Network Effects
Human are pretty social animals. Yes, even developers! And as humans we identify with and work to establish ourselves in various tribes. Family, friends, work, sports, hobbies - all of these groups are important not only in helping us define who and what we are but in orienting ourselves within the huge web of people among whom we live out our lives.
In fact, the power of tribes is best seen when we are looking to join a new tribe. Anyone who has moved, started at an out-of-state school, or joined an organization alone is familiar with the sense of isolation and exclusion that you have to work through before being accepted.
Sometimes the initial chilly period is easy to work through. Running around outside and throwing a Frisbee is fun so it’s easy to bond with new people on an intermural team. Seeing the same faces in class day after day and struggling through the same math problems inevitably draws people together.
Breaking In
But what if there isn’t a clear way to get to know the tribe you want to join? How do you gain trust as an outsider?
Questions like these become painful - and critical - when we’re searching for a job. A strong educational or professional background often aren’t enough to gain entrance to a new network. When joining a new company, who you know is as important as what you know.
Welcome to the Code Fellows Networks!
The great news is that you’re more connected than you realize! Networks are fantastic things in that they are flexible and they are strong. Gain trust from one person in-network and the entire group with open up to you.
At Code Fellows, we are fortunate to be at the center of many tribes: educational, language-specific, social, entrepreneurial, professional, and many more. We work hard to establish our program and our students at the epicenter of Seattle’s amazing tech, startup, developer, and business communities so that you - the student - gain entrance to our network when you are accepted to our bootcamp.
So yes, in life it’s often who you know rather than what you know. But as a Code Fellows student, you’ll get the benefit of both!
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