The Software Developer's Career Handbook

Chapter 20. Your People

In your career, there’s a list of essential career intangibles. These are the things you need to do in order to be successful, which are also maddeningly difficult to measure. There is no direct correlation between completing these activities and a raise. It’s unlikely that accomplishing these indefinite tasks will end up in your review, but via organizational and social osmosis, you’ve learned these intangibles are essential in order to grow.

I want to talk about one: networking.

There are two types of networking. Basic networking is what you do at work. It’s a target-rich environment with coworkers, your manager, and those of interest in close proximity. It’s work, but it’s easy work because your day is full of those you depend on, and you’ve learned that professionally befriending these people keeps you comfortably in the know.

I’m going to call the other type “people networking,” and it’s harder work. This is when you put yourself out there. It’s attending a conference where you know no one. It’s driving to the city to sit in a coffee shop with 10 strangers bonded by a programming language. It’s a leap for the socially awkward, but the infrequent reward is that you discover Your People.

I don’t have a good definition for these people, so I made a list. My hope is that as you read this list you’ll think of at least one person you know who is already Your People:

• Your connection with Your People is instant and obvious; it transcends age and experience. ...