When I think of apprenticeship I immediately think of one of the articles describing what it meant in the earlier days - young people leaving home and living with an angry blacksmith who is very reluctant to take them in and looks hard on the outside but is a huge teddy bear after you get to know him. But I think in a more modern approach it's really about learning everything you can about something from someone in particular - so the shu level of shuhari. You get to be the one to ask a million questions and find out the never ending "why's". You're fresh and new and eager and I think that's really valuable as an apprentice. In short, it's all about learning the intricacies of a craft through someone else's craftsmanship.
I hope to come out of this experience with a better gauge of when to be flexible and when to stand firm. I really want to learn a lot more about technique and how other people approach problems, that was the most rewarding way for me to learn during projects in the past. I also really hope to gain confidence in my skills and my abilities. But mostly I hope to realize that a lot of people are excited to teach and help me learn and want me to succeed and be a part of a team with them.
I think starting this blog is all about having many facets to yourself. It's key especially now in terms of branding and business. But it's always nice to document what you're going through, you never know who you will reach. It is going to be a great tool to look back on to help us grow since one day we will be mentoring people who are starting out just like us. Having such a thorough resource would be wonderful and invaluable to them. The entire purpose of craftsmanship and repeated values found in software development manifestos are to make sure you're doing things for the good of all/the community so why not help and give as much as you can back?
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