M is for meetups - Python A to Z

Python A-Z is a blog series about Python. Each day, I share insights, ideas and examples for different parts of Python development that match with the letter of the day. Blaugust is an annual blogging festival in August where the goal is to write a blog post every day of the month.

You walk into a room that’s buzzing of nervous energy. Some people are chatting with each other, others are sitting alone in the corner looking at their phone or grabbing a drink or slice of pizza from the kitchen. After a moment, the MC welcomes everyone in and a speaker after another take the stage to talk about something they know.

You have likely been to a meetup. I love meetups. I’ve been participating in them for 13 years and have been running my own for over 10 years. A lot of my best friendships have started from those communities.

I have written about meetups and conferences from various perspectives in the past so consider this post as a literature review of sorts.

Developer's Guide to Communities is a good starting point. It’s my magnum opus on why and how to join meetup communities as a software developer. It covers everything from why you as a developer should join as a participant or even start sharing as a speaker all the way to what meetups are and how they function.

It's my first time at a meetup - how does it work? is a post I wrote for our local Python meetup group to give first-timers a feel for what they were joining if they decided to sign up for one of our events.

Shy introvert's (short) guide to speaking in conferences is for those who want to take the next step and start sharing their knowledge but are bit unsure. As I was traveling to Copenhagen to speak in Django Day 2022 conference, I wrote down all my best tips and tricks of how I — an introvert — navigate social conferences and get the best out of them.

In You can be a beginner and also a speaker, blogger, or participant Marijke Luttekes writes encouraging words to everyone who considers them self too inexperienced to share: “Have you recently heard yourself or someone else say that you cannot share knowledge because you are a beginner or junior developer? I hope to convince you otherwise.”

Chance of serendipity is my argument for giving events like meetups and conferences a chance. You never know what’s going to happen: who you’ll meet, what will inspire you — even to the extent of having life-changing experiences.