The Right Mix
The first part of a new calendar year marks the moment my software development students go on their internships. It's the last semester of their education and the first time they're fully exposed to the real, professional world, outside the safe walls of the school. Exciting and scary at the same time.
For me, this marks a change of scenery as well. I go from the classroom into the great outdoors on my visits to the companies where my students are doing their internships. Which is pretty cool, actually. It adds to the diversity of my role as a teacher and coach, and it opens opportunities to work together with new companies in the academic years to come.
Sitting on the train on the way back from one of these visits, I came to realize that this is a part of the job I like. I probably wouldn't be as happy if my whole year took place within the school walls, but neither would I enjoy being on the road continuously. As with so many things, it's the balance between the two that keeps things fresh. Not too much of either, but just enough.
At this moment, it's exactly the right mix for me.