Work is okay.

So, almost through my first week at Terrascale, and so far its okay. Lets see if I can enumerate what I like:

• The place is mostly quiet. Those who prefer music use headphones, so that those who work better in silence (like me) can do so.
• I've got a decent machine with a flat-panel screen and a really nice keytronic keyboard (I very much like the feel of its keys).
• They have free coffee, tea, popcorn, peanuts and multi-grain bars. (Although I've yet to see anyone eat one of the latter.)
• There's a real attempt at transparency. I'm learning lots about the internal workings of the company, since much of the internal mail is routed to everybody.
• No control freaks. Generally they give you a job and expect you to come and ask questions if you have problems.
• They gave me the root password for my machine.
  
• Folks are quite nice and are willing to answer questions even when you're a NOOB and don't know how anything is done yet, so you have to ask LOTS of questions.
  
• I actually have full internet access (at what seems to be anywhere from 2.5 to 5 megabits per second) as well as email. Stupdily enough, that's a first for me.
• The work looks like it will be interesting once I actually get to write some code. In the meantime, I'm doing some (minor) tech writing which is okay, and helps familiarize me with the products that I'll be working on / working with.

The column of things I don't like is so far, much much smaller:

• There are no readily accessible documents describing company policy, how things are organized, what basic procedures are in place, etc. I have to find someone and ask every time I come across another question. I suspect some of the problem is that the receptionist is out of town this week, and she's the one that would normally be answering all these things for me.
• Some of the stuff I've looked at so far (like the documentation and the website) look rather amateurish. Considering we're going after the big money, one would think we would try to project a more polished image. Then again, the company is not very old at all, so maybe this is all getting put in place as fast as they can, and its getting polished in the (rare) moments when someone has spare cycles. I've seen that before.

Oh the other thing about my Job...

They're currently looking for more programmers who know something about Linux kernels, and they're even paying a bounty for all leads to people that they end up hiring, so if you wanna apply for a job with them, tell them that swestrup sent you!

Sickish.

I just realized that one thing I haven't meantioned here lately is that I'm feeling rather under the weather right now. Sinuses are constantly dripping, my throat is sore and I've develloped a bit of a cough. So far its nothing that's really interfered with work, but its sure bad timing. Then again, since lots of folks at the office seem to be congested and have coughs, I think that's where I picked it up.

*SIGH*. Normally I would do what everyone is telling the denizsarikaya to do: take a few days off and give your body a chance to recover. But this is my FIRST WEEK at the job! I did once have to take a week off sick when I had only been working for a month, but in that case A) I knew my boss well and figured it would be okay, and B) I was so ill that even pretending to work was beyond me.