Apprenticeship Patterns

Apprenticeship patterns really just breaks down the entire process of becoming a professional software engineer but through the stages of apprentice, journeyman and master. I’ve personally never heard someone differentiate the stages of becoming a software engineer as these, even though it is an “engineer” position. What was described in the book about apprentices is definitely something that was interesting to me as well, instead of just saying something like, “a new person to the industry”, it is described as someone who is constantly striving to find the most optimal solution to the problem they are having. It was also stated that an apprentice should also be looking for people or companies that would force them into situations where they should be finding these problems. My opinion on apprentices used to be exactly what I said earlier, “someone who is new to the industry”, which I guess isn’t a completely wrong statement, but it’s definitely just a broad definition. This reading has definitely given me more of an insight into what an apprentice should be striving for once they enter the industry.

Afterwards it was stated that apprenticeship is the apprentices responsibility on if they progress or not pretty much. This is a statement I wholeheartedly agree with, some people who want to get into software engineering only go through the degree and don’t try to improve themselves any way, either by reaching out to other developers they know, or working on personal projects. Even though my opinion on this situation has been the same for a long time, this book reinforces my beliefs on it, most other developers I’ve met have always been working on personal projects or seeking out others to learn from and those are some of the smartest engineers I know.

Chapter one is definitely the most relevant, at least for me, since it displays a couple definitions on what an apprentice engineer should be, and I am currently in that position. I’ve done some work in the industry already, but I wouldn’t consider myself to be that close to the journeyman position yet as there is always something new to learn from the people I know and people on my team at work. Overall, I believe most new engineers could benefit from reading this book, especially the sections on what it means to be at each stage in your journey to becoming a master engineer.