Wow, so many commercial things being recommended! All of that can probably be done for free. All you need is just the desire to keep up to date and a web browser.
That may be true, but your point is the same as the author's, that desire should be the motivating factor. Whether you chose the free or paid route is immaterial. And FWIW, there are plenty of reasons to pay for tools and learning resources, not the least of which is that some people prefer learning in the "guided mode" that these resources provide.
All true. One of the bigger issues is that some of these Dark Matter folks don't even know what's out there, and need some help getting there. They want to be part of things, but they haven't been for a while. Any encouraging words to developers who want to contribute to the community, but aren't yet doing so to the extent they could, are welcome.