Well week 1 came and went really fast and all in all was fun, frustrating and challenging. Starting any new job is daunting; adding to that a move across the world and only having 2 days to get over the 7 hour time change may not have been the best combination in retrospect...but that is the way I role.

Day 1 and I arrive to shuttles into a little room with 30 other new hires for the introductory training on Microsoft Ireland and Microsoft in general. 20+ of the new hires are recent college graduates. This is an 8 hour session on everything from putting a lid on you coffee to make sure you don’t get a burn to the IT Security policies. The session on the makeup of the Ireland office, with European Operations Team, Localization Development Teams and Ireland Sales Team is interesting as is the actual IT stuff. The rest is HR fluff that I could do without; I have had a job before!

I did get my picture taken for my blue badge, should have it within a week or so.

Tuesday really is my first day on the job. I got an email Monday night from my manager Donna asking me if I wanted to dive in and attend a 2 hour Partner strategy meeting with one of the 16 Microsoft Partners I am responsible for. Why not! I arrive onsite at 9:00 to prep before my 10:00 meeting. I get through security and sent up to the 8^th floor where I walk around for 15 minutes looking lost and decide to sit at the open staff area hoping to find someone to ask where to go. 15 more minutes with no human interaction and I start walking the floor lost again. Finally someone tells me I look lost and offers to find me my manager. Voila, I am about to start my day.

A quick hello, get handed my temporary laptop, sign on to the network, get some mail and off to the meeting. It is in this meeting that I find out that I am the Partner Technology Specialist responsible for server technologies (PG1 for the Microsofties). This means I need to be an expert in W2K8, virtualization, System Centre, DPM, and of course SBS/EBS. I have to backfill and support the IW stack (SharePoint, Office, Project Server, UC, etc). Nothing like finding out your job in the first meeting with a Partner!

Keeping with the get your feet in the fire, I was then send off to 2 more Partner meetings, taking up the entire day. There you go day 1 and I have been to 3 meetings with Partners.

You would think that working at Microsoft, a technology based company technology would be readily available. The short answer for this is YES and No. It is a very large organization, with over 150 000 people working in all the offices so there is a little bit of bureaucracy and rigor to all processes. Lets take getting a phone. I need to get a desk phone and extension. The Dublin office is primarily using Unified Communications and older IP phones. I of course want to use UC so I can use a soft phone from home as well as integrate to my mobile (that is coming next). To get UC I need to have an IP phone and then get upgraded...OK, that seems logical. A bunch of SharePoint based forms later, and a phone call to the local IT manager and I have someone setting up my IP phone on Friday; then some more online forms to make the change to UC for sometime next week.

This all seems OK, but I am new to Ireland and I need a phone to be able to call and get registered with the tax department, with immigration, etc. So I then wanted to get a mobile so I can make some calls in the wait for a desk phone. Wait, we are in the middle of a product refresh and there will be no new mobiles for 2 weeks or more while the Treo 850 is delivered and longer if you want one of the Sony phones.

Great, I happen across an older Windows Mobile phone from a hand me down on Thursday, but still need a SIM to get it functioning. A bunch of emails to various people...no go.

Friday night there is a team diner and drinks for some people who are leaving the team. This is a great way to meet everyone and really get to know them. We stop at one of Dublin’s oldest pubs before diner for a pint of Guinness and then off to a very upscale restaurant. Over a number of drinks I find someone with a spare SIM and by Monday I will have a working phone on my desk and a mobile I can use until the new phones arrive.

 Partner meeting location....golf course half way to Belfast....I like this job already :>)

 That is week 1 on the job

This where all the fun for the week really is. We decided to make a short trip out of Dublin on Saturday and see the coast. It is Sarah’s birthday today and we needed to do something fun for her and going up to the ocean is a great start for prairie people. We travel south of Dublin to Greystones. A tiny village with a very beautiful and rugged coast line about 30 km south of where we are staying. It is very windy, gusts up to 70km/h and it one of the best experiences of our life as the salty air slaps you across the face at the same time as the tide pounds the coast line. We have a nice Irish breakfast after or time on the shoreline and then drive back to Dublin. On the way home we discover that Emily seems to have developed a car sickness issue in Ireland.

