Lifelong Learning in Tech

If there’s one thing, we’ve learned about working in tech, it’s that the learning never really stops. Whether you’re writing your first line of code or reflecting on years in the industry, there’s always something new -- a tool to try, a framework to master, or a challenge to figure out. And let’s be honest, keeping up can feel like a full-time job sometimes!

That’s why we’re so passionate about sharing our journeys. We’ve each taken different paths to get to where we are today, but one thing ties it all together: curiosity and a commitment to learning.

Emma didn’t plan to end up as VP of DevRel at Umbraco, but her passions took her there. Her love for problem-solving and community took her from being a developer to becoming a Microsoft MVP and a community leader. Jemima started as a self-taught developer, diving into web development and attending meetups, where the right opportunities opened up, leading her to speak at conferences and grow into a Microsoft MVP. Poornima has been in tech for over 15 years, navigating big career moves, motherhood, and a love for learning that even extends to her Carnatic music practice.

We’ve all faced the ups and downs of this ever-changing industry, from feeling overwhelmed by the sheer amount of things to learn to finding what excites us most. And one thing we’ve realized is that none of us could have done it alone. Community, curiosity, and a willingness to keep learning have been at the heart of everything we’ve achieved.

So, whether you’re just starting out or looking for inspiration to keep going, we hope our stories resonate with you.

Meet Emma

When I was learning to code, I had no idea what a tech stack even was. I ended up in this arena by chance - or by opportunity really. I was eager to learn, and I took the first pathway that I came across. It is funny now when I look back that I could have been working in an entirely different place had a different opportunity come my way but here I am, a decade later, a Microsoft MVP and a community leader. At this point in my career, I have worked as a developer, an open-source maintainer, a developer advocate, and I am now a VP of DevRel at Umbraco, a .NET CMS platform. Just this year I had the opportunity to speak at .NET Conf, truly a high point of my career so far.

I’d be delighted if I could tell you that I feel like an expert in my field, but one of the things that appealed to me the most about going into this industry was that as a developer, you are a problem solver, and as a problem solver, you never stop learning. Learning fascinates me, and after years of working in education and then as a developer or, as I like to call myself, a professional learner, I know that it benefits me greatly. Learning is something that many assume just happens, but if we become very interested in the mechanics of learning, we will be well on our way to being great learners. I feel passionate about this - so much so that I recently gave a talk at CPH DevFest designed to help others improve their learning.

For me, the best learning resources out there are available in places like Pluralsight and the MS Learn platform. I’m a hacker and a tinkerer so when I want to learn something, it is essential that I have the opportunity to actively work with it as soon as possible; the learning won’t stick if I just read or watch. These platforms have been instrumental because they encourage that style of learning. This really helps me when I need a high-level overview of a new technology but if I’m experimenting with a new framework like, Astro js for instance, where I’ll likely already know plenty, I’ll head straight to the “getting started” documentation. This can be the difference between a great and a good framework - good documentation isn’t just helpful for you, it tells you so much about the care that will go into the maintenance of the technology too. And it’s fair to say that if you make great progress with the docs, others will too and that makes for a more widely adopted framework – it's a win win.

At Whatever stage you are at in your journey, it is important to know that your voice matters and to get involved sooner rather than later. If I had waited until I saw myself as an ‘expert’ I wouldn’t be in this role today. I gave my first meetup talk less than a year into my first junior developer role. I was there representing my journey, something I was very experienced in!  You would be surprised how much your audience, and your community want you to succeed and if you’re anything like me, that support will take you places you never dreamed of going. I am proud to say that I was supported by a tech community; through relationships with others, the content shared  and the mentorship I received. Working in tech, it can be tempting to lean on tools rather than people but in my experience, it’s the balance of both that has made me better at what I do. And that’s why I make time to give back. I know that the experience of being in a tech community can be transformational and I hope to be able to play a part in helping others find their passion.  

Meet Jemima

My first introduction to coding was a C# course I took in my second year of university. I thought it was so cool that functional applications could be created just by writing some text, so I started teaching myself how to build websites and getting more involved in the tech community. One day, I attended a .NET meetup in Lagos, Nigeria where one of the speakers needed assistance with a website demo. I volunteered to help and after the event, one of the organisers asked if I’d like to speak at the next meetup. I agreed and, 8 years and 50+ conferences later, I became a Microsoft MVP. 

As someone who started as a self-taught developer, the one thing that has made the most impact in my career is being part of a community, whether it’s a small-scale meetup group or a global network of community leaders. Community to me means support. It means having a working system that serves as a source of inspiration and motivation. The communities I joined opened up many opportunities I wouldn't have found on my own because I didn't even know they existed! I’m always glad to have the opportunity to give back to tech communities as well as be an active participant in them.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from contributing to tech communities, it’s that the learning never stops. Being in tech means having to constantly keep up-to-date with what’s relevant. This can be overwhelming as it feels like you have to know every new technology or be on top of every new framework or anything that’s out there. Sometimes, it can get very stressful because you don’t even know what you don’t know!

