Working for LevelTen: My First Three Months
This past summer, a colleague of mine Tonya wrote a blog post about her first week at LevelTen. This has inspired me to write a blog about my first three months with the company.
First let me mention that I'm originally from Michigan. Not only am I learning about the LevelTen company and team, I'm also learning more about Texas. Here's a recap from my first 3 months working here:
Agile / Scrum
Working on a team with a great investment in the agile/scrum process been the most excellent part of working here. No one system is perfect but my colleagues believe it's the best world in terms of providing quick results. Plus it allows us to be transparent and efficient with our clients - something they appreciate as well.
sql-sync
Before working here I never really used sql-sync. I was more of a purist, preferring mysqldump and sql source. Now I really can't work without sql-sync.
Display Suite
Using the Fields UI will save you a lot of headaches displaying views. It also allows you to harness the power of display suite.
Working in pods
Splitting our large workforce into two interdependent teams or pods can allow for less overhead, improved productivity, and for the most part a generally better experience during sprint planning and sprint review.
Hook 'em Horns
I don't care for either side but you learn quickly to love the University of Texas Longhorns here.
Google hangout is really awesome
Organizing meetings with Google hangout is very easy to do and has been a blessing to use for our telecommute stand-ups and meetings.
Texas State Fair
Great teams work and have fun together. Having the opportunity for a team event at the state fair was a great experience and allowed me to learn more about my coworkers and their life beyond the 9-5. Where previously I knew really nothing about them or their family/significant others, team outings help us to get to know each other better.
Wednesday can be the best day of the week
Wednesday, normally hump day to others, is the best day of the week at LevelTen. We look forward to our internal and ongoing Lunch and Learn series where we learn or share something valuable to use for our projects.
Velvet Taco is amazing
Velvet Taco, amongst a plethora of other lunch spots around the Knox-Henderson area, is excellent for lunch outings. There are so many choices! Knox-Henderson is just a great area to work.
Patience is the most valuable asset to a chess game
Here at work, many of our colleagues play a mean game of chess during lunch. I've started to play a little more and have learned that being patient is definitely the most important aspect of being a good chess player.
All in all, working at LevelTen has been a great educational experience with a great team in an awesome location. And a little fun team building on the side doesn't hurt either.
Thanks for reading! Share your thoughts below.
