One Lecture Down, One To Go

So I gave my first of two November Agile-related university lectures today. This was for a 2nd year Computer Science class (I'd mistakenly thought it was a 1st year course but was happy to learn my mistake!) and the goal of the presentation was to introduce about 20 - 30 young minds to the notion of doing development in an Agile organization.

In the fifty minutes that I had available to me, I covered the following:

• Why do most software projects fail?
• Where did Agile come from?
• How are the Agile methodologies different than traditional (Waterfall) ones philosophically?
• How do Agile and Waterfall contrast each other more specifically?
• What does life in an Agile environment look like?
• Where might Waterfall be better, and where would Agile be more appropriate?

I was pleasantly surprised by how interested almost all of the students were in what I had to say, and I got a lot more questions at the end than I'd gotten the last time I did this dog-and-pony show. I asked how many of them think that, when they've graduated and are out in the work force, they'd enjoy working in an Agile company. As far as I could see, they were all nodding in response to that question (nodding in agreement, that is... not nodding off)!

I also put a push in for my former employer, telling them that they should all apply there when they graduate, if they want to stay and work in the same city where they attended university.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable and rewarding hour for me.