On a Thursday night in Virginia Beach, a group of people are sitting around a table at Buffalo Wild Wings with laptops open.

They call themselves Late Night Builders.

Some are writing code. Others are working through ideas. A few are just watching, asking questions, and trying to figure out where to start.

There’s no agenda. No presentations. No formal structure.

It’s just people building.

That kind of environment is becoming more important than ever, especially as the way people grow their careers continues to shift.

“The way to move forward in this market right now is through community,” said Ryan McGovern, organizer of Late Night Builders. “There’s just really not another method.”

Builder meetups like this offer something you can’t get from a course or a job application. You’re not just learning in isolation, you’re surrounded by people actively working through problems in real time.

“You can show up and chat, you can show up and build, you can help somebody else build,” McGovern said. “Or just talk about building things.”

That flexibility is part of what makes it work. There’s no pressure to perform. Just being in the room is enough to start making progress.

It also creates a level of accountability that’s hard to replicate on your own. When you’re around other people building, it’s easier to keep going.

The 757 has more of this energy than people realize.

“I would say the community is energetic and passionate,” McGovern said. “The direction we’re heading is very good.”

But there’s a gap.

“A lot of people just need to see that these events are happening,” he said. “There are a lot of untapped individuals who could and should be attending.”

That’s the opportunity.

The talent is here. The interest is here. What’s missing is awareness and consistency.

More people organizing. More people showing up. More people talking about what’s already happening.

Because once people find their way into these rooms, they tend to stick around.

Late Night Builders meets on the first Thursday of every month from 9pm to midnight in Virginia Beach.

“You just have to be interested in building,” McGovern said.