It is always a surprise to me how many people leave college with the feeling that they learned nothing useful during their time there – with the attitude that theoretical learning and historical context (what distinguishes a college education from a mere training course) bear no relevance to the “real world”. This, of course, is nonsense.
Worse, many students go to work for organizations where the workplace culture turns them into battery hens, with every trace of individuality exorcised. Or perhaps industry norms and standards define the way employees have to behave. Where did the appreciation of education go, and what does it really mean?
Like a few other modern companies, of which Google and IBM are famous examples, at CFEngine we have a high percentage of doctorates in the company, from the natural sciences, and university backgrounds from science, IT, and design and business. Currently, we have people from 10 countries in our office at Oslo – with a rich variety of languages and backgrounds. Even that simple diversity changes the way we think about problems, as well as making us all more cosmopolitan citizens of the world.
You don’t have to sit with college books on your desk to benefit from an education. On the contrary, educated employees are people who feel they have permission to question the textbooks and think about problems where others might simply copy from a book. This kind of thinking is what has allowed CFEngine’s software to be better, smaller and faster than programs that try to imitate it. It is what makes our workplace unusual and full of opportunity. What a college education encourages is how to think about problems, not what facts to memorize.
What are you reading?
Before we moved to larger premises, there was a sign on the door to our office saying “What are you reading?”, encouraging everyone to expand their horizons as they left the office. I have always told students, friends and colleagues to read and listen to what others are saying. Everything we read, everything we have experienced makes each of us into a greater person. We benefit from the cultural and technical expertise of others in often unexpected ways.
Is this really relevant to the world of business? Surely this has nothing to do with sales, for instance? Wrong! Our customers are smart people. If you can entertain someone with your knowledge, you can hold their attention. If you can hold their attention, you can start a dialogue and win their trust. If you can win their trust, they will look to you for help and opportunities. This is how business gets started.
In development it goes without saying that a deeper insight helps you to think of new approaches, and a knowledge of what has been done before points you towards solutions you can’t keep in your head forever.
Individual ownership of projects
More importantly still is that the spirit of innovation that stems from careful thought and deep expertise is immensely satisfying, and makes for a happy working environment.
The education and experience of our employees is of the greatest importance to us. Maybe you have something special about you, and you are looking for a way to put it to work? If you can entertain us with your ideas, we might be a willing audience!
