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# Mentoring VS-Coders as an Emacsian (or How to show not tell people about the wonders of Emacs)
Jeremy Friesen (he/him) - Pronunciation: JERR-im-EE FREE-SEHN, https://takeonrules.com, <mailto:jeremy@jeremyfriesen.com>

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<https://takeonrules.com/2023/12/03/mentoring-vs-coders-as-an-emacsian/>

Join me as I share some anecdotes and approaches for mentoring other
developers who use tools different from mine; all in service of
furthering a shared understanding, sharpening my own toolkit, and
hopefully helping others grow their capabilities.

Most everyone I mentor has chosen VS Code as their editor; yet I don’t
use VS Code. Our pairing and mentoring sessions are about me being
curious about their habits and modes of operation. I use my journeyman
knowledge of what Emacs can do to help these VS Coders navigate
pathways towards sharpening their skills. I also learn a few editor
tricks from them.

I’ll talk about remote pairing sessions, one-on-one sessions, and
larger show-and-tell efforts; each with the purpose of revealing
potentially different approaches. The idea being that asking questions
and showing alternate approaches can begin to illuminate previously
unknown pathways.

The underlying goal is to ignite in folks a desire to improve their
understanding and usage of their preferred tools; and show
alternatives that might peek further interest in learning and
exploration.

About the speaker:

Jeremy Friesen is a long-time software developer but only recently an
Emacs convert (as of May 2020). For most of his career he has been
writing open source software for educational institutions such as
universities, libraries, archives, and museums. He’s mentored several
dozen developers at his places of employment as well as through
volunteer efforts. He strives to meet people where they are, learn how
they are looking to grow, then working with them to grow; often by
nudging folks to practice and explore their tools.

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