Velocity – first impressions

I moved into Velocity 6 days ago. The past three days have been quite an experience, and I want to capture some of the learning points I’ve gotten from the place.

Don’t be an asshole

I think that is probably the mantra that struck me the most. Basically, at Velocity, it means that be nice – help each other out, provide feedback and advice, don’t get competitive or rude, and enjoy the ride. It translates to a bit more – if you are an asshole/treat one person badly, everyone WILL know (given the small size of the community – around 40). And no one will then want to work with you, or help you, or ask for your help.

Dreaming is powerful

Our first brainstorming session was eye-opening for me. Some of our ideas were serious, but a lot of them were ludicrous and we found ourselves laughing at them most of the time. Yet, the ludicrous ideas were the ones that really touched the unknown and pushed the barriers. I found myself thinking “if that was possible, life would be awesome” – and then realized I should be thinking “HOW could I make that possible so that life will be awesome”.

Ideas come from everyday life

When someone asked me what my idea was, I told them that I didn’t know, and I wasn’t good at coming up with ideas. At the tweetup in Stratford that Velocity students attended, I was lucky enough to get a chance to talk to Amira Dhalla. She made a brilliant comment that I will have to paraphrase.

Ideas come everyday, and the challenge is in remembering them.

We talked a little about the value of paper and pen (or nowadays, your smartphone) in remembering these ideas. My new goal: write down ideas and thoughts!

A non-technical in a technical world

I do believe that Velocity does very much focus on the coders. It comes about because of the very nature and design of the program. So, being a non-technical person here brings about unique challenges and opportunities.

Some of the things I note about being  a non-technical:

• You’re not going to get a lot of the conversation, particularly when they start going into lingo and technical details. Heck, half the technicals don’t understand either. Either ask someone to summarize the conversation in layman terms, or move-on – hanging around awkwardly is… awkward. At the same time, try your best to get the conversation, learn a bit of the lingo etc.
• You don’t really have much to do in the initial phases (well, dependent on your project). When your team is coding, you really can’t help them much except be moral support, or an idea bouncing board. Still, your time will come – and you should start thinking and planning ahead while the rest of your team is busy.
• Maximize your time – talk to other people to learn what they are doing, and also share what you’re doing. The bouncing of ideas can help bring new improvements to the table.

Money Changes Everything

This term, thanks to the donation from Ted Livingston of Kik, we are competing for prizes – $500 to 5 teams initially, and then those 5 then stand a chance to win $25,000. That is amazing.

Yet, I’ve also heard a lot of sentiment that the money has changed a lot of how Velocity works. In the past, there was a lot of collaboration and sharing. Hearing from people who have been here, nowadays there is less of that. Ideas were not shared during brainstorming, but rather people made groups of their own. People are hesitant to share information about their project, and reluctant to bounce ideas off each other.

From my perspective as a newcomer, that is a pretty big issue. It is hard enough for newcomers to build relationships. Now that the returners are forming groups of their own because of prior relationships, it is even harder for newcomers to break down that wall.

Passion is everything

I think I’m lucky – I’m working on a team with people who are genuinely nice and do care. Everyone has their own talents, and there isn’t any grudging or complaining about contributions to the team. Instead, we all try to contribute in our various capacities.

I enjoy that. It is great to work with people who are excited about creating something, and also not afraid to push and learn new things. I’m excited for our pitch on Monday, because I do believe we have something awesome on our hands!