On Sunday we take the LUAS commuter train to downtown Dublin to take in St. Stephen’s Green, an old gated park in the centre of town with a huge duck pond and beautiful gardens. After a picnic in the park we walk the Grafton Street area with all the shops in buildings from the early 1700 & 1800’s. This is a fantastic family day and maybe our best day in Ireland so far.

We then head home for supper and we can watch the rider game on TSN.ca when it is completed and posted. Go Green!

Friday was Bill Gates last day at Microsoft.....like you were able to miss the biggest retirement since Bill Clinton (not that I am comparing Ballmer to George W!). I have to write a small thank you to Bill, as without him I would not have a job, the passion I have or the vision for the world I do.

I think there are many people in the world who have passion for technology like Bill Gate`s. Most of us do not the opportunity to take that passion to the same level Bill has. Equally I believe there are a number of business savvy people around the world on par with Bill. What differentiates Bill Gates from all others, other than maybe Steve Job, is his extreme ability in both of these fields. He is an uber geek and a ruthless businessman all rolled in to one, and it as been awesome to watch.

I received my first home PC computer in 1984. I used to write basic applications to help my dad’s company cost out products it manufactured and keep track of the average cost of the year’s production. I was just entering university and there was a limited number computer classes but I was enrolled in them. I ended up leaving university after the 2^nd year to go to work for a while to try and find my focus but kept working on computers.

It was from this point that I started to use predominately Microsoft products. DOS, the early releases of Windows, Windows 95, 98, NT, the early releases of Office and Windows Server. Sure I learned some UNIX, Novel, Corel, Adobe and Apple along the way, but the reality is that what I have been using, like most of the computer world is Microsoft’s products. No other software company has been able to find a niche in almost every single computer field. The bread and butter is the OS business, on the desktop and server side but the dominance in the browser, development tool set and framework, productivity tool sets, email solutions, mobile solutions and gaming systems is unbelievable. While they do not own some of these markets, they are usually 2^nd in all other niches.

Sure there have been some failures along the way (see Bob, ME, URGE, TabletPC, UMPC and some of the hardware they have pushed) but they tend to succeed way more than they fail.

I love technology and the possibilities it provides, and for this I thank Bill Gates for his vision of a world with a computer in every house and on every desk. Some said it was crazy, but in some areas of the world it is the norm. I have had 20+ years to watch the evolution of the PC and computing in general, and can’t wait to see where it goes. Gates fingerprints are all over this…..for good or bad some may argue…but no one can argue his impact.

So I did it. I quit my job at SaskEnergy the other day with no signed offer in place to go somewhere new. If you read my blog on January 1^st of this year on my dissatisfaction in my job and my current employer, then this will come as no shock. That being said, it is always a little unsettling to go through the process of quitting a job.

So what is next…..well I am taking the month of July off to spend some time with the kids and Sarah. Sarah has lined up a list of project for me to work on around the house, to date the list looks like:

·         Install t-bar ceiling on 3^rd level

·         Finish the bathroom on the 3^rd level

·         Rip out the deck off the back door

·         Install a new deck off the front door

·         Haul 10 yards of dirt into the yards to improve the grade for water drainage

·         Plan shrubs along the alleyway in the front yard

You get the picture, it will be a quiet July without question. I have an offer of employment with a consulting firm here in Regina to start August 1^st, but I am still looking at a couple of other options. I will make a posting once I get a final home for my careers down the road.

This new found freedom should give me the opportunity to blog a little more starting June 30^th!

Will

 

• First and foremost is the fact it is built on Microsoft’s newest server technologies: Windows Server 2008, Exchange Server 2007, SQL Server 2008, Windows Server Update Services v3, and Windows SharePoint Services v3
• A new setup and administrative experience that has been re-designed to make initial deployment and day-to-day management significantly easier
• Many new management features such as extensible monitoring reports, and tools to manage internet domain names, data folders, certificates and more
• A revamp of the Premium Edition to include both SQL Server 2008 Standard Edition technologies, a 2nd copy of Windows Server 2008 and a new CAL Licensing model allowing for singles, 5’s or 10’s to fit any circumstance
• A new server backup wizard built on the Windows Server 2008 block-based backup technologies, which allows you to back up your server in minutes rather than hours
• A redesigned Remote Web Workplace with new features such as custom links, logos and user to computer mapping
• Built-in anti-virus and anti-spam support with 120-day trial subscriptions to Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server and Windows Live OneCare for Server

