New Year's Message 2009
I suppose I should say “Happy New Year” but I think those who know me would think I have lost it. After all, what is there to be happy about? The economy is in the tank, fighting has (once again) broken out in the Middle East, and jobs are being cut at an alarming rate. Yet, even among all this news, we as developers continue to love our jobs. I personally think it has something to do with the act of creation.
Creating something gives you a sense of satisfaction. As developers we are called upon to create all the time. We create for different reasons: Some do it to make money. Others to see their creations come to life and be used. Still others to prove to themselves and peers their technical acumen. Many people are various combinations of these and myriad other motivations. Regardless why we do it, the simple fact remains that we are all united in this occupation.
It is this unity that will help in the coming days. As we begin to weather the storm that is 2009 the best way for us to survive is to stick together. How do we do that? Here are five things I think everyone should do if they haven’t done it already:
1. Join a local user group – just do a search on your city and “DNUG”. You will usually get information for your local user group. If you can’t find it then send me an email and I will help you out.
2. Join LinkedIn (https://www.LinkedIn.com) – start making a network of friends and colleagues today if you haven’t already. It’s not what you know it’s who you know.
3. Take advantage of any and all free (or near free) training you can get your hands on – the first thing to go at companies in these times is the training budget. Unfortunately, as companies downsize, more and more pressure is put on the people that remain which is why you need to be more vigilant about your training not less. A great place to start for free training is https://channel9.msdn.com/ and just do a search for your topic of interest.
4. Freshen up your resume – even if you don’t think you are in a position where you may be laid off it is always a good idea to dust off your resume and make sure everything is up to date from time to time.
5. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or advice – I don’t care how smart you are we all need help at one time or another. Talk to people. Don’t go to a user group meeting and sit there like a tree stump. INTERACT! Get more involved in the community and really feel what it is like to be part of a larger family.
Above all, know that Microsoft and specifically Chris, Phil, Jay, and I are here for you. It is our job to help you with your job. Obviously we can’t come to everyone’s desk and check your code but what we can do is make sure you know where resources are to make your life better. Whether your goal is to make it home as early as possible to see your kids or it’s to know all the esoteric details of garbage collection – we are here for you.
So let me end with this thought:
The New Year may not have started out well but together I think we can make 2009 a happy new year after all.
Wishing you all the best from everyone at Microsoft,
Zain
p.s. Here are some big free (or very low cost) events coming up:
Microsoft Developer Conference -- Dallas, TX -- January 26, 2009
Windows Mobile Application Development Chat Series – Multiple Dates (Live Chat)
Comments
Anonymous
January 05, 2009
Though I don't know your thoughts completely, I can understand you. As a fresh developer, I will work harder in the new year 2009. After all thank you for your advices. Wish you have a nice day.Anonymous
January 06, 2009
Heya Zain, "Happy" New Year to you as well, and a very insightful 5 tips. See you at the MSDN event in Baton Rouge, and also maybe at Houston Tech Fest. Cheers, StacyAnonymous
January 06, 2009
Thanks for the 5 tips Zain. Another thing I would like to point out is that we also need to look back, see some mistakes we did and see how we can improve so that they won't happen again. That's one way which can help us to develop better software.