TamaraAtanasoska/learn_to_code_in_berlin.txt

## learn_to_code_in_berlin.txt

Hi everyone! I will try to explain all the possibilities here. I will stick to free and community led options.

Let's start with the mentorship programs! We'll dive into the Berlin learning meetups and groups right after. I will also share
some other recourses that can get you free conference tickets etc. at the end.

"Learn it, Girl"
Links: https://www.learnitgirl.com/, https://www.facebook.com/learnitgirl
A global free program where you sign up and you get a personal mentor that will guide you and work with you for 3 months.
You can pick a project and a programming language if you have an idea for it, or if you don't know where to start, they will
help you out! Just reach out. I have coached a person that I met trough this programm that after got her first job as a
programmer. So proud of her and you can do it too!

"Ampair"
Link: https://ampair.io/
Another program where you can sign up and get a free guidance from a mentor for 3 months. Open to all levels, begginer and up.
Here instead of having a mentor assigned, you pick your mentor.

You can also spend a couple of months learning and being mentored and get paid for it! The following programs are aimed at
women, but all of them require a bit of knowledge. It is good to have them in mind as a next step after you get a bit(or a bit
more) grip on all the techy stuff you will be learning:

"Rails Girls Summer of Code"
Link: https://railsgirlssummerofcode.org/
You apply as an individual or a team and you get paid to learn and make for 3 months. You need to have finished a workshop
(like the ones I will list soon!) or have been learning for yourself for about a year.
It is run by the Berlin based Travis foundation: https://foundation.travis-ci.org/.

"Outreachy"
Link: https://www.outreachy.org/
A paid learning and making program. You will be contributing to world renoun projects through it. It is a bit more competitive
and this one requires a little bit more knowledge. Great to keep an eye on for later and have it as a goal as this is job
landing material. I was part of the program 10 years ago and was a big door opener for me.

Berlin meetups and learning groups.
There are many Berlin meetups and learning groups that are safe spaces, created for and run by women, where you can learn and
socialise in an comfortable environment. A big drawback is that many of the regular meetups are starting at 19:00, or as we
mothers know it - bedtime.

"CodeCurious" previously "Rails Girls Berlin"
Link: http://railsgirlsberlin.de/
Free workshops for women with no prior experience in programming. The workshops focus on the Ruby on Rails framework and you
can learn how to make a full website from the ground up on the day. They help you get organised in project groups to continue
learning after. Rarely awesome people <3

"Django Girls Berlin"
Link: https://djangogirls.org/berlin/
Same as the previous group, but they focus on the framework Django and the language Python.

"ClojureBridge Berlin"
Link: https://clojurebridge-berlin.org/
Same as the previous two, but focusing on the Clojure language. I've mentored in this workshop and oh boy is this fun! Look
what you can do after(ok or close to it ^^): http://quil.info/examples

"CodeBar"
Link: https://codebar.io/berlin
Same as the previous workshops, focuses on HTML, CSS, JavaScript and Ruby. You can look at their tutorials here:
http://tutorials.codebar.io/

"PyLadies Berlin"
Link: http://berlin.pyladies.com/
In their own words: "PyLadies aims to provide a friendly support network for women and a bridge to the larger Python world."
They organise montly meetups consisting of a short talk and a workshop. There are many experienced people there that will help
you out and answer all of your questions. Don't be afraid to show up! I am a serious fan of this crowd and I hope to speak
there again sometime.

"Women who Go"
Links: https://www.womenwhogo.org/, https://www.meetup.com/Women-Who-Go-Berlin/
A study group for women that want to learn the Go language. It is enough to have some interest(and absolutely no experience)
to join in. There will be other women to support you there!

"Women who Code Berlin"
Link: https://www.womenwhocode.com/berlin
You can find all kinds of talks and workshops during their meetups. Only women are speaking so it's super inspiring!
It is a friendly atmosphere where you could meet many likeminded women on the same journey as you, and get acquainted with new
and exciting things happening in the world of code. Hack nights are organised regularly where you can dive in into something
and ask questions.

