Leaving Red Five posted
So, two and a half years ago I left my cushy corporate job to join a small marketing/web development company called Red Five Interactive. I made that move primarily because corporate politics bothered me... but I also wanted something with a little more freedom that would encourage me to learn new things. Red Five was exactly that.
See, when I started at Red Five, I was an anti-mac guy; I hated the Apple fanboys. I had also never seen a line of Ruby code... and Linux sys admin was definitely not one of my strong points. Red Five, on the other hand, was an all Mac shop... that built Ruby on Rails apps... and would force me to become proficient in linux/unix sys admin.
If that doesn't give you an idea of how in over my head I was... I couldn't even figure out how to get the OSX DVD into my damn G5 on my first day. Seriously.
However, this is also the exact situation that pushed me to learn so much. Working with Rails (and our other engineer, Todd) has made me grow so much. After my time at Red Five, I am writing, building, and thinking better than I ever have - and I love it. Getting in over my head was one of the best things ever.
I am absolutely happy with the experience Red Five has given me, and definitely happy to have worked with such a great team. Kristin is one of the hardest workers I know, Kathryn is one of the best web designers I've met, and Todd is one of the best engineers I've ever worked with. Combine that with Bob's obsession of client satisfaction... we had a great team - a team who taught me a ton.
I could go on-and-on about projects and stories... but there are just too many. Plus, let's be honest - most of them are well documented on twitter.
So yea. Yesterday was my last day... Craziness.
Soon, I'll be blogging about starting my next adventure... working remotely for a little San Francisco startup.
I really hope I've gotten myself in over my head once again.
;)
See, when I started at Red Five, I was an anti-mac guy; I hated the Apple fanboys. I had also never seen a line of Ruby code... and Linux sys admin was definitely not one of my strong points. Red Five, on the other hand, was an all Mac shop... that built Ruby on Rails apps... and would force me to become proficient in linux/unix sys admin.
If that doesn't give you an idea of how in over my head I was... I couldn't even figure out how to get the OSX DVD into my damn G5 on my first day. Seriously.
However, this is also the exact situation that pushed me to learn so much. Working with Rails (and our other engineer, Todd) has made me grow so much. After my time at Red Five, I am writing, building, and thinking better than I ever have - and I love it. Getting in over my head was one of the best things ever.
I am absolutely happy with the experience Red Five has given me, and definitely happy to have worked with such a great team. Kristin is one of the hardest workers I know, Kathryn is one of the best web designers I've met, and Todd is one of the best engineers I've ever worked with. Combine that with Bob's obsession of client satisfaction... we had a great team - a team who taught me a ton.
I could go on-and-on about projects and stories... but there are just too many. Plus, let's be honest - most of them are well documented on twitter.
So yea. Yesterday was my last day... Craziness.
Soon, I'll be blogging about starting my next adventure... working remotely for a little San Francisco startup.
I really hope I've gotten myself in over my head once again.
;)
comments
Congratulations! It's awesome to be leaving on such a positive note. And P.S. when I asked you if your new job smelled like bacon it's because I was speculating that you were going to start working with SmartyPig.... damn assumptions.
tia posted
haha. working for SmartyPig would also be pretty awesome. they are also some awesome guys with an awesome product.
too bad they are windows/.net guys, haha.
derek posted
It was time to 'evolve'...onward!! Congrats man, I'm happy for you and yes...it 'pays' to be over your head. Just don't take after me or you will become fat and bald. That would be bad...but I do buy nice scotch...
rico posted
congrats! It will be awesome to hang out in the BAY.
harper posted
You rock D-rack! It was great to have you on the team and you will be missed for sure. Look forward to keeping in touch. Let's get out for some golf n beers or something!
Bob Dooley posted
Dude, Congrats once again on the new job. I'm positive that you'll be awesome @ the new job.. Getting in over your head is sometimes the best way to learn. Worked out for most of us who went to Cornell. Haha..
Paul posted
Good riddance!
blob posted