I've always liked new beginnings, with all the possibilities they bring. And what better way to start fresh with a blog than by writing about one of those first impressions you get when you embark on a new adventure? For me, it was a new job, a new environment, and a completely different approach to work. So, please, fasten your seat-belts and enjoy one of the latest and craziest rides of my life - the introduction to the programming world.

Part I - Hello, I'm Ruby. Nice to meet you.

The first thing I've noticed was that they're some kind of wizards, making magic with white letters on black screens. And the first thing I've learned was that there is no such thing as the library of codes, because contrary to my knowledge about libraries, there's only one code on that particular shelf (and what if someone's already borrowed it?). Apparently that's a common mistake made by us, the code-muggles, but nevertheless it brings out one full minute of laughter. But after that, you're in.

At first, the hardest part for me, a nonverbal communication lover, was working with someone on a daily basis and almost never seeing them face to face. But then I realized that this means I don't need to dress up and put my make-up on everyday. I can sleep two hours longer and attend our Wednesday meeting in my PJ's (well at least as long as I remember to turn off the camera).

During the first month I had to google every third sentence I've read or heard, but after three weeks, even my fiance noticed that I had already started to sound like "them". Suddenly there were sprints, and hangouts, and tickets, and commits, and frameworks, almost everywhere. Just imagine the look of terror on his face.

Part II – Core values.

Five years of studying psychology taught me that being perfect usually means expecting a lot from yourself and that sometimes it's not the healthiest approach to life. But perfect might also mean 'exactly what is needed for a particular purpose, situation, or person' and for Perfect Programmers it means having quite high expectations, especially when it comes to work or life itself.

Everything must be simple, transparent, easy to understand, evaluate and change. They value quality, but they also value balance. Working with clients, learning new things, eating, sleeping, taking vacations, spending time with family and friends, everything has its own time and space. Sometimes, you may even get the impression that many of them not only work with Scrum, they live by Scrum.

Part III – Ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure.

It's been ten months already and I still get to learn new things everyday. I know how to open the terminal, run irb and I've even made my first pull request lately. Not every HR specialist can say the same. But this is what is expected of you here, to learn, to grow, to take responsibilities. And you can see that it's working.

Because, when you trust people with their assignments, no spying, no shadowing or inane probationary tasks, when you respect their potential, experience and skills, and when you treat them as equals, they soon become the self-reliant professionals you hired them to be.