In this talk, Charity discusses the idea that being on call is a burden when in fact being on call can be a great time to unleash your curiosity, learn new skills, and develop/refine your technical judgment.
We have collectively internalized the idea that being on call is a distasteful burden, a necessary evil at best. What if I told you that:
* on call could be 100% voluntary?
* being on call could be a sign of prestige?
* you could look forward to your turn on call, when you get to take a break from the roadmap and fix all the shit that has been personally bugging you?
* being on call can be a great time to unleash your curiosity, learn new skills, and develop/refine your technical judgment?
* an on call rotation, properly run, can heighten the stakes, build your empathy towards your users, and strengthen the bonds between you and your teammates?
On call doesn’t have to be something you are forced to endure… we can do better than that. It might even become your favorite week of the month