I recently read an article by Miki Saxon about the similarities between corporate culture and computers. Pretty fascinating when you realized most everyone equates the two to being quite opposing. When you get down to the nitty-gritty, the real "guts" so to speak, they are pretty similar.

A computer does exactly what its told. Now clearly silly humans can't be trusted to do everything PRECISELY as they are told to, so there are a few dissimilarities. But her theory is based on the input/output, in computer terms, I/O. Corporate culture will thrive when good things are implemented. When bad things are put into the mix, well, "garbage in, garbage out" as she puts it so eloquently. Read Miki Saxon's full article here.

People often ask me about the ColdFusion internship at TeraTech, how does it work, who is it good for, why do we do it, etc. The Internship is a chance for people new to CF to learn the latest programming techniques hands on for 6 months from experienced programmers. Just as important is learning how to work well on a team and day to day tips of software development that you can't learn from a book. Interns start on small internal projects then as their skills progress they help out on real world projects. Interns often go on to get full time jobs at TeraTech or other tech companies.

We only accept people who have done some programming in some language before (doesn't have to be ColdFusion) or used an older version of CF and want to step up to the latest version. Often people in career transition or who need to get current job experience to move into their dream career. Because of all the mentoring interns receive it is on site at our Rockville MD office for 20-40 hours per week. Interns attend all TeraTech classes and event such as CFUnited at no charge.

So why do we do it? It is a way to give back to the community; a way to find and interact with potential new employees over the long term and a way to get help on community websites such as mdcfug.org and cfconf.org. Also intern often have lots of questions and questions and mentoring are a great way to keep our programming fresh and up to date. There is nothing like teaching some concept to someone else to really understand it yourself!

Does anyone else have a internship at their organization and how does your internship work?

When the day starts, I take my planner, pad of paper, pen, and clear mind to my Manager's office to "check in" and "follow up" on new and existing tasks. I try to get in a bit earlier so that I can check email, talk to the developers, and review project information. All this, to impress my manager? Not really. I take my responsibilities and expectations as a PA seriously. Maybe it's because I'm still relatively new, the environment, my personal goals and expectations for my position, etc. etc. These are all factors that contribute to how I plan out my day.

At the end of the day, I still have my planner, pad of paper and pen in hand. My notepad has scribbled notes that are hard to read, at times, and people walk by my workstation and notice my earbuds. I'm listening to Travis, making way for another day; tomorrow. Tell me if this sounds romanticized? Too ideal? Missing detail? I can elaborate.

My point is, everyone has their own "routine' and "idiosyncrasies" at the office. Some days are good, others are better. A deal breaker that sets my day is the attitude I choose to have wherever I am at all times. It helps to take deep breaths and have a glass of wine (when you get home-at the end of the day).