A new friend reminded me that one of the major keys to success as a programmer has nothing to do with programming. Your professional network.

I’ve blogged about this before in things I wanted to know before I left college, but this topic cannot be stressed enough and warrants it’s own post. In these troubled times (drink Buzz crew), it is all-important to further secure your professional position. The BEST way to do that is to maximize your opportunities.

Lessons I’ve learned

NOTE: I will not claim that I am "successful" or even that I’m all that smart, but I’ve had good experiences with people helping me.

I was (very) anti-social when I started college, but that changed when I met an actually popular Computer Science major. He encouraged me to get involved on campus and helped me fit in. Because of that first step, I ended up becoming one of the most influential guys on campus by my Junior year. That same person would’ve gladly hired me at his workplace, and we still keep in contact.
LESSON: knowing influential people helps you get to know more influential people.

Other contacts I made after getting into the workforce encouraged me to attend, Java User Group meetings. Through these I regularly met really bright guys that can help me out with open-source projects, job-hunting (hopefully not), or making up my own tech talks. I met Fred Jean at a JUG meeting and he recommended me for my current job @ Sun, for which I’m forever grateful.
LESSON: I wasn’t sure I was smart enough then, but I never would’ve gotten anywhere without attending a group.

When I started blogging, my articles got no attention for awhile because I did not have any contacts that would help me promote them or give me advice on what to write. Contacting David Walsh changed that because we could use each other for ideas, or just to help promote each other. I probably would still be nowhere (not that I’m THAT far) without him and Chris Coyier.
LESSON: Making that contact was invaluable to me, and I hope they benefited as well.

One last note: these connections are meant to be reciprocal. Be willing to help people in your network for their benefit only. Maybe someday they’ll get to return the favor.

Those are just 3 good examples of how my programming life was blessed by having good contacts. Take the first step… NOW!

Your new homework

Now that you know how important your professional network is, it’s time to grow it. Do at least 2 of the following within the next month:

• Attend a local developer’s group meeting (like a Java Users Group)
• Chat with your co-workers for 2 hrs/wk. You never know what opportunities could be right under your nose
• Contact some of your favorite bloggers, or at least follow them on twitter
• Re-connect with 3 old friends or co-workers
• Start a blog if you don’t have one, even if you can’t post that often
• Seriously this list could go on and on… you get the idea!

What is your best way to grow your network? What didn’t work for you? How do you plan to keep it going strong? Share!