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Episode 88: Learning in Public with Gift Egwuenu

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There are very few barriers keeping you from creating the career you want. For many developers, formal education no longer matters. What matters is demonstrating your skill and your dedication to the craft you’ve chosen to pursue. When you learn in public, you do just that; you share your skill development and your work in progress online. Originally from Lagos, Nigeria, today’s guest is a frontend developer, content creator, speaker, and conference contributor who advocates for the benefits of learning in public. Gift Egwuenu relocated to the Netherlands in 2020 to begin her journey as a Frontend Engineer at Passionate People, a Javascript-focused consultancy based in Amsterdam. Since then, Gift has gained experience working in various environments, with various people, and in a multitude of frameworks and, in today’s episode, she shares some of the pros and cons of learning in public and what it means, from sharing what you’re learning on Twitter to creating video tutorials and live streams. We touch on the concept of conference-driven development, self-motivated learning versus audience-driven content, and work-life balance, and we share some of our favorite resources and suggestions for getting started on your learning in public journey! For all this and so much more, including our weekly picks (of course!), make sure not to miss this insightful conversation with Gift Egwuenu!

Key Points From This Episode:

  • Introducing Gift Egwuenu and today’s topic: learning in public.
  • The concept of conference-driven development and #100DaysOfCode as public learning.
  • Why Gift believes that Twitter isn’t necessarily the best forum for public learning.
  • Alternative methods for learning in public, including YouTube videos or Twitch streams.
  • Alex and Tessa share their opposing views on the benefits of seeing learners struggle.
  • How having knowledgeable guests on your stream can be beneficial.
  • Why you get more flexibility from having a specific framing context for public learning.
  • Gift highlights the value of using her edited video content as practice for live streams.
  • Creating audience-driven content versus self-motivated learning in public.
  • How learning in public can engender accountability, according to Tessa.
  • Gift shares the benefits of learning in public, from gaining visibility to community support.
  • The panel reflects on the challenges of maintaining a healthy work-life balance while also learning in public and creating content consistently.
  • Setting boundaries around learning in public without creating extra work for yourself.
  • Some of Gift’s favorite resources, including Shawn Wang and Kent C. Dodds.
  • Tips for getting started, from setting yourself up for success to embracing failure.
  • Gift’s advice for those who want to try public learning: don’t take it too seriously!
  • This week’s picks: United Parcel Service, live-action Sweet Home, Sally Rooney, and more!
  • What headphones Gift is currently using and whether or not she likes them.

Tweetables:

“A lot of people [think], ‘Why would I come out and publicly humiliate myself? Because this is not something that I'm an expert in.’ They shy away from doing it, but I like to advocate for [public learning], because of the benefits that it comes with.” — @lauragift_ [0:09:54]

“One of the reasons that learning in public is popular is because it can engender accountability.” — @EnjoyTheVueCast [0:22:39]

“Job opportunities, getting access to mentors, or just people helping you out is another benefit you get out of [public learning].” — @lauragift_ [0:25:51]

“The most important thing is to have fun with it. No one’s sponsoring you. No one’s paying you to do it. If you're just doing it for the heck of it, have fun with it. Learn however you want to learn. Don't let anybody get you down.” — @EnjoyTheVueCast [0:41:35]

“Feel free to ask questions. Feel free to make mistakes. That's definitely the idea of [public learning] in the first place. You're not perfect, so you learn stuff, break stuff, and then you get better at it.” — @lauragift_ [0:43:30]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Where to find Gift Egwuenu online:

This week's picks:

Episode source