This post originated from an RSS feed registered with Ruby Buzz by Dave Hoover. Original Post: Growing up and Growing bigger Feed Title: Red Squirrel Reflections Feed URL: http://redsquirrel.com/cgi-bin/dave/index.rss Feed Description: Dave Hoover explores the psychology of software development Latest Ruby Buzz Posts Latest Ruby Buzz Posts by Dave Hoover Latest Posts From Red Squirrel Reflections

Working for a small software company excites me for many reasons. One of the most rewarding aspects of the 10 months that I've been working for Obtiva has been working with Tyler and watching him mature as a Rubyist. Tyler was already hacking Ruby when I met him, but since guiding him toward Rails and Ajax, Tyler has delivered some excellent work on a soon-to-be-announced Obtivian web offering. One of my favorite aspects of working with a small group of people vs. going independent is that our weaknesses and strengths are complimentary: our whole is greater than the sum of our parts. Although I did a lot of speaking and training in 2005 and 2006, one of my biggest weaknesses is (still) monologue. After road-tripping to GLSEC 2006 with Tyler last year and attending his talk, it was immediately apparent that Tyler is a gifted speaker. I'm pleased to announce that Tyler will be talking about Ruby and Rails at this month's Chicago Uniforum meeting and will be teaching our Ruby on Rails TDD Bootcamp in early March.

Even cooler still, Obtiva has just hired our first apprentice (and female), Victoria Wang. This is another important step toward establishing our software studio in Wheaton. Apprentices bring enthusiasm and an appetite for learning that inspires. On top of this, Victoria brings some other important qualities with her: excellent visual design abilities (that's her RailsConf-inspired drawing) and a non-male perspective. Welcome Victoria!