I had an interview with the VP of Technology (a way high up guy) at ESPN on Tuesday. He called me on my way home to let me know that they want me! I met with him and the leader of their web development group, so I'll most likely be working on their website in some form. They're gonna give me a call next week with more details after it gets hammered out w/ HR.

They gave me a tour of their data center, and it was crazy. Rooms and rooms of different servers, all on raised floors and requiring keycard access. The facilities are amazing.

The best news is...I have to learn Java now.

DUUUUDE


You get to work with Mike Davidson!!

Very nice

Haha, I'll see if I can manage to bump into him or Stuart Scott. Mike is on the design team, I'm gonna be a code-monkey. I'll try to get his standards-compliant-loving autograph for you if I can Brak.

EDIT: Whoops, just found out that he works from the Seattle office by reading his blog. Cool blog.

Congrats! Spluf, where u located?

I live just outside of Boston, but I go to the University of Hartford. ESPN's headquarters are in the small town of Bristol, CT, about 25 minutes away (they're most of the town). I'll be working 3 days a week 9-5 during the school year while I finish up my degree, and then hopefully be offered a fulltime position. They did ask if I would be willing to move to Connecticut.

Wow, strange. I live in Bristol, but not that Bristol, i live in Bristol, England. Anyways sounds like a sweet opportunity.

Congrats! Thats a real golden oppertunity. Not only for a job, but also to make some valuable contacts and make a name for yourserlf.

Congratulations man! This is excellent news.

BTW, why hasn't anyone come up with sporty jokes, like Spluff scoring a home run

OK, I see why now.

Congrats again Spluff!

Haha... good point.

Although, if I were being interviewed for the only major online player beleiving in web standards and hiring an innovator as director of web design... I might need a few extra pair of pants for that interview

Maybe I'm just becoming a bit too obsessed? Never... never....

Spluf, if you do get to talk with Mike Davidson, let him know that there are quite a few people that take pride in his work, if not for transforming a major online player to web standards, but creating a page that everyone (normal people) think is a great display of the internet's potential.

Good news man.

I read ESPN.com about a half dozen times a day... it's pretty amazing to me that someone on these forums will now be part of my non-WDF daily reading.

Congrats man

Who is this Mike Davidson anyway?

Brak's crush.

He has a cool blog too.

Very interesting interview, thanks! Just posted a comment in his blog about his Live view. VERY interesting idea.

Congrats, haha. Don't let it go to your head too much!

Just kidding, of course, let it go to your head.

I just found out my assignment for ESPN. I start Sept 20th, and I'll work a week in the Back Office Group (ASP & PHP), and then a week in the Web Group (Java) and then I can decide where I want to stay. I picked up a book on Java and it's very similar to C++ which I'm familiar with, so I'm thinking that might be the way to go. Either way, I'm pretty psyched.