SCNA

Last weekend I attended the Software Craftsmanship of North America Conference. Overall, it was a really sweet experience. Having never attended a software conference before, I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun it was. One of my favorite things was the community there. There is a very close camaraderie, even among competing companies. Everyone was united by the common goal to become better Craftsman. This also means that there was an atmosphere of learning. Everyone wanted to learn more about everything. My favorite talk was by Carl Erickson, which, strangely enough, was not specifically about programming, but about what makes a conducive environment for Craftsmen to work. I was very intrigued by the wisdom he shared about open financial policies, open work spaces, collaboration and so forth. My least favorite talk was by Zed Shaw. He was relentlessly trying to tell us that we had lost our way and forgotten about just programming. I didn't understand his points because the Software Craftsmanship movement is about being a better programmer. Regardless, it was still enjoyable to have my ideas challenged. All in all, my first conference was really fun and really exhausting. By the end of the weekend I didn't even want to think anymore. This can probably be compared to an athlete being tired after a workout. If you're not tired, you probably didn't work to hard. So, I'm glad that I learned a lot at the conference, but I was glad to rest afterwards as well.