I had the pleasure a couple of weeks ago of co-hosting the Community Connection event here in Regina, sponsored by Microsoft, CIP, ICTC and ACCC as part of the launch tour for Server2008, Visual Studio 2008 and SQL 2008. As part of this event I was able to participate in the afternoon presentation to about 50 SIAST and high school students as well as the evening session for IT Professionals. There was a sound message delivered as part of these presentations, there is an immediate and short range need for a large number of people to enter the field.

The numbers presented by ICTC indicate a 33,000 person shortage for 2008 and 89,000 in the next 3 to 5 years. Those numbers are staggering when you look at the enrolment numbers in computer programs across Canada. In Regina, there are currently 12 declared CSS students at the University of Regina, with 20 people attending SIAST Wascana campus’s networking class, and another 20 in SIAST Palliser campus for the programming class. Those numbers are not reassuring when you are looking to hire staff. I recently attempted to hire a QA Developer and a .net Developer. We had approval to make this happen as fast as possible and in the end I was hard pressed to find any candidates from Regina. We ended up interviewing people in Calgary, Winnipeg and finally ended up hiring the .net developer from Halifax.

What seems to be the market condition at this time in Regina is the consulting firms are having employees jump around between them to take on various new postings, but few if any new people actually are entering the workforce. This will really lead to a problem in the next 3-5 years when the baby boomers start to retire. My personal take away from the Community Connection was to find a means of encouraging enrolment in the school programs around the province, and find a way to increase the public’s awareness of this need.

In Saskatchewan, we are experiencing a bit of a renaissance in terms of population growth, economic growth and revitalization in general. One of the by-products of this boom is a need to fill professional and trade positions to meet the demand. In the case of the nurses and teachers, they have a collective bargaining group in the form of a union to lobby on their behalf to encourage the government to hire more positions as well as to market to the general public, and the current high school students in particular of the need for these professionals. This is lacking in the IT sector as we all work for different companies and organizations. Far be it from me to preach the virtues of a union, but I do believe that there is a need for a common voice to represent the technology profession in Saskatchewan at some level.

Within Saskatchewan, there is an organization that could do this. SATA is a non-profit organization that has a large membership of corporations and companies with IT interests. The downside is that this organization has mainly made its mandate to present information as to why the outsourcing of IT jobs by the government is the right choice to make. Funny enough, most of the membership companies are consulting firm who would be the beneficiary of these practices. That does not make them the right voice for the industry in my mind.

This then leads me to the second option, CIPS. As an organization, it is exclusively made up of volunteers with no paid or full-time staff. They would have a great deal of trouble in finding the leadership to take on this task. It requires statistical analysis, marketing, lobbying the provincial government at different level, the education institutions as well as making presentations around the province to perspective students. It is a giant undertaking and one that a volunteer organization can’t do effectively.T

his then leads me to my third option. For those who have been following my blog since the start of the year will know that I have been looking for a means to become a Technology Evangelist within my own community and how to turn this into a profession; this may be the opportunity to do just that. Who it is that would sponsor such a position (or non-profit organization)? That is the part of the mission I need to work out, but I now have a starting point to work towards my goal.

I will keep you updated as I continue to work this all out.

Will

Microsoft, in conjunction with CIPS, ICTC and ACCC is presenting the Hero's Happen {here} events across Canada. These events will happen in conjunction with the launch of Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008 and SQL 2008. The aim of these events is a little different based on the location. Some cities will get a full on product launch with Microsoft staff presenters demoing the new products in conjunction with a series of presentations on getting people interested and engaged in the IT field.  Other cities will have community presenters delivering the product overview and the IT engagement portion, while smaller cities will only be having the series of presentations on getting people interested and engaged in the IT field. Regina, being a smaller city, is only getting the presentation on getting people excited about being in the IT Field. The event is going to be at the Regina Inn on Tuesday March 18^th from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. A copy of the draft agenda is below. As the VP for CIPS Regina, I will be hosting the event with Rodney Buike from Microft. You can register for the event at the link below.

