Why WeCamp

August 17th, 2014

A few months ago, the news about WeCamp was released. At first, we knew only the name and speculated on the format. But when it became clear what it was going to be, in combination with who was behind the whole thing, there was no doubt in my mind that this was an event that we needed to be at!

To inform our usergroup SweetlakePHP, I wrote the following description. I think it still stands:

We now know that WeCamp is a new type of event, taking place this year in the end of August.

A five-day developer camp-out, on a private island with no options for escape, where groups of five people and a coach will work together to create something from nothing in a week. Besides the work, wecamp will focus on recreation and relaxation in the evenings.

I am absolutely convinced that this will be an epic event.

The people who choose to go on this week of discovery *will* come out on the other end with new friendships and alliances that will last way beyond a five-day camping trip.
They will learn things about others and -more importantly- about themselves and it will be impossible not to return without a great leap in their abilities as a developer.

I know all this sounded like a sales pitch, but rest assured: I own no stocks in the Wecamp event. Only a ticket :-)

There are only 35 tickets available. In Total. So get yours in time!

And so we got involved - by sponsoring the event, and by buying tickets for the whole team. You could say I've committed on multiple levels... here's why:

For my team

Knowing that there are a couple of well-known conference speakers as coaches, I would be hard pressed to find a training course with more potential (even without considering the insanely low price of WeCamp). In a team of 5 developers, submerged for 5 days, building stuff. That has got to be the definition of a learning fast-track. Normally, I would worry about a weaker attendee demanding all the teacher's attention. But not here.

If they are the strongest part of their team, they will have to create, guide and lead. If they are the weakest, they will have to put in every effort to bridge the gap. Of course, there is a huge grey area in between. The point is, there is just no way to do any of it without gaining great insight in your own abilities.

As a developer

I might sound like a broken record here, but this is not going to be a fun-and-games outing. It's not a holiday. This will be an exhausting week where new ideas and concepts come at you constantly, where you will learn from teammates and coaches alike, as well as learn from teaching others. Where there is time to find a depth of conversation you probably can't reach in a normal conference setting. And where you are bound to get pushed through the boundaries of your comfort zones.

In conclusion

Needles to say, I believe this event is a huge opportunity. As I am writing this, there is less than 24 hours to get your ticket.

So get. your. ticket.

On a final note, I would like to say thank you to Jasper and Mitchel who, without hesitation, agreed so spend their own vacation days to be a part of this event. It shows dedication to their own growth and advancement, a required quality for any true professional. I'm proud of the fact that my team demonstrates this quality.

Ramon de la Fuente

Pointy haired boss