Moving On (but more Sitecore)

For those who know me you'll know that I've worked with Sitecore in the APJ Professional Services team for the last 4 1/2 years, and I've finally made the decision to move on to something new. It's been a heck of a journey, from being a part of the team while there were only a handful of us, to leading the team across APJ; working with a massive range of clients and partners, from those who had zero Sitecore experience, to those who had Sitecore MVPs on board. It's funny how you think you know a lot about Sitecore until you actually go to work there and have access to all the knowledge of the global teams, whether it's Professional Services, Support, or the Product team. Like any software vendor (or product) they have their flaws (after all, the company is made up of humans), but I could not have asked for a better group of people to work with, learn, and grow. I like to think that our Services team in APJ is one of the strongest group of people in the Sitecore ecosystem. So why move on? There were a number of reasons, but like any other job after a few years things start to get a little less interesting and less challenging, so I made the call to try something (semi-)new. I'll still be in the Sitecore ecosystem, and I'll be hopefully posting some interesting material as I go. Now that I'm not an employee of Sitecore (and nothing to gain) I'll leave you with a parting word of advice: whether you're a Sitecore newbie or an MVP, client or partner side, there is always a benefit to involving the Sitecore Professional Services team in your life. They have access to more knowledge and internal resources than you could ever get access to, and with all the new Sitecore products being released it's pretty much impossible for one person to be an expert at all of them. So if you want your projects to go smoothly I'd strongly encourage you to get them involved, whether it's a few hours here and there, or a dedicated resource to help you on a recurring basis, you'll be massively reducing your risk and helping to ensure your projects are successful.