English · 00:02:56
Jan 23, 2026 7:51 PM

Welcome to Between Two Parens

Between Two Parens @BetweenTwoParens

SUMMARY

Thomas introduces his new YouTube channel "Between Two Parens," sharing his journey into Clojure and ClojureScript programming, beginner resources, and the welcoming community that eased his learning curve.

STATEMENTS

  • Thomas has been programming professionally for six years, starting with four years focused on JavaScript in agencies and product companies.
  • Discovering Clojure and ClojureScript two years ago has dominated his professional life and transformed his approach to programming and everyday problem-solving.
  • Initial learning of Clojure and its ecosystem felt inaccessible, but the community helped overcome these challenges.
  • The Clojure community, particularly the Slack channel, is the most friendly and welcoming programming community Thomas has experienced.
  • The channel aims to give back by providing beginner content, starting with courses on editor setup and project creation.
  • Future content will expand beyond ClojureScript to foundational web development concepts, treating the language as an implementation detail.
  • Two initial courses are ready: setting up the Atom editor for Clojure development and starting a ClojureScript project from scratch.
  • All videos will be organized into playlists for easy access and navigation.
  • The channel's goal is to create an accessible, welcoming space for collective learning and growth in programming.
  • Viewers are encouraged to subscribe, enable notifications, like videos, and engage with the content to stay updated.

IDEAS

  • Clojure not only enhances coding skills but reshapes how one approaches problems in daily life, extending beyond professional work.
  • Programming languages can feel intimidating at first, yet a supportive community can turn barriers into breakthroughs almost instantly.
  • Veteran programmers switching languages late in their career can experience profound, eye-opening transformations in their mindset.
  • Beginner-focused resources should evolve into deeper explorations of core concepts to build lasting expertise.
  • Web development education benefits from viewing specific tools like ClojureScript as mere details within broader principles.
  • Creating content playlists ensures learners can progress systematically without feeling overwhelmed.
  • A channel's success hinges on fostering inclusivity, making complex topics feel approachable for newcomers.
  • Personal learning journeys reveal what works and what doesn't, allowing creators to refine guidance for others.
  • Engaging with online forums early can accelerate mastery of niche technologies.
  • Giving back to a community that helped you is a natural evolution after gaining proficiency.

INSIGHTS

  • Transformative technologies like Clojure demonstrate that adopting new paradigms can redefine not just technical skills but cognitive frameworks for problem-solving in all areas of life.
  • The inaccessibility of advanced programming ecosystems often stems from lack of guidance rather than inherent complexity, highlighting the pivotal role of community support in democratizing knowledge.
  • Educational content thrives when it balances immediate onboarding with long-term foundational understanding, ensuring learners build versatile skills applicable beyond any single tool.
  • Welcoming environments in tech communities lower entry barriers, proving that inclusivity accelerates collective innovation and personal growth.
  • Reflecting on one's learning path enables effective knowledge-sharing, turning individual experiences into scalable resources for broader audiences.

QUOTES

  • "the experience of being able to work in closure and close your script has been eye-opening and it has been transformative in my development as a programmer but also just how i think about problems in everyday life"
  • "it was a little bit inaccessible i was having difficulty now ironically it was the community itself that helped me get over these original stumbling blocks"
  • "it is by far the most accessible programming community i've had the privilege of being a part of"
  • "we won't just be focusing on the closure script language we'll be talking about web development as a whole where the enclosure and closure script just become an implementation detail"
  • "i want it to be a welcoming place and a place that we can grow and learn it together"

HABITS

  • Regularly engaging with online programming communities like Slack channels to seek help and build connections during learning phases.
  • Reflecting on effective versus ineffective strategies from personal learning journeys to inform future teaching and self-improvement.
  • Organizing content into structured playlists to facilitate ongoing, systematic learning and content creation.
  • Subscribing to channels and enabling notifications to stay updated on evolving programming resources and updates.
  • Starting with beginner setups, such as editor configurations, before diving into project development to build a solid foundation.

FACTS

  • Thomas has six years of professional programming experience, with the last two years dedicated primarily to Clojure and ClojureScript.
  • The Clojure community includes accessible platforms like a free Slack channel at clojurians.net, which has helped many newcomers.
  • ClojureScript enables web development by compiling to JavaScript, integrating seamlessly with existing web technologies.
  • Agencies and product companies often rely on JavaScript for development, forming a common background for many programmers transitioning to functional languages.
  • The channel "Between Two Parens" is in its early stages, with initial videos focusing on Atom editor setup for Clojure.

REFERENCES

HOW TO APPLY

  • Begin by subscribing to the channel and enabling notifications to receive immediate alerts for new videos on Clojure and ClojureScript topics.
  • Watch the initial course on setting up the Atom editor specifically for Clojure and ClojureScript development to prepare your environment efficiently.
  • Follow the second course to create your first ClojureScript project from scratch, gaining hands-on experience with project initialization and basic structure.
  • Explore the broader web development concepts covered in upcoming videos, applying ClojureScript as one tool among many to understand foundational principles.
  • Join the recommended Clojure communities, starting with the Clojurians Slack channel, to ask questions, share progress, and connect with welcoming members for support.

ONE-SENTENCE TAKEAWAY

Embrace Clojure's transformative power through community support and structured beginner resources to revolutionize your programming mindset.

RECOMMENDATIONS

  • Prioritize joining the Clojurians Slack for immediate, friendly help when starting with Clojure to avoid common pitfalls.
  • Set up your development environment early using tools like the Atom editor to focus on learning rather than configuration frustrations.
  • View ClojureScript within the larger context of web development to build transferable skills beyond any single language.
  • Organize your learning with playlists to track progress and revisit foundational concepts as needed.
  • Engage actively by commenting, liking, and subscribing to channels like this one to support accessible programming education.

MEMO

In the nascent world of functional programming on YouTube, Thomas unveils "Between Two Parens," a channel dedicated to demystifying Clojure and ClojureScript for aspiring developers. With six years of professional experience—four immersed in JavaScript at agencies and startups—he recounts how stumbling upon Clojure two years ago upended his career. What began as an intimidating foray into a Lisp dialect evolved into a profound shift, not just in code but in everyday problem-solving, thanks to the unparalleled warmth of the Clojure community.

Thomas credits forums like the Clojurians Slack for shattering his initial barriers, describing it as the most accessible programming haven he's encountered. This epiphany fuels his mission: to pay it forward with beginner-friendly content. Launching with two polished courses—one on configuring the Atom editor for Clojure development, another on bootstrapping a ClojureScript project—he promises playlists that evolve from syntax basics to web development's deeper tenets, where Clojure becomes a seamless tool in a broader toolkit.

Aiming for inclusivity, Thomas envisions the channel as a collaborative space for growth, urging viewers to subscribe, like, and dive in. In an era where tech education often feels gatekept, his approach underscores a vital truth: welcoming communities and structured guidance can transform arcane languages into gateways for innovation, inviting even novices to rethink how they code—and think.

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