Why not?
Just kidding, there is more to it. Just thought it flows well with the title and having the answer straight up. Anyway, here'...
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I don't think you realize how much I needed that this week. I've got my next JLPT exam coming up this weekend (need to max out that stat now lol), and lately it's been a balancing act between two jobs, studying Japanese, trying to keep learning as a developer, and still making time to actually enjoy life. Some days you start wondering if you're spreading yourself too thin.
Then something as simple as seeing your name mentioned in a post like this reminds you why communities matter. A little encouragement from someone you respect can completely change the mood of the day.
When I first joined DEV, I expected to find interesting articles. What I didn't expect was to find people who genuinely challenge my thinking, give thoughtful feedback, and celebrate each other's progress. That's been the biggest surprise for me.
That said I'd better get back to studying... Thanks again for the kind words and for building the kind of community you wrote about here.
Cheers to writing many more great articles together!
Good luck with your JLPT, Aryan! 🤞🏻
I've only passed N5 so far, and I remember that the listening part was difficult as hell 😭 I've been having a break from Japanese, since I had to focus more on learning Russian (I need it regularly, while Japanese is rather a hobby), but recently I came back to Japanese, and I'm super excited to rediscover this language! 🇯🇵
What level are you passing? And how are you learning? From books, apps, private lessons?
Anyway, go crush this exam! 🚀
Japanese is easy to learn at first until you realize it's the hardest language to learn, mostly the branch of learning JP is soo long. I remember doing a duolingo and I saw so many branches in just this language. It's also hard to remember since you have to learn Hiragana, Katakana, and my favorite Kanji...
Ehhhh, kanji... I remember going through all the material needed for N4, but these +300 kanji I just couldn't learn... 😭
300 Kanji is crazy. I can't remember 2 D:
Before that, I learn ASL and I had to do a project where I get a song of my choice to translate to ASL and I chose this one:
Is ASL hard?
It's funny now that I think of it. I was mostly reading articles from daily.dev everyday to the point that when I click a link, it usually points me to dev.to. So I wonder, is this a place where the cool devs hang out? So I created my account this year and read wonderful articles ever since.
PS. I just hope that more and more genuine articles are posted. Recently, I'm tired of seeing obvious AI posts with just a couple of scrolls. MAKE DEV.TO GREAT AGAIN!
"I am going to build a wall" ahh speech. 😭🌹
But yea, I am hopeful to see DEV's future on moderation and excited as well. Saw many Pull Requests related to Moderation and it looks very excited to see new potential features lined up.
I do hope you will stay on dev.to. It's a great community regardless of AI if you think about it. :)
Thanks for sharing Elmar!
Hi, there!
I am looking for a partner to collaborate with by sharing an account.
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I have one thing to say: dev.to genuinely feels like home to me. No need to put on a front like you do outside. You can drop the mask here. It's a rare kind of comfortable and free.
🙏❤️
🙏
Thanks for sharing Xulingfeng ❤️
Thank you so much, Francis! You have no idea how much this means to me! ❤️
I’ll definitely share the story of how I ended up on DEV, but it’s so crazy that it deserves a post of its own 😄 I’m planning to write it for my anniversary here!
Can't wait for next month to hear from your first year anniversary on DEV! I would have to wait till next year oof. Looking forward to it regardless :D
Hi, there!
I am looking for a partner to collaborate with by sharing an account.
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I hope this collaboration leads to a long-term partnership.
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Great article Francis! We are here to learn from each other. I am learning a lot of Sylwia or @konark_13 if we tease with each other.
Thanks Ben! ❤️
I joined because I always wanted to contribute and learn, not just be a full-time consumer of the efforts developers put into building things. Dev.to makes me a better indie organically.
Having like-minded people engage is encouraging. Normally, people will say, “You can’t give what you don’t have,” but I most of the time think, “You can’t get what you couldn’t give.” 🤧
Thanks for sharing Ekong! Contributing and learning from others is my guess of why most people are here on dev.to and that's great to hear!
“You can’t get what you couldn’t give.” is an interesting quote, but makes sense. How would you get things if you couldn't show that you are worthy of it is something I thought about. If I want something, I prove it.
Hi, there!
I am looking for a partner to collaborate with by sharing an account.
In return, you will receive a 20–30% share;
I hope this collaboration leads to a long-term partnership.
