Geek Mama

A Rant

September 9th, 2010

The market is really tight for ruby developers in Boston. Companies are often complaining that there is no talent to be found. But I think that’s mostly because companies are mainly looking for rockstars. And there are few of those to go around.

I understand that tech teams for startups need to be lean and effective, but if Boston rubyists want the community to grow they are going to need to convince their companies to invest in mentoring intermediate level programmers or even advanced beginners with solid experience in other realms.

Because I’ll tell ya, refining your skills on your own time after work is… hard. And as much as I try to find motivation through crazy ideas like the Railscasts Project and posting my little FaceBook app side project to github, I have commitments (my little girl) and obligations (my little boy) that demand my attention away from my laptop.

Is there really a work life balance for the ruby developer when the language and tools are evolving at such a frenetic pace? How the hell do these cowboys keep on top of it all?

Maybe they don’t know everything and just pretend they do… That’s a boy quality, isn’t it? And quite possibly, I know more than I may portray… That’s a girl quality, isn’t it?

How come I always feel like I just missed bus? (That’s a human quality, isn’t it?) Does anyone else feel this way?

The boston.rb community has been discussing various mentoring programs that they’d like to create. And I’m down for that. But honestly, I don’t believe it’s possible to learn how to speak French once a week and after the kids go to bed.

To become a true Parisian, don’t you have to go to France and immerse yourself in the language and the culture and the food?  So, isn’t it mandatory for the aspiring rockstar to work with a development team during office hours that practices agile slicing and dicing and are dedicated to testing and tasting their work, who ladle gems and libraries down their gullets like a sweet, creme based soup?

“That seelly Amerreecan weell neverr be eh true Parisian. No!”

I’m thankful to have a job that let’s me play with ror every day. Still, I wish more companies felt like @dpickett who recently tweeted:

I would place my bets on enthusiasm over talent any day. Invest in those that want to learn instead of those who think they know everything.

Entry Filed under: Personal,Professional,Railscasts Project,Ruby on Rails