Warren in India

Ten-hut!
Pvt. Benedetto reporting for duty in the Homestarmy at ThoughtWorks Global Boot Camp!

Yesterday (Monday) we started the more technical aspects of out boot camp: Object Boot Camp. It's been a mix of high-level general Object-Oriented (OO) development and design, hands-on application, and a healthy amount of philosophical indoctrination regarding practices (e.g., having lots of very short methods is good; using getters and setters is bad). I'm glad that I have background both in OO and our toolset (the C# language) -- otherwise, it might be far too much information for me to absorb. We also had an abbreviated database session this afternoon. (Despite its short length, it was again quite a bit to absorb for those without much background.) We have also continued learning through discussion and games (a.k.a. "practice") about consultancy and the role of developers and analysts in ThoughtWorks' typical development process, which is our own adaptation of the Agile model. (For those familiar with manufacturing methodologies, it's roughly analogous to the "just in time" model that has been all the rage over the past decade or so, especially in automotive manufacturing. The instructor gave us a bit of context by explaining the history of JIT in that realm. Being from Detroit was a real advantage there.)

Our schedule for the daily sessions has been quite fluid, which I think is a reflection of the flexibility and attentiveness to feedback that ThoughtWorks values so much, as well as another manifestation of the fact that this entire shindig is a first for the company as a whole. For example, last night we had to go back to the local office to get a database client installed for a session today (bad -- I got home from dinner, thoroughly exhausted, at about 9:45 last night), and there were technical problems with that session this afternoon (good -- we got to leave about 90 minutes early today, which was a welcome addition to my personal time). In a way, it's hard for me to get used to such a dynamic environment; however, it does keep things interesting and fresh, which ought to make it harder to get stuck in a rut. All in all, the organizers are quite interested in feedback from us campers. I've already lost count of the number of positive changes, small and large, made in the curriculum and timing thereof that have grown out of our daily evaluations and opinions.

Another angle on that dynamism is that post-camp plans for the lot of us are just now starting to come together. From a few informal conversations, I had gotten the impression that London and Melbourne were options for me (in the near-term for "finishing up" camp), but now it sounds that my impression was wrong and that foreign placement usually requires at least a six- or twelve-month commitment, which I'm not even close to being able to consider. It does seem quite likely that, if I like, heading back Stateside in mid-to-late March is a strong possibility for me. Placement is a bit of a mysterious art here at TW, based to varying degrees on both the employee's preferences and the company's needs. Although it's generally been a blast here, my first choice will be to return to the States and to work in or around Chicago. (ThoughtWorkers working in the U.S. tend to visit client sites rather than working out of their home office, so there's a chance that I could stay in Chicago and end up working in, say, Naperville.) There is a monstrous project near Syracuse, NY that seems to have an insatiable hunger for ThoughtWorkers, so I may not get my Chicago wish straightaway. Since my weak Northern European stomach continues to balk at the idea of curry three times a day, ending my expatriate status sooner rather than later would be a welcome scenario -- not to mention the homesickness factor, which at this point is manageable but quite real. I'll post further updates as events warrant.

As far as Sunday's volleyball went, we were asked to leave the badminton court soon after we had started because, well, it was a badminton court. It was fun while it lasted, to be sure, if rather unsatisfying.

We still don't have internet access in our flat, so I have to stop here and go pay attention to my grumbling stomach. I've spent some time carefully considering how to tell about my first week here, including my inadvertent and infamous sleep-deprivation experiment, so time permitting, I'll have something on those topics ready to share soon.

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