no. 6| 05.11.2014 |
My response to Shereef's Fireside Chat.
I think DBC does a good job communicating their phiosophy and personality. From the FAQ on DevBootcamp.com, to the Prep materials that focus on why EQ is important in their curriculum, to the writing and reflections we're asked to do for every assignment — they have consistently stressed that this will be a ton of work, that the environment is high energy and demanding but supportive, and that they expect a lot. And that soft skills matter as much, or more than technical skill.
Shereef's "Fireside Chat" helped make all of that philosophy more personal, and even clearer. I really appreciated getting to watch this video. I've worked in or alongside the technology industry in a variety of ways my whole life. (Electronics engineer dad put sister and I to work in basement "sweatshop" when we were in grade school. Not kidding.)
One of the things that I've been nervous about in making the move into development is culture clash. I've met lots of developers and technology managers here in Seattle — where the entire tech culture has essentially sprung out of Microsoft — and I've often found working on projects a bit disheartening. I've encountered a lot of people that approach work with a very competitive, even antagonistic, style.
I've had the best learning and work experiences when I was collaborating with smart, chill people who were really good at figuring out how to just get a project solved, and approached challenges with humanity, humor and goodwill.
Shereef's video makes me feel like that idea is part of the soul of DevBootcamp, It's origin was pure, messy invention driven by a desire to help a friend. That's really inspiring to me.
It was also inspiring and energizing to hear that the idea here is to make what we will of this experience in an active way. Creative work is really important to me. Discovery, invention, synthesis and collaboration make me happy and satisfied. Simple as that. I love being impressed by people I'm working with too. Watching a fellow student or coworker bring forth an impressive "a-ha" is one of my favorite things. I like it when that happens for me too.
I often struggle in learning environments that are more "Restaurant" and less "Kitchen". I get bored. I don't feel invested. I flat out hate writing five page papers.
I'm excited to come to DevBootcamp and make the most of it. It's an opportunity to really stretch myself in a way I haven't for a long time. I'm really glad to be doing it with a group of people from many different backgrounds. The idea that being a good developer (or a good development team) has more to do with an ability to problem solve and collaborate, rather than know code like a master, means a room full of people with many different skills will make for a richly creative space, and puts us all on a good track before we even start.
Can't wait.