I've been a part of the Dev.to community for a few months now and have only lurked. Frankly, I've been scared to put my thoughts out for people to read and evaluate. Fear. I have, for the better part of 5 years, lived in fear that what I know has little value. I've lived in fear that I'm going to be thought of as being inferior or dumb.

Recently I started pushing myself to refresh skills that I haven't used in years and learn new ones. A lot of learning on Linux Academy - Linux and AWS. Within my job I've been able to really connect with the platform engineering team who manage our AWS/Linux services. This engagement has helped me regain my confidence, not only in what I already know but asking questions about what I don't know.

I really love the openness and ease of access here on Dev.to. People who are experts in a domain and they are so willing to share what they know. People like myself who are coming back into development or operations can get help without worrying about being degraded for what we don't know.

A quote from one of my favorite people ‘Kindness expressed to someone in a moment of vulnerability can be one of the greatest forces in the world' ~ David Blake, Degreed.

It takes vulnerability to ask others for help, when you take the time to help, you are changing someone's life. It may be a small change but you are empowering them and helping them be even more than they were previously.

Thank you, Dev.to, for allowing this old lady the chance to be a part of this amazing community and regrow my skills.