WhatsApp: +1 (910) 852-7435
Telegram: @bytepil0t
Great question Francis! My answer is: this is a great community. I always found a few reflection to my comments and my works also. Compared to redit this is fare more free and usable place to share my idea ( my craziest is the: mordorjs ), and read others. I also like it the markdown format of communication, is fare more fit for my workflow as any other.
This months I going to near offline cause my hose renovation process, maybe on winter I will be more active again.
Hose renovation??
Regardless, it's a great community. Reddit is one of the options, but never came to decide that for some reason. Maybe it's a sub-reddit thing that overwhelms me idk.
See you in the Winter Peter!
I joined dev.to 7(!) years ago. Back then i had a tech ig account and i was sharing short tech content (tidbits) and carousels and i wanted a way to write longer articles without the hustle of maintaining my own blog, i stumble across dev accidentally but it was a secret gem!
A good legendary pull is another way to put it haha!
7 years was quite a while back. I think I asked this question, but remind me: What was dev.to like back around 2020?
The premise was the same, but more people were able to read long format text back then. 😂 2010's was also the boom of tutorials, teachers in udemy, the learning content was amazing.
Btw, the design of dev.to on 2019 was amazing, i am sad it got flatten so much: web.archive.org/web/20190312003046...
OH YES. I saw this design on some of the Youtube videos I came across and I saw this design! Now I think is a bit of a upgrade and downgrade at the same time. I would love to keep a more stylistic design imo, but I can see where some design needs to be improved on such as the "Save" button for example.
Yeap, but it was unique, which is something i miss in the internet today :)
I really enjoyed reading this, Francis. 😊
I joined DEV because I wanted a place to share what I was learning and writing, but honestly, I’ve received so much more from this community than I ever expected.
The people here have become one of my favorite parts of DEV. The thoughtful comments, encouraging words, honest feedback, and little conversations have meant a lot to me. There have been many moments when a simple interaction genuinely made my day and reminded me why I enjoy writing and sharing here.
I’m also really grateful to the people behind DEV who put so much effort into creating and maintaining a space where developers can share their work, discover each other, and feel encouraged to keep going. The recognition and opportunities I’ve received here have meant a lot to me, but more than anything, they’ve made me feel that the work I’m putting into writing and learning is being seen and appreciated.
So if I had to answer "Why did I join DEV?" today, I’d probably say: I joined to share, but I stayed because of the people and the community.
Really grateful to be a small part of DEV. Thank you, Francis, for writing this and giving all of us a reason to think about why we joined in the first place. 😊
No problem Shubhra and thanks for sharing your piece!
The community is a big portion of why I am still here. Everyone is nice and it is always interesting to learn from someone and connect with them in some way! I am grateful as well! :D
Thank you, Francis, for this honest post! I'd never suspect you of being an introvert! Also, as someone who also struggles with mental health issues (anxiety disorder), I really appreciate you writing about OCD. I love how neurodivergent people have made themselves visible in tech, and I wish mental health issues were also discussed more.
As for joining dev.to, I had two reasons:
I remember carefully shortlisting a good platform to read and publish, and what convinced me to choose DEV was something I didn't even realise mattered so much to me – the supportive community.
After these few months here, I know I couldn't have chosen better 🙂
Thank you everyone for creating this space!
Thanks Klaudia! dev.to is a good learning space to write about your opinions in tech and sharing them to the platform. Mental health is a really big issue, but no one really talks about it since we all keep it to ourselves, which is fair. I would have wish more people would express themselves more than just hiding it, since it just doesn't help you improve in some way. Thanks again :D
I'm here by algorithmic chance. A dev.to article popped up in my Google feed, I clicked on it and the rest is history! I stay for the community, the learning, the interesting articles, shared ideas, different perspectives and let's not forget the challenges! It's been amazing to be here and I look forward to all the days to come. Great post @francistrdev !
Appreciate it Cordero and thanks for sharing! Do you remember what article it was on your Feed? (I know it might been a bit lol). If not that's fine :D
Hi, there!
I am looking for a partner to collaborate with by sharing an account.
In return, you will receive a 20–30% share;
I hope this collaboration leads to a long-term partnership.
WhatsApp: +1 (910) 852-7435
Telegram: @bytepil0t__
Francis, I joined DEV because of a challenge like i was part of Web3 cohort and they gave us a task to publish a articel on Web3, so i searched which platforms are good for publishing and DEV came at top for developers and i started writing out here but as we discussed on call we had, i did take break and came back where you were one of the first persons to greet me, so for had a really good time and hoping the future be same. Also, thank you for inviting me to DEVengers 😀
Thanks Hemapriya for sharing!
