Today marked the end of my first year as a software engineer. By all accounts, I should feel lucky to be employed in the video game industry in the role that I have. It’s been an interesting year. I still remember my first day at work. I was really nervous and didn’t get a lot of sleep the night before. Wow, I still had my apartment back then and was eating my dinners at SJC.
I know that I cursed the game I was on several times during the year but in hindsight, it was a good project because of the people I got to work with. I haven’t had a lot of luck with workplace mentors in the past but the lead programmer on my team was just the guy I needed to start off my career. Nigel was patient, good natured, and always understanding. He gave me just enough support until I felt I was a good programmer.
I know I worked a lot of long hours that first summer at the old office on Broadway and Arbutus but it was a lot of fun. Man, I miss that bus stop across the street. Our producer said that we were the most “giggly” bunch of programmers he’d ever worked with. We did indeed enjoy hanging out together and being immature.
There were seven core programmers that I worked with on my first game and only two of them remain with the company now. The rest have moved on which makes my current days a little less enjoyable. Oh what would I have done without Ron and “The Bet“? Nigel, I still have your gum collection in that beer bottle on my desk. And Tim, thanks for putting the collection of farm porn in my network folder.
I’ve learned a lot over the course of a year but I remain very much a padawan. There’s still lots to know. So, with a nod to the good times of year one, I look forward to year two at Hogwart’s.