... Next steps

It's time to move on. I left a small consultancy a bit over 4 years ago in Melbourne to move to Brisbane and join this awesome company that is SSW, but an unrefusable opportunity came up and I couldn't let it pass.

I've loved working for SSW and all the people that make it such a great place to work, and I have to say that it was a really hard decision to make but since I had my third child I feel an even stronger need to be home more often, so that's what I'm seeking, reducing my commute time by working from home.

Before I joined SSW, Adam Cogan, my boss to be, told me that when it was time for me to leave I should come back to him and tell him what I learnt and how much I grew during my stay there. This really took me by surprise because that was the first time I started in a company where the boss had the peace of mind that eventually I'd be moving on. That was an awesome start...

I learnt so many things at SSW in the past 4 years that it's going to be really hard to mention everything, but it was definitely a milestone in my life and my career, where I started as a mediocre developer and now I have the confidence to call myself a solution architect.

What did I learn?

• I got a grasp of what Scrum is all about
• I left that SharePoint bubble to expand my horizon with pure web and cloud development
• I learned front end development which I wasn't used to
• Continuous integration and continuous deployment? I didn't even know what it meant and now I could even call myself a "DevOps" expert.
• So many development good practices that the list would be way too long to put here
• The power of consistency
• That the rules are not such a bad thing
• The feedback culture. Don't worry, I'm still going to call out for a test please before I give a talk
• Lost the fear of public speaking and I actually got to like it
• The importance of sharing knowledge
• Done videos are so useful
• The value of being compassionate with the client's struggles
• To be a better consultant with all the above

A few very special thanks

Adam and Ana, thank you very much for having me for the last 4 years, not only in the company, but also in your family. I've learned heaps from you two, not only as a professional but as a human being.

Jason and Brendan, you are the super stars of the best SSW office (Brisbane). It was an honour to be in so many projects with you two, keep it up with the great work you guys are doing and I'm sure we're going to work together in the future.

Stevo (Adam from Microsoft), even though you're no longer with SSW, I had to mention you here, you've been a mentor and a friend for most of my stay at SSW until you left us for Microsoft, but I still love you.

Duncan, you were an inspiration for me to get started in the public speaking journey.

Uly, I remember like it was yesterday, I was doing the communication test with you and we probably spent half the time talking about dancing. I went back home very excited to talk to Alyne and tell her I might join a company where they have a salsa champion.

Lindsay, I remember when I was introduced to you, I was asking Adam if I'd need now to report to you and he called you into the conversation, I thought it would be most awkward chat, but you were great. You've been doing a great job with the Brisbane office and taking Chinafy to the world, keep it up.

Gabe, we worked together for such a small period of time but it was great fun, we even managed to start our own YouTube Channel. Your enthusiasm is amazing. Looking forward to more chats and coffees when I'm in Melbourne.

Patricia, keep your smiles up, you bring light to every room you come in. Chris, your optimism is mind blowing. JK, keep it up and don't forget to dance. Rebs, you make our lives so much easier with your magic wand that makes everything look good. And to all of you that were with me in that big project, thank you very much for your patiance, it was a hard gig, quite stressful several times, but we made it.

Jean and Liam, you guys have a duty to keep the community stuff happening in Sydney, keep you talks going.

New, thank you for always being so patient explaining about payment stuff.

Jo and Penny, thank you so much for all the hard work to put together all the events that we did in the last couple of years. It wouldn't be the same without you.

Raj, thanks for making us look good on camera. I learned lots with you and hopefully we'll have shots soon.

Sorry I didn't mention everyone, SSW has plenty of great and smart people. It was an amazing journey and I loved being part of the SSW family.

Cheers