--- title: Learning in Public description: Why Naomi redirects direct messages to public servers. image: https://mktg.nhcarrigan.com/hubfs/Generated_Image_September_29_2026_-_9_34PM.jpg --- [Skip to content](https://mktg.nhcarrigan.com/blog/learning-in-public#main-content) [![](https://mktg.nhcarrigan.com/hs-fs/hubfs/logo.png?width=2048&height=2048&name=logo.png)Homepage](https://nhcarrigan.com) - [Code](https://git.nhcarrigan.com) - [Socials](https://socials.nhcarrigan.com) - [Documentation](https://docs.nhcarrigan.com) [Join Discord](https://chat.nhcarrigan.com) - [Code](https://git.nhcarrigan.com) - [Socials](https://socials.nhcarrigan.com) - [Documentation](https://docs.nhcarrigan.com) [Join Discord](https://chat.nhcarrigan.com) ![](https://mktg.nhcarrigan.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Generated_Image_September_29_2026_-_9_34PM.jpg?width=6336&height=2688&name=Generated_Image_September_29_2026_-_9_34PM.jpg) # Learning in Public ![Naomi Carrigan](https://mktg.nhcarrigan.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Generated_Image_1790742324098.jpg?width=48&height=48&name=Generated_Image_1790742324098.jpg) Naomi Carrigan October 31, 2025 If you have ever tried to DM me, there is a very good chance that I advised you to ask me the question in a server instead. This is not only because I dislike DMs, although I do. Running multiple prolific communities means I am buried in DM requests. It is also for your benefit. When I redirect you to a public community instead of my DMs, I am encouraging you to learn in public. There are several reasons why this is important. This post covers them. ## Single Source of Truth When you ask me a question in DMs, I implicitly become the single source of truth. I hope the answer I give you is accurate, but I am wrong more often than I am right. Even this article should be treated with caution. The burden of fact checking my answer then falls entirely on you. Consider a DM where you ask me "What is the time complexity of a merge sort?". Suppose I say it is `O(n log n)`. It might be correct, or it might not. I am not sure, even after looking it up. However, my lack of knowledge is not the point. The point is that whatever information I give you is now your burden to confirm. Now suppose you asked me that question in a public server. I give you the same answer: `O(n log n)`. Because this is a public conversation, Jeremy could join and say "Actually it's `O(n)` and here is a source". The burden of fact checking has shifted off your shoulders. The entire community can now weigh in and correct my incorrect answer. Generally, the collective knowledge of a group is more accurate than the isolated knowledge of an individual. ## Helping Others Grow Here is another benefit. I presume that, like many people, you agonised about reaching out to ask me your question. Suppose you asked me "How do I centre this `div`?". I cannot speak to your emotions, but I can state that it is common for developers to be afraid of, embarrassed by, or too shy to ask questions. This is especially true of those in their early learning stages. The fact that you worked up the courage to ask the question should be celebrated. It can be very frightening. When you ask me that question in DMs, no one else can see it. If you ask that question in a server, you and I can have our conversation in a public forum. Perhaps Danny had the same question but was too uncomfortable to ask it. Your initiative has now started a conversation from which Danny, and anyone else in the community, can potentially benefit. ## Networking If you regularly follow this blog, you have probably seen my [post about networking](https://mktg.nhcarrigan.com/blog/networking) and how it is vital, especially in our current economic downturn. Asking questions in public is also a networking opportunity. We have already covered at length how a DM is completely isolated, so I will move to the part where you ask me the question publicly. This time, you ask me about the considerations when choosing between JavaScript and Python. This question is a good catalyst for in-depth discussion. That is what happens in this scenario. We have a productive discussion, with multiple people contributing. During this discussion, you have demonstrated your ability to learn, your curiosity for new information and your technical proficiency all at once. Because this happened in public, someone like Jessica might see the conversation thread. Perhaps her team has an opening for a junior developer. That conversation could lead her to reach out to you for a referral for that role. You never know who is reading a conversation. ## Building a Portfolio A lot of my work happens on Discord. It is not the best platform, because it is not indexed by search engines. Even so, your public conversations can become part of your portfolio. I have conversations from when I first started my learning journey that I still look back on fondly years later. Those conversations are a reminder of where I started, and thus how far I have come. Your conversations are not only beneficial for your own self-actualisation. They also demonstrate your long-term growth and commitment to your craft. Suppose you have spent the last five years engaging in increasingly technical conversations, asking progressively more in-depth questions, and engaging in more complex discourse. You can use that on your portfolio to show your own evolution. If your conversations are on an indexable platform, such as the [freeCodeCamp forum](https://forum.freecodecamp.org), you also get some free exposure through search engine results. ## Confidence Is Key I have been afraid to ask questions before too. It does get easier. I now ask questions about everything, all day. I am only confident enough to do so because I started asking those questions at the beginning of my learning journey. I have gone through the anxiety of wondering whether people think I am completely incompetent many times. It turns out that no one has ever thought that. I know you will not believe me. I did not believe the people who told me the same thing when I first started learning. I can tell you repeatedly that it is fine, but the most powerful confirmation comes from experiencing it yourself. Asking your "silly" questions now, while you are still in your first steps of learning to code, will better prepare you to be comfortable asking those questions on the job. It is vital that you are comfortable doing so there. ## Learning by Teaching I am a strong supporter of the Socratic Method. I support it so strongly that I formally adopted it as our [instructional approach at freeCodeCamp](https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/how-to-help-someone-with-their-code-using-the-socratic-method/). I think there is a lot of value in being guided to reach the solution through your own cognitive reasoning. Part of that process requires you to explain your understanding along the way. In explaining your understanding, you are effectively teaching others. When you do this in public, there is a significant chance that someone will ask questions about the parts they did not understand. This causes you to explain further. Every time you break something down and convey it in a way someone else can understand, you strengthen your own competencies. This benefits everyone, and being challenged to articulate your thoughts can help you succeed in your professional career. Part of our work as developers involves explaining our ideas to others. Some audiences are technical, and some are not. All audiences need to be able to understand you. Getting that experience now positions you further for success in your career. ## The Takeaway The key takeaway is this: The next time you want to send me a DM, consider all of the benefits you lose by asking me a question privately instead of in a public community. ## Share this post [mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fmktg.nhcarrigan.com%2Fblog%2Flearning-in-public](mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fmktg.nhcarrigan.com%2Fblog%2Flearning-in-public) ## Keep reading ### [![](https://mktg.nhcarrigan.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Generated_Image_September_29_2026_-_9_34PM.jpg?width=6336&height=2688&name=Generated_Image_September_29_2026_-_9_34PM.jpg) I Stayed for 36 Hours Straight. Here Is Why](https://mktg.nhcarrigan.com/blog/ai-hackathon-berkeley-2026) ### [![](https://mktg.nhcarrigan.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Generated_Image_September_29_2026_-_9_34PM.jpg?width=6336&height=2688&name=Generated_Image_September_29_2026_-_9_34PM.jpg) ADHD and Software Engineering](https://mktg.nhcarrigan.com/blog/adhd-and-software-engineering) --- [Privacy Policy](https://docs.nhcarrigan.com/legal/privacy/) · [Terms of Service](https://docs.nhcarrigan.com/legal/terms/) · © NHCarrigan 2026. 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