Sophia's Meetups Reflection Post

_posts/2014-04-27-sophiameetups.md

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+---
+layout: post
+author: slaffer
+title: Sophia's Meetups Reflection
+---
+
+##Meta Meetup Reflection##
+
+**Meetup #1:** 
+
+Girl Develop It! Coffee and Code: https://plus.google.com/u/0/117237851264261881546/posts/EcvqEyKtzKQ
+
+**Meetup #2-3:** 
+
+Triangle Open Data Day: https://plus.google.com/u/0/114432798864961395991/posts/7pXB4VzEU5G 
+
+My experiences going to programming meet-ups have left me with a couple key observations. Before starting this 
+class, some of the programmers I had met often seemed like a relatively solitary lot. Therefore, I have been interested 
+and impressed by the number of groups that meet on a semi-regular basis in the programming community. In many 
+ways, this community spirit is not too surprising after learning the focus on collaboration in programming. 
+Learning the Github workflow in class exemplifies the programming mentality that collaboration is an ideal 
+method for writing robust code.
+
+At the Triangle Open Data Day session on Node.js, I reflected upon the culture in the room where programmers 
+were openly discussing and sharing ideas. I believe this atmosphere is something unique in the programming 
+community and is an admirable aspect of programming culture. There seems to be a prevalent vibe that knowledge 
+shared in a collaborative fashion is the best way to learn and create. This also connects with the open-source 
+idea of meritocracy, which was discussed at the Triangle Open Data Day by Jason Baker. Open-source and 
+collaborative workflows harness the power of the crowd and facilitate the creation of the "best" code. 
+The Girl Develop It! Coffee and Code meetup also had the vibe that just creating a space to openly discuss code is an intrinsic aspect 
+of the programming community.
+
+One other key take-away I gained from these meet-ups is the programming ideology that coding is often done 
+with an eye on serving the greater good. I mention this in my write-up when discussing the idea of “Coding 
+for America.” There seems to be an underlying belief in the value of serving some larger community need. My 
+view could be partially skewed, since one of the key events I attended was specifically focused on open data 
+and brought together people with a similar worldview that open access is in many ways a social good. However, 
+I think this is also apparent through the open-source focus of many programming projects. While the importance 
+of open-source is also tied to the culture of collaboration, I think it expands beyond the functional aspect of 
+reusing code and incorporates an over-all perspective that code should be a community resource and not a 
+proprietary product. This to me speaks of the social value created by seeing code as something to share, 
+not something to own.
+
+My last key observation relates to the role of gender in the programming community. I think in some ways the 
+programming community is reinventing itself to break down some preconceived notions that programming is a 
+male-dominated field. Groups like Girl Develop It! and events like Pearl Hacks show a focus on gender-specific 
+events that communicate the growing number of females involved in the programming community. I think creating 
+these kinds of support networks is important because it allows females a space to not only discuss code but 
+potentially to discuss any specific challenges they may face being a female working in a technology-focused 
+field. I liked the atmosphere at the Girl Develop It! meetup and am interested in taking some Girl Develop 
+It! courses to continue learning more programming languages. In the end, I think programming culture is 
+epitomized by its focus on collaboration and aiding the larger community, which in my opinion is worthwhile 
+and inspiring.
+
+