Not a problem and yes, I remember we had that call. Hope you are feeling better still! For the DEVengers, I have something planned for the End of the Year Event :)
Hi, there!
I am looking for a partner to collaborate with by sharing an account.
In return, you will receive a 20–30% share;
I hope this collaboration leads to a long-term partnership.
WhatsApp: +1 (910) 852-7435
Telegram: @bytepil0t
I jouned dev.to because i can read new articles everyday and keep my informations up to date
Thanks for sharing Hosein! :D
Hi, there!
I am looking for a partner to collaborate with by sharing an account.
In return, you will receive a 20–30% share;
I hope this collaboration leads to a long-term partnership.
WhatsApp: +1 (910) 852-7435
Telegram: @bytepil0t__
Hi , Your telegram id is invalid
well i just wanted to be apart of the larger developer community, like speak to more devs, socailize with the dev community online cz their are'nt many dev communities where i live.
Fair enough. I am curious about what you mean where there aren't many dev communities in your area. Do you mean more of in-person communities? Usually, it tends to be online that is more accessible.
Yeah more inperson communities. I'm more into speaking with people than texting them(video calls, phone calls, talking physical).
Because dev.to is a good place to find intersting ideas and ressources!
Indeed!
Hi, there!
I am looking for a partner to collaborate with by sharing an account.
In return, you will receive a 20–30% share;
I hope this collaboration leads to a long-term partnership.
WhatsApp: +1 (910) 852-7435
Telegram: @bytepil0t
Francis, thank you for sharing something this personal. The OCD part especially, because it takes real courage to talk about something that affects your daily life in a space that's largely about professional output. The fact that DEV itself became part of managing it, the repetitive writing reducing the urge to delete and rewrite, is such an unexpected and genuinely hopeful detail.
I think you don't realize how much posts like this can land at exactly the right moment. Some weeks it's a balancing act between work, learning, trying to keep up with the series, and still making time to actually breathe. Some days you start wondering if you're spreading yourself too thin, and then something as simple as reading about someone else's honest struggle with the same kind of thing completely changes the mood of the day.
The part that stuck with me most was "networking is not just about meeting people just to get a job, it's about people who will support you in your career and reach your goals beyond your comprehension." That reframe matters. When I first joined DEV I expected to find an audience for a Swift series. What I didn't expect was to find people who genuinely challenge my thinking, push back on my ideas in the comments, and celebrate the small wins. That's been the biggest surprise.
As for why I joined, honestly it was just to write a Swift series and see if anyone cared. I had no idea it would turn into game jams, AI mascots, Top 7 appearances, and conversations that still have me thinking weeks later. DEV surprised me in the best possible way. 🌸
Thanks Gamya for sharing! DEV is an awarding experience and I would love to recommend to anybody, especially to developers for beginners!
I tend to have days where I don't feel like going on DEV since I am usually busy. It's surprising I am here still since I tend to have a consistency problem. Sometimes I start something and engage with it and later leads to burn out. Surprised I am kept this consistent.
It is surprising how one goal leads to opportunities, like you mention about coming to post Swift in the first place. I came here just to see what's up lol. Never thought I would accomplish more than I thought.
Thanks again for sharing :D
Hi, there!
I am looking for a partner to collaborate with by sharing an account.
In return, you will receive a 20–30% share;
I hope this collaboration leads to a long-term partnership.
WhatsApp: +1 (910) 852-7435
Telegram: @bytepil0t
I joined DEV.to because GitHub wasn't enough places to put my mistakes. 😂
I build things with Python, Cloud, AI and Security, break them in staging, fix them in production, and write about what I learned along the way.
I’m here to learn from other developers, share what I discover, and hopefully save someone else from debugging the same stupid problem I already solved. 🐛🚀
RIP deploy. You will be missed. 🫡😂
lol that code is giving my nightmares for no reason xD
It is one reason to join DEV, building and sharing what you learn. Though, I am glad you chose DEV and being able to open yourself to share and learn from others. Keep it up my man! Thanks for sharing Marco :D
😂 Mission accomplished! That prodution typo was created specifically to haunt developers at night.
But seriously, that's exactly why I like DEV — building, sharing, learning, and occasionally giving someone else a new debugging nightmare. 🐛😂
Thanks for the kind words, my man! 🙌🚀
Hi, there!
