April 23, 2010

Working at Orange and Bronze

This day mark my first year anniversary at Orange and Bronze Software Labs, Inc. I originally planned to make a post about it but had been very busy these past few days. To make up for it, I posted below the employee testimonial I made and submitted last month.

As of the time of writing this, I have been working at Orange and Bronze Software Labs, Inc. for almost a year. I still remember the time before I got employed here. I was hesitant to accept the job offer because of several reasons. First, I am just new to Java. I have been using Java for less than a year (for my thesis) and everything I know was because of self-studying. Another was the distance of the workplace from our home. I need to adjust to the new environment and culture.

It even came to a point that I had to seek for advice from my mentor in school. Then, after thinking about it for a few days, I told myself "Why not?" I belived that becoming an Orange and Bronze employee would be the best career choice for me.

On my first weeks in the company, I had attended their Java Boot Camp. It made me re-learn what I already knew and understand what I thought I knew before. I also learned new things about Java and software engineering, the type of things my teachers could not teach me.

Now, I am really happy that I had decided to work here. I am so proud that I am now a member of the Orange and Bronze family. A lot has in me changed after I joined the company, aside from the natural physical changes. What I am now is so different from what I was a year before. I have learned a lot and I am still learning every day.

Here are some of the reasons why I love working at Orange and Bronze:

  • The office is like a second home and the O&B family is your family.
  • The working environment is too nice and comfortable that sometimes you would not think you are at work.
  • You are surrounded by awesome people who are skilled and knowledgeable, if not experts. Anybody can and will serve as your mentor.
  • It feels so nice to work with O&B employees, for they are friendly , helpful and approachable, even those in the management.
  • Nobody ever goes to work late. The standard working hours is from nine in the morning to six in the evening but you can come in at 10:00, 11:00, 12:00 or even in the afternoon. And you can do this without being fined!
  • There is no dress code to follow. You can even go to work in shorts and slippers.
  • There is virtually no limitation on the usage of internet connection. You can browse sites like Facebook and micro-blogs like Twitter and Plurk, listen to music streaming sites, watch videos in YouTube and other related websites, play games and even download files.
  • You can take a nap or even sleep during working hours. There are couches for that purpose if you dont want to sleep in your chair.
  • There are a lot of books about different topics, which you can read while at work or borrow and take home with you. (And most of these books are not available in the local bookstores.)
  • Free rice, free water, free coffee, and free iced tea! (I think these freebies are some of the reasons why I now look fat to others)

April 19, 2010

New Look (via Blogger Draft)

After almost a year, this blog's design will be improved again. It has been changed once before but due to time constraints, the blog was not fully beautified. Now, despite being busy in work and other important matters, I will be improving this blog's look slowly.

This can now be made easily using Blogger Draft. Blogger Draft is a new feature in Blogger where you can edit the blog, including its design and layout, while viewing the changes before you apply them. Using this, you can try out different styles and customize the blog without the unnecessary side effects. It will be a great help for me as I revive this blog.

Aside from constantly improving the blog, I am also planning to post more entries in the future.