I work to isolate all of my calls on Thursdays, leaving other days of the week to more asynchronous forms of communication, and deep dives into coding, research, and storytelling efforts. Last Thursday was interesting, but this weeks conversations has spurred me to summarize some of the conversations that occurred on this busy day. This isn't something I'll do every thursday, and not all conversations will make it in, but I figured it would help me process, as well as share some insight into the types of conversations I'm having being the scene.
Here is a breakdown of the conversations I’ve had today, anonymized to protect the lives of those involved:
- API Evangelist at Major Media Company - I usually dodge recruiter calls early on in the process, but this one got through because it came in as a referral from someone I knew. This was regarding a lead role at a major media company you all know, a position I’m not interested in, but willing to help talk through what is next for companies who can’t find the right person for the role of lead API Evangelist!
- Available API Deployment Resources - I’ve had a lot of trouble finding competent resources for any stage of the API lifecycle, but when it comes to API deployment, it has been impossible to establish relationships development shops I can refer work to. I had a very promising conversation about scaling an existing team I’ve work with to successfully deploy APIs at scale in the past, opening up the opportunities for a scalable resource I can tap for designing, developing, deploying, and even the ongoing management of API resources. #fingerscrossed
- Developing a Wikipedia for API Definitions - I’m working hard to develop a public catalog of open API designs via APIs.io and the API Stack using the APIs.son format, and I had an interesting conversation with a group that is working on the "Wikipedia for APIs", using machine readable formats like Swagger, and APIs.son. We'll see where this goes, but I’m excited about the number of conversations I’m having in the area of API discovery, and design.
- Containerized Micro-Service Orchestration - I've been immersed in my own version of micro-service orchestration, using Docker, but today I got a look into other approaches, helping me better understand the bigger picture, and how I can apply existing practices, and tooling to better orchestrate this new world I’m creating.
- An APIs and IPAs Podcast - Three of my favorite letters, rearranged into a single podcast conversation. Readme.io has asked me to participate in a beer fueled conversation about the API space. Talk about being privileged, I couldn't think of a better career where I get to talk about publicly, what I do for a living, while drinking the best quality beer possible. ;-)
I haven’t done the APIs and IPAs podcast yet, that is up next—so I need to get ready. I'll have to consider more about how my Thursday conversations compare with the other, asynchronous conversations I’m having through the week. At first glance, they seem very similar, but as I continue to get into the groove having my phone conversations only on Thursdays, and do these summaries—maybe I’ll begin to see other patterns emerge.
Anyway you look at it, being in the center of the API economy is pretty exciting in 2015. I thought the buzz in 2010 was significant, but I had no idea of what it would be like in 2015. Lots going on, lots of important technological shifts, and lots of important industries, and companies turning their focus to the world of APIs. Sometimes it can make my head swim, but at the end of the day I’m stoked to be where I am, as all of this moves forward--no matter how fast.
