passion in mobile apps and accessibility. Being legally blind himself, he recognizes the need for inclusion in software development so that EVERYONE can use the applications we create.Outside of his professional life, Andrew is a dedicated amateur runner with a love for the sport that rivals his love of Swedish Fish candy. You can also find him participating as a co-lead of the Virtual Coffee monthly challenges where he strives to create engagement and growth combined with the feeling of an intimate community.Sponsor Virtual Coffee!Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community.Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast!Virtual Coffee:Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.ioPodcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.ioBekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhwDan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

A special live episode of the Virtual Coffee Podcast - Bekah and Dan meet for the first time in real life, and get to hang out with Kirk on Kirk Day! Also Dan fires Bekah (for the first time).Watch the stream on YouTube!Sponsor Virtual Coffee!Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community.Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast!Virtual Coffee:Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.ioPodcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.ioBekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhwDan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

This week Bekah and Dan sat down with Roger Gentry, who has spent a lot of his career managing security and compliance for clients across the United States, about his passion for problem-solving and what to do when you get stuck. We're all going to run into frustrations during our tech journeys, but knowing how to navigate through them is one of the key skills you'll need.About RogerRoger has managed the security and compliance for clients across the United States. Providing CTO/CSO level consulting to a variety of industries, Roger has worked with customers to achieve successful compliance certifications from PCI, ISO, SOC, and more.http://r-o-g-e-r.com/Sponsor Virtual Coffee!Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community.Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast!Virtual Coffee:Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.ioPodcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.ioBekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhwDan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

This week Bekah and Dan sat down with Yolanda Haynes, a career changer who went from working as a certified occupational therapy assistant to a Software Engineer, about the importance of finding community during your learning journey, and remembering that you shouldn't judge your journey based on anyone else's; focus on the learning journey, absorbing what you can, and preparing yourself for your future.Links:100devsThe Collab LabAbout Yolanda:A career changer from working in healthcare as a COTA (certified occupational therapy assistant) to a Software Engineer.yhaynes.com@YolandaHaynes on GitHub@_YolandaHaynes on Twitter@yolanda-haynes on LinkedInSponsor Virtual Coffee!Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community.Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast!Virtual Coffee:Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.ioPodcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.ioBekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhwDan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

This week Bekah and Dan sat down with Helen Griffin, a full-stack developer and founder, about how the tech industry changed during the time she was a founder, how what she's learned as a founder has helped her to have a broader perspective about the tech industry, and what she's doing with her companies Jovial and State of Developers to support developers in their career journeys.LinksThe State of DevelopersJovialAbout HelenHelen started her career as a web developer. Now, as a full-stack dev & founder, she enjoys helping developers build products & a life they love. Today, she spends her time building developer tools, like State of Developers & Jovial. Helen is on a campaign to help her peers recover from burnout.HelenJr.devhelengriffinjr on GitHub@helengriffinjr on Twitter@hgriffinjr on LinkedInSponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community.  Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast!Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

This week Bekah and Dan sat down with Amy Shackles, a Senior Software Engineer at MURAL, about how she made her way from being a Psychology and Anthropology double major to being a Senior Software Engineer. She shares what's made her experience at MURAL a great one and the importance of openness in communication.Linksamyshackles.comAmy's regular expression parserMDN article on regular expressionsAbout AmyAmy is a Senior Software Engineer currently working at MURAL. She loves information, human interaction, solving problems, helping people, and cats - not in that order. She spends most of her free time lately learning Spanish, practicing calligraphy, singing, writing parody songs, and crocheting.amyshackles.comAmyShackles on GitHub@AmyShackles on Twitter@AmyShackles on DEV.to@AmyShackles on LinkedInSponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community.  Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast!Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

This week Bekah and Dan sat down with Brian Rinaldi, a Developer Experience Engineer at LaunchDarkly with over 20 years of experience as a developer for the web, about how Developer Relationships has changed over the years and why need not just remote community experiences but also in-person opportunities. We talk about the value of different types of communities and how each is necessary to support developers.LinksLaunchDarklyCFE.devTheJam.devThe Jamstack BookEpisode SponsorAttend and host virtual events for developers at Codementor Events!About BrianBrian Rinaldi is a Developer Experience Engineer at LaunchDarkly with over 20 years experience as a developer for the web. Brian is actively involved in the community running developer meetups via CFE.dev and Orlando Devs. He's the editor of the Jamstacked newsletter and co-author of The Jamstack Book from Manning.remotesynthesis.comremotesynth on GitHub@remotesynth on Twitter@brianrinaldi on LinkedInSponsor Virtual Coffee!Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community. Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast!Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott

Kirk, Dan, and Bekah are back again to wrap up Season 4 of the podcast. We talk about Hacktoberfest and how proud we are of what our community did over the month of Hacktoberfest:100 members signed up,66 members merged at least 1 pr,336 collectively we merged 336 PRs were merged by these members across 129 repos.On the virtualcoffee.io site: 81 PRs merged, 50 were new member profiles, 31 others.We talk about the monthly challenges, including already surpassing the monthly goal for blogging half way through November, and what we're looking forward to doing in the next 12 months.LinksDigital Ocean HacktoberfestBryan's EpisodeTodd LibbyAbbey PeriniMatt McInnisPrettierJessica's EpisodeAudience or Community by Chris BroganSponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community.  Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast!Virtual Coffee:Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.ioPodcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.ioBekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhwDan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltottKirk: @KirkCodes on Twitter, @tkshill on GitHub

This week Bekah and Dan sat down with Dr. Maeling Murphy, a software engineer who recently transitioned into tech. Maeling shared the importance of connecting with potential employers to see if they would fit her values, how contributing to open source projects can help prepare you for your first job, and the value of developing the connection to community and being able to grow alongside others. Oh, and did we mention we talked a lot about Notion? She takes us through her notetaking journey and answers all our questions about finding the right approach.About MaelingDr. Maeling Murphy is a software engineer who recently transitioned into tech, coming from an 8+ year entrepreneurial journey as a digital content creator and as a Ph.D. research scientist in Materials Science & Engineering. Maeling identifies as a multi-passionate creative soul, finding expression through gardening, programming, brush-lettering and other mediums that cross her path. She lets her love for exploration, learning and sharing with others lead her in all aspects of life and is enjoying this journey with her husband and son.maelingmurphy on GitHub@maelingcodes on Twitter@maeling-murphy on LinkedInLinks from the show:Harvard's CS50100 days of codeVirtual Coffee Demo Monthly Challenge Homeschool journalGithubLearning Path logKaren's Notion for job searchesKaren's Job Application Details SpreadsheetFrank's Notetaking SystemKeyValues: Find engineering teams that share your valuesDan's Pinboard bookmarksForem - Open source project that Nick Taylor helps maintainSponsor Virtual Coffee! Your support is incredibly valuable to us. Direct financial support will help us to continue serving the Virtual Coffee community.  Please visit our sponsorship page on GitHub for more information - you can even sponsor an episode of the podcast!Virtual Coffee: Virtual Coffee: virtualcoffee.io Podcast Contact: podcast@virtualcoffee.io Bekah: dev.to/bekahhw, Twitter: https://twitter.com/bekahhw, Instagram: bekahhw Dan: dtott.com, Twitter: @danieltott