Its time
“…Your present circumstances don't determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start…” Nido Qubein.
Yes, this is one of those emails. I honestly never thought I’d ever leave but here it is…
After nearly 11 years at Microsoft I’m leaving for the leading user state virtualization company called AppSense where I’ll be taking a Director of Business Development role. It’s an exciting opportunity that’s in line with what Im been thinking for my career. I’ve been thinking about it carefully a lot! See its a really tough decision to leave Microsoft. Really tough. When you have spent more than some of your children’s lives at a place, it becomes a big decision to consider a move. But it was just time for something different, something new. AppSense is an exciting company with a bright future that I will enjoy being a part of.
As much as I hate the cheesiness, it truly is a mixed emotion as while this is a great opportunity for me, there’s so many things I will miss. I will miss the buzz of standing up and keynoting big events and giving presentations. I will miss being “in the know” of Microsoft’s foremost products. I will miss working for the name of Microsoft. There is a certain prestige in working for this company that after nearly 11 years I still like and I think the next wave of products will blow people away. Watch and see!
I’ve made many great friends at Microsoft, both internally and in the community. I want to do a big shout out and say big thanks to the Australian IT community. I really enjoyed serving you and talking to you about Microsoft technologies in my capacity there. My last day is Friday, 1st July 2011.
I plan to continue the conversation on twitter @mkleef and Ive also created a new blog at https://michaelkleef.blogspot.com
I especially like this quote from Dr Seuss. “…Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened…”
I’m smiling.