Last Tuesday (the 5th) marked the beginning of my third and final co-op for Northeastern. After this six-month stint I've got one more semester of school and then --- beyond.
More classes, however, aren't something that I'm wishing for to begin early. I'm currently working for IBM Research in Cambridge, MA, and the job is pretty good. I'm getting challenging assignments that fit my skill set, the people are great, and I get all the diet soda I can drink.
The biggest change is assimilating into an "enterprise" environment. I commute for an hour and a half each day through the Boston subway, I carry a ThinkPad around at work, and I sit in a high-walled, bleak cubicle. I even had to use Lotus Notes for a while, but IBM has a significant Linux following on the inside. Mailing lists, chat rooms, and an internal software site have provided me with tools to make using Linux at IBM feasible.
One thing that's different from working for Systems technically-wise is that I can't log into work from home. Right before I left work I started a long-running job and I'd like to peek at its progress. I suppose I could set up the corporate firewall software, but I'm not that desperate.
Also: "A salad that speaks to me. My... individuality." If I hear that damn McDonald's commercial again I'm gonna... erm... yell profanity or something.