"Women Techmakers Berlin"
Link: http://wtmberlin.com/
Same as the meetup above! They organised a special "Parents in Tech" meetup a while ago, and I took my littly guy there <3

"Open Tech School"
Link: http://www.opentechschool.org/berlin/
Now this is a serious gem. There are so many learning groups you can join! Check out the events list on the website. I have
coached in the Python group when I moved to Berlin. The format is so: there are learners and experienced coaches. There are
already tutorials you can pick to work on and the coaches will support you through it day-by-day as you return, or you can
pick a project of your on, as long as it fits the learning group. You can also show up and say: Hey! I know nothing about this
cool thing you are doing, but I really want to learn please! You will be helped. These groups are so awesome as you can grow
endlessly there - from the basic tutorials, to your first real big project and beyond. Step by step, supported.

"Heart of Code"
Link: http://heartofcode.org/
A hackerspace for women. They offer different workshops, events and a warm community. Upcoming events:
http://heartofcode.org/kalender

"Geekettes"
Link: http://www.geekettes.io/
A warm community for all kinds of women in tech. You won't necessarily find a lot of programming themed workshops, but it's a
great meeting point for looking beyond the specifics of a job and scouting for new opportunities, getting contacts in the
enterpreneurship scene in Berlin, landing a job etc. If you request membership you get added to a very vibrat Facebook group
that's worth filling the form.
Geekettes was my first organisation I joined when I moved to Berlin and they helped me find a job by publishing this:
http://www.geekettes.io/blog/2014/3/11/spotlight-tamara-atanasoska. Absolutely grateful forever!

I am sure all of this looks a bit daunting. I really recommend signing up to a RailsGirls or DjangoGirls or any similar
workshop and start from there. Learning alone is tough. Join facebook groups, meet people in real life if you are lucky,
show up at some of the meetups if the time and circumstances permit that.

Go places you deserve it! You can apply for free conference tickets here: https://diversitytickets.org/

Some unconventional learning recourses:
- These are some very nicely explained computer concepts. Also very very pretty. You won't regret clicking or reading:
https://shop.bubblesort.io/
- I love Julia Evan's learning zines: https://wizardzines.com/. This one about the joy of learning is so on spot and
you want to read it: https://jvns.ca/wizard-zine.pdf
I will stop here because there is a endless list of these. Just wanted to show you how beautiful and approachable learning
computers is when made by other women! It doesn't have to be dry and scary. You can do this.

	Hi everyone! I will try to explain all the possibilities here. I will stick to free and community led options.

	Let's start with the mentorship programs! We'll dive into the Berlin learning meetups and groups right after. I will also share
	some other recourses that can get you free conference tickets etc. at the end.

	"Learn it, Girl"
	Links: https://www.learnitgirl.com/, https://www.facebook.com/learnitgirl
	A global free program where you sign up and you get a personal mentor that will guide you and work with you for 3 months.
	You can pick a project and a programming language if you have an idea for it, or if you don't know where to start, they will
	help you out! Just reach out. I have coached a person that I met trough this programm that after got her first job as a
	programmer. So proud of her and you can do it too!

	"Ampair"
	Link: https://ampair.io/
	Another program where you can sign up and get a free guidance from a mentor for 3 months. Open to all levels, begginer and up.
	Here instead of having a mentor assigned, you pick your mentor.

	You can also spend a couple of months learning and being mentored and get paid for it! The following programs are aimed at
	women, but all of them require a bit of knowledge. It is good to have them in mind as a next step after you get a bit(or a bit
	more) grip on all the techy stuff you will be learning:

	"Rails Girls Summer of Code"
	Link: https://railsgirlssummerofcode.org/
	You apply as an individual or a team and you get paid to learn and make for 3 months. You need to have finished a workshop
	(like the ones I will list soon!) or have been learning for yourself for about a year.
	It is run by the Berlin based Travis foundation: https://foundation.travis-ci.org/.

	"Outreachy"
	Link: https://www.outreachy.org/
	A paid learning and making program. You will be contributing to world renoun projects through it. It is a bit more competitive
	and this one requires a little bit more knowledge. Great to keep an eye on for later and have it as a goal as this is job
	landing material. I was part of the program 10 years ago and was a big door opener for me.

	Berlin meetups and learning groups.
	There are many Berlin meetups and learning groups that are safe spaces, created for and run by women, where you can learn and
	socialise in an comfortable environment. A big drawback is that many of the regular meetups are starting at 19:00, or as we
	mothers know it - bedtime.