http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032365538&Culture=en-CA

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Draft Workshop Agenda 6 -9 PM  (bracket = whose responsibility)

Learning Circle Topics  

 Workbook

The structured connection portion of the event is where the participants are given a workshop workbook/resource manual. There would be one book for each participant, regardless of their orientation.  Inside the workbook would be both scenarios the individuals are trying to resolve and industry issues that need to be discussed. The idea is that the workbook would be used during the event, but individuals would discover they need to connect with other types of professionals / experts in order to complete their solutions / discussions.  Using their workbooks – individuals start to gather around posted “experts” of various pieces of the industry and technologies who are either members of the “panel” or passionate community members who want to talk, help and connect the community. The solutions / industry trends in the workbook would require more than one area of expertise for advice and would therefore force more structured networking. This would continue for a period of time and then eventually wrapped up.

Another year arrives and people traditionally start to look back and forward to make resolutions for the coming year. I guess I am not much different, in that I have spent the day thinking about the past year, my accomplishments, my short comings and trying to set some priorities for the coming year. It is difficult to set goals for an entire year when you work in technology....anything I think about today will be old in 6 months; but at the same time I do think it is important to set goals.

This year my goals are not around technology or learning...for a change. I rather want to focus my efforts on changing my career path and starting to make my own way in the world. I am currently employed as a "Business Solutions Integrator" (WTF?) at SaskEnergy, I was suppose to start a new role with the organization as of today as the "technical architect". This was a big step forward as there has been to date no architect, enterprise or other within the organization and I worked hard for the last 2 years to make them aware of how important this role is to an organization. I was told last month that a formal announcement of this role was on hold pending a final decision from the CIO based on some internal reviews underway. Well this is all well and good, as I am still gainfully employed and collecting a salary....but that does not make me feel better about the sudden change late in the game.

With this sitting in the back of my mind, I have decided that the following will be my goals for the year:

1.       I want to be working for myself by the end of the year (2008) in some form. This working for the government is killing me. They can't do anything without spending months talking about it. I am all for governance, but there is a difference between making sure you are doing the right thing and spending so much time in approvals that you actually loose productivity and possibly make the solution need to be reworked. Beyond that, I want to start to control my schedule a little better. I have 3 kids that need and want my attention, and I want to be able to work around them instead of the other way around.

2.       I want to spend some time this year looking at how I can become a technology evangelist within my own community in some fashion, and if this could be a career path. I have had this idea in my head for a while. I want to take my enthusiasm for all things new and digital and translate that into a job. This could mean blogging, an online series of videos, a local tv show, presentations, etc....I am still working all of this out in my mind...stay tuned.

3.       I want to dedicate some time this year to my music life. For the last 7 years I have played only a couple of gigs a year and let my DJ life slide away from me. It was necessary given my new family and additional commitment that they require. I played a Christmas party for the Connect Tribe last week and then watched "High Fidelity" last night and realized that I am the John Cuzak character. What is missing from my day to day life that separates the mundane from the extraordinary is music and the expression of it through DJ'ing for people. At 40, I think I am still able to bring the sounds that make people move, and maybe better able to appreciate the fact that it is not the hottest new track that will always make people go crazy, it can be 15 years old, if played at the right time and mixed with the right lead.

4.   I want to take some time off at some point this year and have a family vacation. I have not taken a holiday longer than a 3 day weekend in the last 3 years and it is time that this changes.I have always found work excuses to not take a vacation. The reality is that I just don't know how to turn off the job. I think about work almost all the time. I can't really explain why I am this way...I at different times have thought I was bi-polar in a mild way as when I am on I am way on. That can mean 3-4 hours sleep and constant thoughts running through my head. While this is all great to me, it is how my mind works, it does not change the fact I need to take a break once and a while. I spend the last week, between Christams and New Years, at home with the family, not responding to my blackberry or working on anything to do with the office. To be honest, it was a pretty good time. I think I need to do this a little more.

5.  I want to blog more frequently, and about the 2 things that drve me...technology (this one) and music (I need to set this one up yet)

So, in a nut shell, that is the days thoughts. Nothing earth shattering......but still what is on my mind

 w