Years ago, I discovered the Java Posse. It was a phenomenal podcast. Every episode was chockful of deep technical discussions, modern issues and revelations in the Java community, and just good old fashioned fun. I thirsted for every episode.
These gentlemen were technical experts who also had loads of real world experience. They pointed me to new technologies, emerging technologies, and fostered my desire to start read blog sites. Back then, I had discovered Google Reader and slowly accrued over 100 blog sites to monitor. All of this constant reading and digesting, along with links from the Posse themselves has made me a better developer.
If I had relied on the dusty books on my shelf, my skills would never be where they are today. By constantly growing and polishing my skill sets beyond what my job demands, I also grew a hunger that I realized couldn’t be satisfied at my old company.
When my wife discussed changing jobs so we could relocate, I had been encouraged to be bold. Asking myself, “where do I REALLY want to work?” The answer I immediately felt: “SpringSource”. I made it a goal of mine. It took patience, but a year later, I was presented an offer. And here I am.
Attending the FINAL episode of the @javaposse at #Devoxx 2014. Sad to see ’em go… #java pic.twitter.com/54K0PlRflB
— Sam Brannen (@sam_brannen) November 13, 2014
Reading just today on twitter that people were attending the final episode struck me very strongly. I knew it wouldn’t last forever. In the past couple of years, their subject material was shifting away from Java and into other areas. That was natural, because the members had moved into other areas of the vast Java community.
In the end, ten years of podcasting is an incredible story. Congratulations Dick, Tor, Joe, Carl, and Chet! Your production has touched more people than you can possible imagine.
Thanks very much for your thoughtful thanks! We really enjoyed it while it lasted, and will surely miss the fun parts of the podcast. You’re very right that we all drifted from the core subject matter of the Java Posse (me first I guess), but don’t be surprised if you hear us again in the future covering different topics under different podcast name(s). We are very glad it was useful to so many folks!
– Joe
Thanks for stopping by Joe! Didn’t expect to catch you on my blog site. I don’t begrudge you guys moving on to other things. It’s only natural. I have pondered how I know what I know, and I realized it wasn’t reading books. Upon reflection, it became evident that hours upon hours of blog reading and podcast listening strongly shaped things.
Nevertheless, anytime I look at someone’s screen design (like http://spring.io), I wonder, “what would Joe think?” 🙂 I think I share your sympathy for Apple’s incredible attention to look/feel/usability compared to Android. My in-laws use Android devices, whereas I have a MacBook Pro, iPhone, and iPad, and just don’t care for anything else, heh.
I sincerely hope you are enjoying your stint at Tesla.
Cheers!