I am really excited to announce that starting January 27th of 2008 I will be taking a position with Microsoft.  My new title will be Premier Field Engineer (Solution Specialist) and I will work under the Product Support Services (PSS) umbrella.  So what does that mean?  Well this is the team that is called in when those really gnarly issues show up.  Regardless of whether its a custom application or a Microsoft SKU we can get called in to "save the day".  I've heard it described as "commando debugging".  So if your organization has a support contract with Microsoft we may be working together sometime in the near future!

Actually,  that's only part of the role,  I will also be heavily involved in our library of tools at PSS and I can often be called on to develop and deliver tailored training materials for our customers.  The combination of these responsibilities scratches me excatly where I itch.  As you can probably tell I'm really excited about this opportunity.  Working for Microsoft has been a professional goal of mine for some time now.  Also,  the team I'll be working on is stocked full of really incredible technology professionals (and I haven't even met all of them yet).  I have a lot to learn and I can't wait to start with this knew challenge.

For those of you that know me and know that I'm in the west Florida area,  don't worry,  you'll still see my smiling face at local user group meetings.  This role does not require me to relocate so I'll be working primarily out of my house with the occasional trip out of town to help our customers.  That being said,  I will most likely be backing out of some leadership roles in organizations like IASA and of course I will no longer be a Microsoft MVP so there will be some changes.

Finally,  I have to thank those that have helped me get here.  My managers and peers at my current employer are all great people and I will miss working with all of them.  They are truly doing some incredible groundbreaking work there.  The commitment of the management team to move full speed into the next generation of Microsoft products is really encouraging.  If you know anything about fortune 100 companies you know that its often very challenging to embrace new technologies in a timely manner and they do.  Also,  the role I played there was one that was able to make a huge impact which was very rewarding.  If you're at all interested in getting that type of experience let me know and I'll gladly forward your information to them.  Also,  the fine folks at DevelopMentor have been really nice to me as well.  We never did manage to get to a point where I could become a full time instructor but they completely opened my eyes to another level of technology knowledge. 

In closing,  I realize that every change has unknowns and that can be scary.  In my situation,  these are risks I am more than willing to accept to be able to work with a technology company like Microsoft.  Every Microsoft employee I've ever met seems to be made out of some of the same materials.  Add 3 parts intelligence, 2 parts professionalism, and 5 parts passion for technology and you have what it is that I completely grok about becoming a Microsoft employee.  I am truly honored to be given this opportunity and I will definately be making the most of it!