Steve Kim & Jim Suchy — Chicago Software Craftsmanship
Interviewees: Steve Kim, Jim Suchy
Topic: Chicago Software Craftsmanship
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Description: I stopped by the Chicago Software Craftsmanship meeting and got a chance to chat with Steve Kim and Jim Suchy. Steve and Jim run the Chicago Software Craftsmanship group at the 8th Light office in downtown Chicago. This interview is a little bit chaotic because we did the interview as people were beginning to file in for the meeting.
Transcript
- Hi, I’m Mike. I’m sitting here with Jim Suchi and Steve Kim from Chicago Self-Worker, Chicago Self-Worker Craftsmanship, not Self-Worker Craftsmanship McHenry County. That’s a whole different interview. So, hi guys. Thanks for talking with me. Can you tell me a little bit about what you’re doing here with Chicago Self-Worker Craftsmanship and what the community is and how long you’ve been leading?
- Well, we started back in January when we took it from Activa.
- Yeah.
- The idea is Chicago Self-Worker Craftsmanship will have not necessarily speakers for the talks, but hands-on sessions that people can engage with and participate in.
- Right. So, like most other talks, all the places are really just talk. Have you had lots of presentations you’ve been doing like labs and grand dory sessions and things like that?
- Grand dory sessions, TV sessions, sparrings.
- And competitions.
- Right. And when you say sparring, what do you mean sparring?
- Code competitions.
- Oh, code competitions.
- So, our first meeting, we had like a session where we had the server running and people coded against it.
- See, we’re actually here for a meeting and we are in the middle of the walking area, but we will continue. So, you actually had a code competition?
- What was it?
- Ants, so you controlled an ant up on the screen and there was a simple REST API in order to meet your ant.
- Okay.
- And then you could code to unlock the ant.
- Some logic to kind of make it default and things like that.
- Or win.
- And so, like, when are you meeting specifically?
- We decided on the second Wednesday of the month, but it’s definitely flexible. I mean, depending on the session, there’s not necessarily a speaker, whatever. So, the leader, whoever’s leading the session.
- Yeah, so like today, it’s a Java session. Do you guys share responsibility for running the group? Or how do you, how do you guys manage coordinating? So, you guys have a meetup site now.
- We have a wonderful spreadsheet that we use.
- Yeah.
- High tech, very high tech. And that’s what we’ve been using. It’s worked out great, actually.
- Yep, okay.
- I’ll edit it out, or I won’t. I will just, can I have Jim here for a minute? So, we’re actually here for a meeting, and I decided to pester them as they’re getting ready. So, but Jim, you also help out with another group on the subgroups. Is that been kind of like a challenge?
- Right.
- Balancing the two groups, or is there any cross-pollination topics?
- Right, so today’s speaker was McHenry a couple months ago. And I asked him to come here, and he was happy to do it. So, there’s been a little bit of that. Difficulty, not really. I mean, we’re pulling speakers for both, for both groups. So, there hasn’t really been any competition or anything like that.
- No competition at all?
- Not at all. Yeah, I don’t know. It’s, you know, I’ve learned a lot doing the McHenry group with you. So, that’s helped a lot with being able to shirk responsibility and give it to Steve. So, he can take care of this group, too.
- That’s cool. And, so, it’s 8th Light, and do you have anybody that’s, you know, that you’re looking at bringing in, or have you, is this something that’s holding on by 8th Light, or is this still a community just so happen to be?
- It’s still, I mean, it’s just a community. It’s not, we happen to have the meetings here. We want to have it in the same location, which I think is important. But, I mean, we like community involvement. I love having speakers from outside 8th Light. I want some help. I’m more than happy to take help from other people.
- Okay.
- We accept food and drink sponsors.
- Oh, okay. So, 8th Light is not the only sponsor. Okay, great. All right, well, thank you very much for talking with me. I’ll give you the 8th Light thing and shake your hands. All right, thank you very much.