I’ve had this post drafted in my queue for the past couple of months, struggling with how to put the next few words.
But with the introductory post and gif out in the wild I guess it’s time to hit publish…
TL;DR
- I finished up at Readify in June
- I started at GitHub last month
- I’m not writing that “leaving .NET” post just yet
- I’ll still be in Sydney (but travelling around a bit)
- If you’re using the latest release of GitHub for Windows then some of my code is already being used :metal:
Read on for a bit more context.
What happened?
After returning to work from Christmas holidays I did something drastic with my day to day routine. I found myself stopping things; putting things aside; delaying things. It was a cathartic experience and while I felt bad for the things I’ve neglected during this time, life goes on.
Instead I found myself picking up non-technical books, trawling through my music collection - finding things other than code to fuel my soul.
I also had a vacation in the US in Feb/March after MVP Summit which involved (in no particular order):
- a pub crawl in Portland with an old project manager (moral of the story: do not mess with veterans)
- improptu rooftop drinks with some locals in SF with an amazing view around Pacific Heights
- @xpaulbettsx stating “drinking with @shiftkey: not even once” the day after the Waza after-party
- dueling pianists do awful cover songs in some Chicago dive bar
- beer-o-clock with some “interesting” locals in Boston
- nerding out at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum with @jrusbatch
- lunch and Starbucks hacking with @nikmd23
- crossing NBA (twice) and NHL games off my bucket list
But like all good things, the holiday came and went and life returned to something resembling normal. Until a certain email arrived - containing an unexpected opportunity.
I spent the next week digesting the email (strangely it coincided with my sister’s wedding) and weighing up the options. By the Sunday I realised I’d kick myself if I said no.
So what are you doing now?
I’ve joined GitHub to help make the Windows side of everything git and GitHub awesome - plus some other things you’ll hear about in due course.
I’ll miss the Readify family - I’ve learned so much working with them over the past few years, and I now count many of them as close friends. If it wasn’t for Tatham doing the “You should join Readify!” pitch at the pub one evening who knows what I’d be doing right now.
It’s been a blast, but now it’s time for something new…
How has it been so far?
So I’ve been at GitHub now for four weeks, and of course I’ll use a GIF to summarize it:
My first week coincided with GitHub Summit - where the whole company gathers in San Francisco for various talks and social events, so it was not what new GitHubbers typically get to experience in their first week.
For me at least I was just trying to take in as much as possible throughout the chaotic blur of introductions, discussions and parties. I’m fairly certain I was suffering from “sensory overload” after a full week of that - and I loved every minute of it.
The week after I was still in SF, hanging out in the new office and offically getting down to bizness.
After that I flew back to Sydney and have been working from home. It’s been a big change from what I was doing before - that is, doing on-site consulting and project work - but I’m thoroughly enjoying it.