It is rare to find a group of female coders in Kuala Lumpur. There was close to none in my experience, as I have been teaching at universities and coders camp in the past, where male coders outnumbered the female coders.
The hunger for knowledge breaks stereotypes
But there is an exception to my claim just recently when I met a group of talented female techies at WORQ. They were learning to pick-up the dynamic Full-Stack development standards of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and they were banding together to build a knowledge-sharing website for the community at WORQ. It was going to be a prototype that the community can use in the future to consume articles and videos created by the community themselves.
I was blown away by their enthusiasm to pick up new technologies, let alone initiated this community initiative to build something cool for the community to use.
The beauty of collaboration
This initiative demonstrates the beauty of collaboration and how wonderful it is for members to collaborate with a coworking space. Easier said than done. At WORQ, we have always felt the need to create platforms and channels to support collaboration and open discussions. It is vital for any community in a coworking space, as space is exceptional when people come together to create great things from it.
Community initiatives: it takes two to Tango
What does it mean to collaborate? Ultimately, collaboration is only possible when there is a common goal to achieve by all parties. It is also a way for collaborators to learn and grow with one another. By recognising these two fundamental needs, WORQ can create its version of organic collaboration in its space. The rest is up to the member’s initiatives which can be challenging at times due to the lack of networking and knowledge of what other members do. This is why we always encourage them to perform the following:
1. Join our community lunches where different members of the community often participate in meeting other members in the space. It is a casual way to get to know someone over food, which is a calming approach to a sometimes stressful situation.
2. Take part, or even host, some of our existing bonfires. We have bonfires that cover technology, coding, writing and startups. Bonfires are where people go to exchange ideas and collaborate on future projects.
3. Take the initiative to create value in the community. Community building and networking always start from giving first, and the community will never fail to return the favour. It is a feedback loop that is worth experiencing at the end of the day.
WORQ Subang members enjoying lunch together.
As a result of the Female Coders coming together
The ladies who learned to code together are from different backgrounds and experiences, but they eventually came together to set the foundation for WORQ’s community page. If it was not for them, the rest of the team would not be triggered to pursue the dream of having a page dedicated to what WORQ truly believes in, the idea that people and business can prosper together by working together. Today, WORQ has a voice to share its culture with everyone.
If you would like to meet these talented individuals, they are innovating at WORQ Taman Tun Dr Ismail. You are welcome to drop by if you also want to start collaborating on fun tech projects with the members there. If you would like to start one in your community, check out our blog post on “4 Steps To Build Your Community” to get some ideas on how you can implement this too.
