During the pandemic I learned to program. I had learned a bit prior to 2020, but I started learning in earnest during the pandemic when it seemed like the world was ending. I didn’t hate my job at the time, but I wanted more security. Financial security, but also the security of knowing that I could always find a job if I needed to. I wanted to be able to work from anywhere and have more of a work-life balance to spend as much time with my wife and kids as possible. So, I watched YouTube videos, went through courses on Udemy, freeCodeCamp, and CourseEra, and read documentation. I taught myself to program. Except, I didn’t. I had help.

When we talk about being self-taught we are lying to ourselves. We are standing on the shoulders of giants. I didn’t sit down at a computer and discover how to build responsive web apps without the help of so many developers and educators who took the time to create content in order to help others.

When I say “self-taught” I feel like I’m slapping them in the face. I’m saying that I didn’t need them. While I don’t think anyone who hears the term thinks the same thing, I’d prefer a different term.

Community-taught

“Community-taught developer” recognizes the people who make our learning possible — developers who maintain open-source projects, write insightful articles, create tutorial videos, and answer questions on online forums. The term encourages a sense of unity. We are all in this together. We are all learning from each other. We are all helping each other. This connection becomes a source of strength and motivation, fostering a spirit of camaraderie.

I’m proud to admit that I didn’t teach myself, but I participated, and continue to participate, in a global community of developers who are all learning from each other. I hope to someday contribute back to the community more than I’ve taken.

Anthony Miller

Software engineer