	"CodeCurious" previously "Rails Girls Berlin"
	Link: http://railsgirlsberlin.de/
	Free workshops for women with no prior experience in programming. The workshops focus on the Ruby on Rails framework and you
	can learn how to make a full website from the ground up on the day. They help you get organised in project groups to continue
	learning after. Rarely awesome people <3

	"Django Girls Berlin"
	Link: https://djangogirls.org/berlin/
	Same as the previous group, but they focus on the framework Django and the language Python.

	"ClojureBridge Berlin"
	Link: https://clojurebridge-berlin.org/
	Same as the previous two, but focusing on the Clojure language. I've mentored in this workshop and oh boy is this fun! Look
	what you can do after(ok or close to it ^^): http://quil.info/examples

	"CodeBar"
	Link: https://codebar.io/berlin
	Same as the previous workshops, focuses on HTML, CSS, JavaScript and Ruby. You can look at their tutorials here:
	http://tutorials.codebar.io/

	"PyLadies Berlin"
	Link: http://berlin.pyladies.com/
	In their own words: "PyLadies aims to provide a friendly support network for women and a bridge to the larger Python world."
	They organise montly meetups consisting of a short talk and a workshop. There are many experienced people there that will help
	you out and answer all of your questions. Don't be afraid to show up! I am a serious fan of this crowd and I hope to speak
	there again sometime.

	"Women who Go"
	Links: https://www.womenwhogo.org/, https://www.meetup.com/Women-Who-Go-Berlin/
	A study group for women that want to learn the Go language. It is enough to have some interest(and absolutely no experience)
	to join in. There will be other women to support you there!

	"Women who Code Berlin"
	Link: https://www.womenwhocode.com/berlin
	You can find all kinds of talks and workshops during their meetups. Only women are speaking so it's super inspiring!
	It is a friendly atmosphere where you could meet many likeminded women on the same journey as you, and get acquainted with new
	and exciting things happening in the world of code. Hack nights are organised regularly where you can dive in into something
	and ask questions.

	"Women Techmakers Berlin"
	Link: http://wtmberlin.com/
	Same as the meetup above! They organised a special "Parents in Tech" meetup a while ago, and I took my littly guy there <3

	"Open Tech School"
	Link: http://www.opentechschool.org/berlin/
	Now this is a serious gem. There are so many learning groups you can join! Check out the events list on the website. I have
	coached in the Python group when I moved to Berlin. The format is so: there are learners and experienced coaches. There are
	already tutorials you can pick to work on and the coaches will support you through it day-by-day as you return, or you can
	pick a project of your on, as long as it fits the learning group. You can also show up and say: Hey! I know nothing about this
	cool thing you are doing, but I really want to learn please! You will be helped. These groups are so awesome as you can grow
	endlessly there - from the basic tutorials, to your first real big project and beyond. Step by step, supported.

	"Heart of Code"
	Link: http://heartofcode.org/
	A hackerspace for women. They offer different workshops, events and a warm community. Upcoming events:
	http://heartofcode.org/kalender

	"Geekettes"
	Link: http://www.geekettes.io/
	A warm community for all kinds of women in tech. You won't necessarily find a lot of programming themed workshops, but it's a
	great meeting point for looking beyond the specifics of a job and scouting for new opportunities, getting contacts in the
	enterpreneurship scene in Berlin, landing a job etc. If you request membership you get added to a very vibrat Facebook group
	that's worth filling the form.
	Geekettes was my first organisation I joined when I moved to Berlin and they helped me find a job by publishing this:
	http://www.geekettes.io/blog/2014/3/11/spotlight-tamara-atanasoska. Absolutely grateful forever!

	I am sure all of this looks a bit daunting. I really recommend signing up to a RailsGirls or DjangoGirls or any similar
	workshop and start from there. Learning alone is tough. Join facebook groups, meet people in real life if you are lucky,
	show up at some of the meetups if the time and circumstances permit that.

	Go places you deserve it! You can apply for free conference tickets here: https://diversitytickets.org/

	Some unconventional learning recourses:
	- These are some very nicely explained computer concepts. Also very very pretty. You won't regret clicking or reading:
	https://shop.bubblesort.io/
	- I love Julia Evan's learning zines: https://wizardzines.com/. This one about the joy of learning is so on spot and
	you want to read it: https://jvns.ca/wizard-zine.pdf
	I will stop here because there is a endless list of these. Just wanted to show you how beautiful and approachable learning
	computers is when made by other women! It doesn't have to be dry and scary. You can do this.