JSJ 324: with Kent Beck

Panel:

Charles Max Wood
Joe Eames
Aimee Knight

Special Guests: Kent Beck

In this episode, the JavaScript Jabber panel talks to Kent Beck. Kent left Facebook 4 months ago after working for them for 7 years and is now self-unemployed so that he can decompress from the stressful environment that he was a part of for so long. He now travels, writes, creates art, thinks up crazy programming ideas, and is taking a breather.  They talk about what he did at Facebook, what his coaching engagement sessions consisted of, and the importance of taking time for yourself sometimes. They also touch on what he has learned from his experience coaching, how to create a healthy environment within the workplace, and more!

In particular, we dive pretty deep on:

Kent intro/update
Ruby Rogues Episode 23
Worked at Facebook for 7 years
What were you doing at Facebook?
Unique culture at Facebook
His strengths as a developer didn’t match with the organization’s
Coaching developers
TDD and Patterns
Advantages as an old engineer
What did coaching engagement consist of?
Takes time to build trust
Discharging shame
Need permission to take care of what you need to
Being at your best so you can do your best work
Vacation in place
What have you learned in your time working with people?
The nice thing about coaching
Everyone is different
How do we create a healthy environment within the workplace?
Mentor in Ward Cunningham
What is it costing us?
Why did you decide to leave?
And much, much more!

Links:

Ruby Rogues Episode 23
@KentBeck
kentbeck.com
Kent’s GitHub

Sponsors

Kendo UI
Sentry
Digital Ocean

Picks:

Charles

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
Crucial Accountability by Kerry Patterson

Aimee

n-back

Joe

Test Driven Development: By Example by Kent Beck

Kent

The Field Guide to Understanding 'Human Error' by Sidney Dekker
Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue by Ryan Holiday