Lately I've had the urge to share more of what I do regarding software development. So recently, I started livestreaming my coding sessions on YouTube.

🎤 setup

My setup is nothing fancy. I use a Razer Kraken to record audio and OBS to stream video to YouTube. I don't use a camera to stream video of myself, but I might consider it in the future.

The first upgrade I'll make here is for audio. I've already had to scrap an entire stream due to audio issues. I plan on picking up the Blue Yeticaster as soon as possible.

📚 topics

These streams cover whatever I'm working on at the moment. Currently, it's a Gatsby + Shopify e-commerce website for a barbell sleeve company. It's my first paid freelancing gig, and my first e-commerce website, so you'll watch me learn a lot.

👍🏼 benefits

Although it's nerve racking, I think streaming provides tons of benefits.

🎯 maintain focus

It's easy to stay focused on what you're doing when you are actively talking about it in front of people. Moreover, I can't livestream myself just crusing social media, so it's a great motivator to get to work!

👔 interview preparation

During an interview it's common to be asked to solve a coding problem on a whiteboard while narrating your thoughts. This is very similar to coding on stream. Streaming forces me to clearly express my train of thought while solving problems.

I can tell this is an area of improvement for me, as I tend to go mute when I get stumped by a problem.

🎓 learn in public

By streaming coding on YouTube, I'm creating content that can help other developers along the way. @swyx has been my biggest motivator to #learninpublic, and I believe it goes hand in hand with the next benefit.

😎 exposure

If I'm able to create content and help other developers, my name will come to mind when folks are looking for someone to do something. This could mean new opportunities for me!

🎁 wrapping up

I must be getting better at this writing thing, because what I thought was going to be a short post turned into a long one. But here's the bottom line, watch my streams!