David Hoover asked me a few questions about my experiences as a software apprentice. I was happy to answer his questions and pleased to hear that he’s writing a book on the topic.
Software apprenticeship is path for learning to become a quality software engineer. A software apprentice learns to write code by working with people people who already know how to write code and are good at it.
It’s also an attitude. People who practice the software craft are on a journey of continual learning. There is no piece of paper that deems a craftsman worthy. A craftsman qualifies himself by demonstrating his skills.
I’d argue that any great software developer has been through an apprenticeship stage at one point or another.
How did I hear about Software Apprenticeship?
I saw my father reading a book titled Software Craftsmanship by Pete McBreen. This was shortly after I finished an unsatisfying 5 years in college. I was also knee deep in my apprenticeship, though I didn’t call it that at the time.
I read the book and fell in love with the idea that software is a craft. For several years of my life I practiced martial arts and the model for growth in Jujitsu is very similar to that of software craftsmanship. So the concepts were not new to me but seeing software in this light clarified a few things…
No wonder I was so unsettled with my college education…that’s not how you’re supposed to learn software. Of the dozens of classes I took in earning my Computer Science degree, only 3 classes involved writing code.
Crazy huh? And even though I could write programs after I graduated, I didn’t know the first thing about writing real software. A lot of good college did me! It was working with the great people at Object Mentor, especially my father, that truly taught me to code.
Not long after I read Pete’s book, Ken Aurer invited me to a Software Apprenticeship summit. There, several pioneers in the software craftsmanship movement got together to share experiences.
I learned a great deal but what I took away from that summit was the comfort that lots of people believed in the craftsmanship model.
It was only a matter of time before the rest of the industry caught on.
Where am I in my journey?
For those new to the craftsmanship model there are three stages: apprentice, journeyman, and master craftsman. I’m well on my journey as a journeyman. I work on a variety of software projects, I teach, I consult, and I learn more about software every day.
And to take this entry full circle, I help other budding software apprentices get started on their journey by leading Object Mentor’s apprenticeship program every summer.