Who Invented the Internet?

I’ve just finished my very first DevelopMentor Guerilla course – what a blast! I’m now one step closer to realizing my goal of becoming a DM instructor. There are still more steps to complete, but I think I’m well on my way. The last step, of course, will be to do the actual course preparation, but I’m in the process and have completed technical notes and demos for 4 out of 14 lessons. It should take me just a couple of months more to finish.

Meet the Guerilla

I have to say I was pretty much blown away by the Guerilla course. They call it “Guerilla” for a couple of reasons. Aside from an allusion to the trainer’s “code monkey” (that’s an inside joke I’ll have to share with you offline), the course is a “boot camp” experience, hence the warfare analogy. We start at 9 am and go until 8 pm, with a lunch break, followed by dinner. So it’s pretty intense. There are 3 – 5 instructors presenting the material, which serves to better hold your attention and also give you a variety of perspectives on the subject matter. All meals are included in the course and they offer a chance to hobnob with other developers.

The course material is, I think, more advanced, and the instructors are absolutely top notch. (If any of you are reading this, I’m not just kissing up.) Each one has a firm gasp of both the breadth and depth of the technology and can convey the salient points in a way that is informative and even entertaining. It’s like sitting at the feet of Jedi Masters to tap their wealth of knowledge and experience.

So that’s the group I plan to join – move aside Obi-Wan. The task is so monumental it’s seems incredibly daunting. But I know the Force is with me, and everything I’ve done has inexorably led me to this point. The bottom line is that I’m privileged to be counted along side these guys, and I relish the opportunity a) to delve as deeply as possibly into the technology, and b) to be able to help others understand it and apply it effectively. Not to mention, of course, it’s loads of fun, immensely rewarding and in the end gives me more time to spend with the people I care about most: my wife and son, family and friends.