If you used to submit (or read) articles on the freeCodeCamp Medium publication, there is a chance that your article may have been edited by me (or by another member of the team of volunteer editors).
It was in the summer of 2017 that I responded to a call by Quincy Larson, freeCodeCamp’s founder, for volunteer editors, to help edit technical articles submitted by developers from across the globe.
And the past one and half years have been an amazing journey for me. I have learned a ton from the articles which I have had the opportunity of editing, improved as a front-end developer, and have improved on my writing. I was also named a freeCodeCamp top contributor for the year 2018, and started a developer community in my city, Warri Nigeria in 2018, which has grown to over 550+ active members in less than 10 months.
If you are wondering how much freeCodeCamp has impacted my life as a volunteer, I wrote about it here.
A new chapter begins with RunCloud
I have always believed in the sharing and supporting the spread of knowledge within the tech ecosystem, and the team at RunCloud shares the same conviction — that’s why I joined them.
And so, starting this January, 2019, I am joining RunCloud as a full-time Technical Writer, Editor and Africa ambassador. RunCloud is a SaaS startup that helps you setup, configure, manage, and monitor your VPS on cloud hosting providers like Digital Ocean, AWS, Google Cloud Platform, specifically for PHP and WordPress applications.
As a technical writer, I will help with RunCloud’s product documentation, the crafting of high quality blog posts, production of training resources for developer communities, and the editing of articles.
I will also be speaking (and supporting developer events happening across Africa) more at meetups and tech conferences, as part of our company’s efforts in supporting developer communities within Africa. You should reach out to me on charles[at]runcloud[dot]io, if you lead a developer community and I will be happy to discuss and support your events.
How I joined RunCloud — It started with a tweet
In December of 2018, I decided against writing a “Year in Review”, even though I was pleased with how much I had accomplished: I had grown as a developer and writer, and I had built a developer community to over 550 plus active members in less than a year while hosting 8 meetups.
I wanted a bigger challenge for 2019, so I tweeted something about my new year’s resolution for 2019 . I’ve deleted the tweet since, but here is what I wrote:
New Year Resolution, get a job as a front-end developer, technical writer, and/or developer advocate. #100DaysOfCode
I had overwhelming support from the tech community — Raj, a member of the RunCloud team, reached out to me about the possibility of joining the team at RunCloud, as a technical writer, and like they say, the rest is history.
And to the freeCodeCamp — thank you
I wish to express my profound gratitude to Quincy Larson, Abbey, Jesse, Beau Carnes, Toni Shortsleeve and the editorial team — we are a small bunch of tastemakers of technology. Working with you all has been one of the proudest moments of my life, which I will always cherish!
As a way of giving back to freeCodeCamp, I am setting up a monthly donation and will encourage you to join me in giving back to the organization that is helping millions of people learn to code for free, here.
And now, a new chapter begins.