Connections happen when you least expect them…
I was touring an IT shop in India and had the unexpected pleasure of meeting with a developer and making a connection I will not forget. I stopped to have a casual conversation, not about his project or his company but about his perspective on work and life.
me: What technology are you working on?
him: technology X
me: have you worked on that for long?
him: no, I’m just learning it. I have experience with technology Y and it is similar so it’s not too hard to pick up.
me: how does it get decided that you will work on something new?
him: some manager in another city decided and I was informed
me: (laughing, because I’m probably described that way by my team on some days…so I decided to probe) How do you feel about that?
him: It’s good because I get to learn something new and it shows they are confident in my abilities to take on more. They also provide training so I can be good at it.
changing the topic…
me: how far do you live from work?
him: not too far, it takes me about 30 minutes to get in
me: do you take a bus to work?
him: no, I am lucky. I have a bike. (motorcycle)
me: oh…does your mom worry when you ride the bike in all this traffic?
him: (big smile) oh, yes, she does.
me: I think all moms worry about their sons
him: (pausing a minute) I guess that’s true
me: you know it’s only because we care.
him: yes, yes, I know that
changing topic back to work…
me: do you like being a developer?
him: yes, it’s very creative
me: I think being a developer is the best job
him: (just a nod)
He’s only been out of university a few years and he will surely have many jobs. I walked away hoping he will always remember his first job – as a developer – as fondly as I do. And that he gets the chance to meet new passionate, motivated developers at every step of his career. I felt a connection – to him as a developer, an employee, and a son.
I thanked him for his time and said I’d let him get back to work because I knew he was busy. And as I walked away, I smiled.
Don’t worry, we’ll forgive you for worrying. After all, we programmers come to expect that, from our managers.