Changes
I've worked in a few different types of environments in my career (academia, start-ups, Japan, doing good, working for the man, etc), but I can honestly say that I've never enjoyed my work, or my coworkers, as much as I have while I've been working with the team at Thoughtbot.
Thoughtbot understands the Ruby on Rails culture in a way that I've always respected. As a company, they focus on producing good work for both the clients and for the community. As a team, they foster an incredible amount of camaraderie and team spirit, without needing to stifle differences of opinion.
Setting out
All of this has made my recent decision to leave the company incredibly difficult. While Thoughtbot has been the best environment I could have hoped for, the need to set out on my own and build something for myself was just too strong.
I will be doing agile Ruby on Rails consulting for a few clients, and will soon focus on developing my own suite of products. While I'm currently fully committed, I'd be happy to discuss new opportunities and give referrals. I will also be posting my journey, and my development thoughts here, so stay tuned.
If you're an incredible developer, and interested in living in the Boston or NYC areas, then I cannot recommend a better company to work for.