DevNet Create: Where Apps meet the Boogeyman — Face Your Fears!

Creek… squeek… BOOO!!!!

When I was a kid, the Boogeyman lived in my closet and he scared the #%@* out of me. Bedtime was a stressful ritual of excuses and delays:
“Can I have some water?”
“Can you read me a story?”
“Can I go to the bathroom?”
“Can I sleep on the couch?”
But try as I might, I eventually had to go to bed. I’d lay there, shaking, staring at the closet door just waiting for it to open and for him to come and get me. (For reference, I had no idea what he’d do when he got me, but I knew it would be bad). In the morning, I would wake from a fitful sleep and be grateful that I had made it though another night. It was a terrible time, and I’m still haunted a little bit…

I remember clearly the night I faced my fear and it all ended. I was 8 years old, 2nd grade, and my favorite cartoon was Scooby-Doo. At the end of every episode I cheered as that week’s boogeyman was defeated and exclaimed “I would have gotten away with it too, if it hadn’t been for you meddling kids!”. I decided I was a “meddling kid” and I was going to unmask my Boogeyman. So one Friday night, along with my stuffed Scooby-Doo, I built an amazing trap in my room (Fred woulda been so proud). I tied a trip line across the floor, rigged it to dump my Legos (they hurt when you step on them), and turn on my bedroom light. As Scooby and I lay in bed that night, pretending to sleep, I knew I had him.

I did eventually fall asleep, but woke up in the middle of the night needing to use the bathroom (too much water before bed). Groggily, I got out of bed and two steps later hit the trip line, stumbled and stepped on the Lego minefield. I shouted out as the light came on and fell back on my butt. I have no idea how I didn’t wake my Mom, but she thankfully slept through it all. As I lay on my back, looking into my closet, 8 year-old me had a bit of a breakthrough… there was no boogeyman, there was nothing to be afraid of. I got up… went to the bathroom, got back in bed and went back to sleep. Scooby-Doo had helped unmask another villain!

I know what you’re thinking… cute story, you might need a little bit of therapy (it’s okay, I probably do), but what does that have to do with apps, programming, or DEVNET Create? Well, grab your own Scooby and listen up!

I was recently haunted by a new Boogeyman. It went by many names… “Cloud”, “SDN”, and “Programmability” are just a few. I was afraid for my job. I was afraid my skills weren’t needed anymore. I was afraid… well I was just afraid. And just like most fears, it came from not understanding. It came from the unknown.

To conquer this fear, I had to go back to 8 year old me and find the courage to explore the unknown. I started slowly… doing a bit of reading up, experimenting with new things. And much faster than I would have thought, I realized that it wasn’t a Boogeyman at all… All of the new technologies, approaches, concepts, etc… well they were pretty cool. They were also kinda fun to play with. I turned what was a Boogeyman into an opportunity to excel and grow. And so can you!

At DEVNET Create, we are joining with many members of the community to gather and slay Boogeymen. We will be exploring the impact applications have on the big and little things. Whether you are still peeking out from under the covers, just waiting for the monster to devour you, or if you’ve already faced your fears we hope you’ll join us in San Francisco on May 23rd and 24th. Follow us DevNet Create.