Finding palatable learning material can be difficult. Especially in the tech industry, it might feel like the only decent learning materials are hundred-slide lectures, verbose Wikipedia articles, and Introduction to Algorithms, 3rd Edition. But I’ve recently found an unexpected source for some creative and engaging methods of communicating technical concepts — Twitter.
I discovered that Twitter was an untapped source of hilarious content, local news, and, surprisingly, great tech resources. The community I discovered is passionate about learning, industry inclusivity, and familiarizing the details of programming. Here are just a few of the people that I follow and the wonderful materials that they produce.
b0rk – Zines, CSS, and Systems
Few things make learning more fun than a zine. @b0rk is one of my favorite follows on Twitter for zines that are unambiguous and full of helpful examples. If you’re interested in improving your understanding of CSS, go hit that follow button. She also covers bash topics and has a website for quizzing yourself on git, networking, systems, and more.
sailorhg – Making Computer Science Accessibile
Are you looking for the perfect combination of cute Sailor Mercury aesthetics and software education? @sailorhg has that covered. Amy is an alumna of MIT, Honda, and Airbnb and is passionate about making computer science accessible.
I purchased a few of her zines while teaching Girls Who Code, and they proved to be more appealing to their audience than the competing textbooks. Everything from encryption to caching, sorting algorithms, and “How Do Calculators Even” is covered!
TartanLlama – C++ (and Cats)
If you want to learn more about C++, @TartanLlama is the Twitter account for you. They are a C++ developer at Microsoft and an excellent educator, even to strangers via the internet. They give understandable, engaging talks about things like applying mathematics in computing, and they blog about things as broad as “Learning C++” and as specific as the “Spaceship Operator.” Their Twitter feed also supplies a healthy stream of verifiably cute cat photos.
cassidoo – React and Comedic Relief
Finally, no developer’s Twitter feed is complete without @cassidoo. Her hilarious videos give insight into life as a principal developer and make the tech industry feel more welcoming. Cassidy is a great presenter (in case you just want to end your long day of work laughing at some relatable dev content).
If you’re looking for more ways to learn, she’s got that too! Cassidy has courses on React and a code-along event for building a React App. She even has a very thorough guide on how to find opportunities for a tech career.
Whether you’re a developer expanding your knowledge base or a new learner trying to dip your toes into the intimidating world of programming, I hope this post adds some light and entertaining educational resources to your repository. Learning modules and textbooks have certainly played a substantial role in my personal growth as a developer. Even so, there is always room for some pun-filled videos to pad that knowledge.
Finding a community of passionate developers and accessible educational resources on Twitter made a difference in how I understood the industry outside of my college education. If you have a person or tool that has made a difference in your career development experience, I would love to hear about it below.