Last Day at Microsoft

Hello Everyone,

With great reluctance, I am leaving Microsoft and will no longer be maintaining this blog.  It been a great ride over the last 4 years, and I will never forget all that this company has done for my personal and professional growth.  Although this is goodbye, it is not for good, HR willing :)

I will be actively pursuing degrees in higher education namely around Computer Science, Economics, and Public Policy.  I know its a weird mix, but after all that I’ve seen I’m convinced that a bit of CS/Web culture needs to be assimilated into the archaic world of government, economics, and policy debate.  I am hopeful my ambitions are not as naive as they sound, but I firmly believe that the next few years will be a huge transformation in the way our lives integrate with society, government, and democracy.  I will also be taking a year off to do enterprise architecture work at Dadabhagwan.org, a non-profit spiritual organization that I have been working with since I was 14.

To me, working for Microsoft was a dream come true, a dream I hope to comeback to in the next few years!

I would like to especially thank a few people for their extraordinary commitment to my success and progress:

Anand Iyer – Dude, you’ve always been there when I needed some help and you continue to be an inspiration and a good friend!  Good Luck on the WP7 launch this winter!

Chris Henley – I’ve never met a more positive personality inside Microsoft than you.  I am the IT Evangelist I am because of your mentorship!

James Senior – Our plans for world domination will have to be postponed.  We’ll talk later back at the Dungeon of Doom.

Daniel Sumner – You helped me when I was at my worst, and I am stronger now because of your patience.  Thank you!

Paul Murphy– Paul, I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for your help!  I always thought I’d follow you to India and then to Redmond, but I guess the UK is where I branch out. 

Cheryl & Amee – Thanks for all the hard work you do with the MACH program, it has been a rewarding circle to be a part of.

Lynn – I wouldn’t be the SharePoint evangelist I am without your guidance and writings!

Phil Cross & Olga – Thank you once again for putting your faith in me and letting me be track owner for TechEd, it was an extraordinary experience that I won’t forget!

Orlando – You’ve been an invaluable counselor for me over the years.  There is no better way to say it than this, “thank you for all that you do!”  J

Will Coleman – Its never a dull moment with you dude!  Lot’s of hard work ahead so keep cracking skulls and “stay the course!”

Eileen Brown – For teaching me the invaluable skills of blogging and networking.

Please follow me on twitter: @tarpara

I am in the process of moving this blog to another property.  In the mean, time watch my twitter stream.