Yeah I experienced this growing up as a kid in Germany. I remember these people from other towns in their "strange" outfits. Over the years they got less and less but you can still find a few.
Now living here in the U.S. I wonder how something like this would maybe translate over to coders and designers in startups. Seeing that we have these startup heavy areas across the country. Why not have people work a year in the Valley, then move a year to NYC, followed by another year in Boston or Austin. Would be a fun and rewarding program for young talent.
The software craftsmanship movement is starting to get this sort of thing going. At least the idea of apprentice, journeyman and master are taking shape, and a number of software development companies have done craftsman swaps.
Corey Haines http://www.coreyhaines.com/ in particular has done a lot to actually live like the software equivalent of these carpenter journeymen.
No need for a program - you can just do it. Even go outside the US (some countries have a work/holiday visa program, eg Australia). It's a great learning experience.
I think the most critical step towards success of such a thing is getting a few bigger companies in each of the startup areas to offer exclusive intern/entry/mid-level positions to these kinds of people.
I guess a lot of hacker news reader work in said startup areas. So is anybody willing to give it a shot?
I am located in Munich, Germany, not exactly a startup hup, but I have some connections to Berlin and would be willing to annoy my contacts there until they agree.
Also should the plans for my own company work out in the next months, I would be willing to offer exclusive intern/entry/mid-level positions.
I was born and raised in Germany as well but am now in Dallas getting ready to move to Palo Alto.
Besides this digital Walz it might also be interesting to start a small network for "Global German Tech Talent" or something. I know there are a few germans in the Valley.
That might actually work in practice. But in principle selecting on the basis of nationality always sounds silly to me. (But I guess I'm just being a good German here. Where not even our President is a patriot.)
I've got the feeling that it's getting more frequent in the last few years. Just like you see more people dressed in traditional garb (in beer-related festivities here in Bavaria for ex.). I think for a while anything "traditional" was regarded as way too conservative, but we're moving beyond that. Tattoos and Lederhosen...
But yes, some kind of umbrella organization would be quite neat, some organized internship outside of colleges. A "communist" consultancy…
Now living here in the U.S. I wonder how something like this would maybe translate over to coders and designers in startups. Seeing that we have these startup heavy areas across the country. Why not have people work a year in the Valley, then move a year to NYC, followed by another year in Boston or Austin. Would be a fun and rewarding program for young talent.