I’ve made some changes that will be effective in January and I’m starting to get questions from friends and colleagues as the news begins to spread. This is an exciting and nervous time as my family and I journey on a new adventure. I thought it might be beneficial to describe them here in my blog so those who care can know what’s going on.
Starting January 3rd, I will be working as an independent consultant providing software architecture and development services. Although, the title includes the word independent, I’m joining an unofficial team of “independent” consultants in Ohio who collaborate together and get involved in the professional community.
There are several reasons I decided to work as an independent consultant. One reason is that I’ve always had a spirit for entrepreneurship and this gives me a chance to discover that a bit. The other reason is a desire to pursue some career changes.
In recent months, I’ve been looking for job opportunities that combine my passion for technology with my passion for building community. Although I’m able to do those activities to some extent in my current role, I really want a job where reaching out to other professionals through community activities is a central element. Those jobs are difficult to find (or I just don’t know where to look). So, I’m creating my own job with the community and technology evangelism elements built-in. :)
I’m still keeping an eye out for full-time positions that will interest and challenge me. In the meantime, I’m going to have a lot of fun exploring the challenges and rewards of self-employment. I’m hoping to find some flexibility in this adventure to discover new ideas and increase my involvement in community activities.
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As I was writing this entry, I went in a different direction, explaining how I grew a passion for community and some of the awesome things that occurred with our community sites like TechEdBloggers.net and PDCBloggers.net. I think I’ll save those for another post as they really got me energized and thinking about the potential for more effective community networks.