I am looking for a partner to collaborate with by sharing an account.
In return, you will receive a 20–30% share;
I hope this collaboration leads to a long-term partnership.
WhatsApp: +1 (910) 852-7435
Telegram: @bytepil0t
i got a story to tell
sooo what is the story?
Francis! as a fellow eng with OCD who's greatly benefitted from ERP, I know exactly how difficult and frustrating it can be, so congrats on putting yourself out there and doing the tough ERP work, and thanks for making OCD more visible! ♥️
(As for me, I just joined to have a place to write sometimes)
Hey Henry! Thanks for sharing and glad you joined on this platform! I am curious about your OCD since I have been wondering how long does it usually take to at least reduce OCD via ERP. Would it be okay to share your experience on OCD and how it changed you? Thanks :D
Because I want to know about my journey in Development and AI currently the world is changing so fast that whatever we do seems like it is not enough , something is missing , this is not gonna work for me thoughts like these comes to my mind so I just wanted to clear my head out here.
It is a good place to keep yourself up-to-date because this platform is a good resource to hear other people's experience. Sometimes before everyone outside of DEV catches up. I appreciate you sharing Zeeshan!
Hey @francistrdev it's very rare that you are being vulnerable about your OCD issues. As a person with ADHD PI I can relate to how these mental health disorder makes one harder to put themselves out.
I joined Dev.to back in Jan of 2025. For a long time I've been a lurker and planned many blogs way back then but due chronic procrastination caused by my ADHD I hadn't written a single blog in months.
Then somewhere in May or June this year I read about Github Finishup-a-thon challenge and this Dev challenge made me to build a momentum eventually to actually finish my first incomplete project and write my very first blog on Dev.to. Also I am still inconsistent with my Dev.to profile but I visit it once or twice weekly and love to engage with people here. Till now I've written 3 blogs in Dev.to and more are coming soon and trying to be more consistent over here.
Hey Tanay! I appreciate you sharing your experience! ADHD is a pain (though not sure if I had this as well since I am not officially diagnose) but I heard that it can be difficult to be consistent.
I am glad you made posts on dev.to and good work on those posts as well. Saw your first post and the title without context is wild lol: dev.to/tanay_dwivedi9098/i-develop...
Looking forward to see more from you!
Here, on dev.to, I find these real and relatable posts where people don’t hesitate to rant, share their feelings, and talk about technology at the same time. It feels like exploring the thoughts and experiences of fellow developers.
I also felt that too. Sometimes you get technical articles, but you also get people who share their experiences in the tech space. Sometimes irrelevant to tech, but it is always good to note them. You may never know what you will learn that can help you as a developer! Thanks Atul.
Good luck buddy !!!
I joined because I recently transitioned from manual QA testing to developing automated testing. It's all still pretty new to me, so I'm looking for anything that will help me grow.
I'm also a part time blogger and want to be able to build my own wordpress theme and to see how AI can help with my website.
Thanks Eugene! Good luck on QA testing stuff and glad you are here :D
I joined because it used to have loads of really interesting posts
Thanks Jon. What kinds of posts that were interesting back then? 2018 was a year I was not a Developer lol. Was wondering what it was like back then. Maybe I can try to bring that in this age the best I can! If not, maybe it's something you can look forward to from me!
That's an amazing read !!!
I'm sure people would've read the whole thing cuz it was just so engaging.😭😭
You can also try to write books btw.
Thanks isha! I would agree, it is engaging though I am not into writing books lol. I just like writing to express and to share haha!
W
Thanks!!
Thank you for sharing this so openly, the part about ERP helping you
use a computer more comfortably really stood out to me. It's easy to
forget that for some people, just showing up to write a blog post is
already a huge win, not just the writing itself.
The point about dev.to being a place where people engage with arguments
properly instead of being defensive really resonates too, that kind of
environment is rare, and it's probably why so many of us stick around.
Really glad you found a community that's helped you this much. Wishing
you the best with 2026, sounds like you're already doing the "locking
in" part.
As I finished reading this story and the comments, I’ve come to realize many of us seem to have the same introvert problem and don’t want to put ourselves out there—not at first anyway. I use to be extremely shy until I started waitressing. (Of course that was many years ago) it helped tremendously with becoming more social. Now? I am still very much an introvert exploring everything tech and dev has to offer. I love all aspects of the tech world, everything from cybersecurity to web development and graphic design. I really appreciate you sharing this story!