Testimonial of David Schaefer
David Schaefer Each one, teach one
As a teenager in the 90s, I got into the Hip-Hop culture. That was how I learned about the proverb “Each one, teach one”.
While having a far greater historical background and being used in a wide range of contexts, for us, it simply meant that an experienced Graffiti writer, DJ, B-Boy etc. would teach a starter how to do it.
Being on both ends of this relation was a given. There was no hesitation at all. To not pass on the hard-earned knowledge, was considered a no-go.
Back then, open source software had a somewhat rebelious feeling to it. No question, that was where I wanted to be, when I discoverd my passion for coding.
I made it as far as being a package maintainer for a free operating system. But beyond that, I was stuck. I wasn’t making any real progress.
Eventually, I lost my drive and stopped.
Years later, I entered the F# community with a reignited enthusiasm and found real mentorship.
A few months later, I found myself being a co-maintainer of Fantomas. In my opinion, one of the most important developer tools in the ecosystem.
Each one, teach one worked for me, again. And again, I want to be on both sides of the relation.
Karma
Nowadays I would argue, that the Open Source model has won. But this win came with a big price tag. Paid by individuals. To a certain extend, that’s okay. That’s how hero stories are written. And we all love those stories. But every participating party in a community, be it a sole developer or a company, has to look out for a healthy and sustainable balance. Or Karma will collect the debt 😉
Investing some hours per week into the F# community has opened a couple of doors for me I did not imagine to ever be able to pass through. Privately and professionally. Being a rather small community has it’s drawbacks, no question. But it also has tremendous advantages:
- You can really make a difference.
- You can meet the people behind the code.
- You can make friends.
- You can learn from the best.
- You can have an impact in your very own community.
That’s why I’m part of Amplifying F#.
And so should you.