New things have a very special way of making us anxious. They plague us with questions, fears, and overall, lots of nasty feelings. Starting a new job has to be one of the hardest of new things, for me at least.
Having said that, I've never had a better first day than today, when I started my full time apprenticeship position at HolidayCheck. I felt welcome from the get go, and my mentor Tobias, helped everything seem effortless. I could see that there was a lot of attention to detail in everything related to my first day. From a desk packed with everything I could possibly need, to multiple smiling, welcoming faces and even a dedicated presentation about the apprenticeship. My first moments were devoid of the usual friction from starting somewhere new.
About the apprenticeship
The idea is simple enough. I get to spend 6 months becoming a better person and developer, following the Software Craft way. This includes having a mentor and a co-mentor who’ll guide me along the way and using my time as we best see fit in order to graduate as Software Crafter. How this came to happen in HolidayCheck is best explained here.
On expectations
This post has been a description of events so far. And while they are important and set the pace for what’s to come, the biggest takeaway from my first day was being put on the spot by a colleague who asked me the following question:
“¿What exactly is the apprenticeship?”
I could repeat the last paragraph here but that wouldn't be enough. At this point, the apprenticeship is a set of expectations. Mine, my mentors’ and the company’s. Obviously, I can only speak for myself.
I accepted the offer to become an apprentice because I felt it was exactly what I needed. In my career as a software developer and in my personal life. I was missing further studying, learning and just overall improvement. I don’t have any formal CS studies. Thus, I’ve always felt that there’s something missing and this apprenticeship is an opportunity to fill that void. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not comparing this to a degree in CS. I'm merely describing it as an unique learning opportunity, one that rarely comes along and that I would’ve had to be crazy to pass on. Because no matter how much experience you have, a focused, guided, learning period is rarely a possibility in a market that expects quicker and quicker deliveries each day.
I'm expecting the next 6 months to be an exciting challenge. I expect frustration and stress to be a part of it, but I also expect a constant state of discovery and freedom that a normal engineering job could never deliver. In short, I’m expecting it to be quite a ride, and one that’ll hopefully create a better version of myself at the other side. Until then, this blog will host the daily log of my journey.