The tech Meetup scene in Colorado is very active, with meetups being held nearly every day of the week somewhere in the Boulder/Denver metro area. Meetup.com is the primary resource for finding these of course, but given that it can be hard to actually find relevant meetup groups on Meetup.com using their search function, here’s a list highlighting some of the best ones in the area for those at the beginning of their journey in learning to code:
- Bootcampers Collective (https://www.meetup.com/Bootcampers-Collective/)
- More than just your typical Meetup group, Bootcampers Collective (or BCC for short) is a non-profit organization dedicated towards helping students and other aspiring developers on their path towards learning to code and landing a job in the tech industry. They now run 3 weekly meetups (on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays). Fantastic group, and highly recommended particularly for coding students of any age!
- Develop Happy Hour: (https://www.meetup.com/Develop-Happy-Hour/)
- This is NOT your typical Meetup group—the Develop HH is the main way for developers in Denver to get together outside of work and meet & connect with each other at random locations around the area, which usually end up being breweries or bars. No script or agenda at all, just a great opportunity for all of the locals working in tech to meet, talk, and have fun once per month.
- DenverScript and Node.js Denver/Boulder/Ft. Collins: (https://www.meetup.com/DenverScript/) (https://www.meetup.com/Node-js-Denver-Boulder/)
- The two premier main groups for all things generally JavaScript in Denver. There are separate Meetup groups in Denver for Angular, React, and Vue, but these two groups are the catch-all for all things JS and are also very consistent at producing quality meetup events.
- Denver Tech Interview Meetup: (https://www.meetup.com/Denver-Tech-Interview-Meetup/)
- There are only two Meetup groups in Denver that really allow attendees to practice “whiteboarding” tech interview questions related to data structures & algorithms, and this is the second one (the first is Bootcampers Collective, already mentioned above). Highly recommended for those looking to get some real practice in front of an actual whiteboard along with advice on how to improve!
- Denver Blockchain: (https://www.meetup.com/Denver-Blockchain/)
- Blockchain is huge in Denver, and this is the THE group for all things blockchain in Denver. Nearly every blockchain-related event worth going to in Denver will be either on their events feed or mentioned somewhere on it!
This is just a short list of the major meetup groups in the Denver area, and there are tons more for all of the various topics & technologies in web development, ranging from front-end (Angular, React, & Vue) to back-end (SQL, Python, Ruby, Java, Golang, Rust, Elixir, et al) to platforms (AWS, Azure, GraphQL, etc) to even design (UI, UX, etc). A comprehensive list of groups is available on the Denver Devs GitHub (https://github.com/Denver-Devs/common-topics/blob/master/channels/meetup/what-meetup-should-i-go-to.md), and a calendar format of meetup events is available on the Denver Devs website (https://denverdevs.org/events/meetups/).
Additionally, even with all the events that can be found on Meetup, there are more that are often listed separately on EventBrite, and another great resource is Built In Colorado (https://www.builtincolorado.com/), which not only has their own feed of local events but also puts together the occasional hiring mixers known as “Top Companies Hiring”. These can be useful for those either looking for a job or looking to network.
