In a prior post, I wrote about new adventures and recovering from burn out. I have taken the months of January and February to recharge my mental battery and reflect on my time as a director of software development. I’ve thought critically about what I liked about the job and what I didn’t like. In my introspection, I’ve learned a few things about myself.

My strengths have always been my imagination, my ability to inspire and push folks, and ultimately help individuals achieve their goals. I also have an insatiable desire to learn more. I’ve watched countless hours of YouTube tutorials about topics that are interesting to me, with little likelihood of using that knowledge; At this point, I could cater, DJ, and photograph your wedding, but would you want me to? No, probably not. I am also incredibly empathetic to folks with goals and want to see them succeed. I want to share my knowledge and success with others. With all those personal attributes, I wanted to transition from a management role into a new challenge.

New Challenge

Starting at the end of February, I will be joining JetBrains as a Developer Advocate in North America. JetBrains just celebrated its 20th anniversary delivering on its mission.

THE DRIVE TO DEVELOP.
At JetBrains, code is our passion. Ever since we started, back in 2000, we have strived to make the strongest, most effective developer tools on earth. –JetBrains

I have always been a fan of JetBrains’ tools. It is unbelievably easy to talk about the quality of their products. Tools like ReSharper and Rider have shaped the last decade of my development career. JetBrains has also met my needs when it comes to moving back and forth between Windows and macOS. I’m not the only one raving about their tools, with a worldwide userbase of over 8+ million users. I have been promoting their products for free, but it doesn’t hurt to get paid to do it either ;)

In addition to the product admiration I have for JetBrains, I also draw great inspiration from the folks within JetBrains. Folks like Maarten Balliauw, Rachel Appel, and Hadi Hariri. Their talks, software, and contributions to the technical community are staggering. I hope to achieve a 10th of what these folks have accomplished. I’m excited to get to collaborate with the amazing individuals at JetBrains.

Taking a minute to look over their website, you will realize the breadth of JetBrains’ offerings. The organization contributes to multiple ecosystems. JetBrains supports open-source projects, encourage the dreams of flourishing startups, and provide a solid foundation to Fortune 100 companies. As an advocate, all of these opportunities are exciting playgrounds for my imagination.

In conclusion, I feel like I have a bright future and exciting new challenges ahead of me. I want to thank the folks at JetBrains for offering me this once-in-a-lifetime chance. I want to thank my supportive wife, Nicole, without whom I could not have had the courage to apply to JetBrains. Finally, I want to thank the folks in the community who read my blog, leave kind comments, and share my thoughts with others.