That’s where I find conferences quite useful. Attending talks is a great way of discovering new technologies or even learning new things about concepts you already know. It also helps make the concept more relatable as you get to learn from the speaker’s experience as well.

Social media is another tool I find very helpful for keeping up to date with the latest trends - once you can filter out all the filler noise, it’s a great way of discovering what new tech people are using and how they’re finding it. I also have a lot of newsletter subscriptions (probably too many, to be honest), a few Telegram channels and Discord groups. If I want to understand a concept or refresh my knowledge on a particular topic, I find it helpful to take a course on LinkedIn Learning or watch a YouTube video.

There are several ways to continue learning tech but it’s also important not to get overwhelmed by everything you see. If I could give one piece of advice to anyone trying to keep up in the tech space, it would be “focus.” I think that tech is one of those areas where it’s very easy to get sidetracked by what’s shiny and new but if you’re constantly trying new things or hopping from fad to fad, it makes it harder to become an expert in one area. It’s much better to have five years of experience with one framework than to have six months of experience with 10 different frameworks.   

I would also strongly recommend becoming a part of a tech community. Whatever stage you are in your tech journey, whether you’re just starting or you have decades of experience, it’s never too late or too early to be a participant or an active contributor to the tech space. 

Meet Poornima

Being a software engineer was my first choice of career, and I continue to do it and much more! 

I have been working in technology for over 15 years  and during this time, I moved to a different country on a different continent and became a mother, all while continuing my journey in tech. In these 15 years, I have changed titles from Junior Developer to Senior Developer, freelancing for a decade, and now I am a Senior Software Engineer at Particular Software. Over the last decade, I have also been an open-source contributor, international speaker, ran and even hosted events. Getting awarded the Microsoft MVP title in February 2020 was a high point in my career. 

The best thing about the industry we are in is that there is always something to learn! Be it the new versions of .NET that come out every year or AI that keeps progressing as I am writing this blog. And for me, that is what drives me and keeps me motivated and inspired. Learning never stops; it's a continuous, lifelong process for me. I am also a student of Carnatic Music vocals, which demands lifelong learning. Embracing learning has made it something I look forward to and enjoy rather than a task I have to spend time on. This is also a core value in our household, and as a mother, I try to instil this in my daughter too! I believe in learning one thing every day, be it of any size, and its cumulative effect is huge! 

But the rate of change in our industry can be daunting when you think that there is always a Mount Everest worth of knowledge to gain. It can be easy to lose your path in the vast ocean that technology is. Over the years, I have realized that it's not something I can compete with and that I can always be on par with my learning. This realisation and acceptance have helped me stay steady on my learning path. I look for things that intrigue me and genuinely excite me and I put my effort into learning it. This has also given another dimension to my career as a public speaker, speaking at many conferences and meetups across Europe and the US, sharing what I have learnt. This has helped me deepen my knowledge on some topics further because, as they say, knowledge increases by sharing but not saving!

Where do I go for my learning? There are some fantastic resources out there. Without any doubt, the .NET YouTube channel is a great source of information. I also often visit the NDC Conferences YouTube channel and learn from the talks posted there. When I want to learn something, I begin by watching a video. This gives me an overall idea about the technology, and then I go into hands-on tutorials. I have been able to craft out some fun demos that way for my talks; one of my favourite demos to date is a Blazor App I wrote to help Mr Filch, the caretaker of Hogwarts to see real-time student check-ins to their dormitories using GraphQL subscriptions! 

I recently came across the term “growth mindset”. Psychologist Carol Dweck coined this term. The term refers to the belief that abilities can be developed and improved over time with effort, learning and perseverance. Embrace challenges, be persistent and understand that it is okay to fail in the learning process, put in effort where needed and most importantly, rely on feedback to learn and constantly improve yourself. This can be particularly valuable in our industry, as constant learning and adaptation are key to staying relevant and innovative. 

Wrapping it up

If there’s one takeaway from our stories, it’s that no matter where you are in your tech journey, learning is the constant thread that ties it all together. Whether it’s discovering something entirely new, diving deeper into what you already know, or sharing your knowledge with others, the process of learning is what keeps this industry so exciting and so rewarding.

For us, community has been a game-changer. It’s where we’ve found support, inspiration, and countless opportunities we never even knew existed. It’s also where we’ve had the chance to give back and help others grow, which is just as valuable as anything we’ve gained ourselves.

The truth is, you don’t need to have it all figured out to start making an impact. Take that first step, share what you’re learning, and get involved. You’d be amazed at how much you have to offer and how far it can take you.

We hope our stories have given you a peek at what’s possible and maybe even inspired you to think about your own path in a new way. So, here’s to embracing the unknown, chasing curiosity, and building a tech community where we all grow together. Keep learning. You’ve got this!