Year end 2017

Year end posts are cliche but it’s a nice occasion to take stock and catch up.

To recap, at the end of 2016 I left a long-time position as Director of Technology for a management consulting firm. It was a great learning experience as I worked with a variety of technologies over the years, managed a bunch of transitions, and was able to see how all the pieces fit together. I also learned to work with and support a variety of very smart, very focused staff who just wanted it to work with minimal effort or attention on their part.

In October I joined Kobargo Technology Partners, an IT service provider with offices in New York and Arizona. So far it’s been a good fit. Smart people, easy to work with. I’m primarily providing on-site support for one of their international clients with offices in New York City and Stamford, CT. I’m learning about really big networks, global tech support and highly segmented IT infrastructure. It’s somewhat frustrating after so many years of being super admin on everything I touched but amazing to see how multiple teams in multiple geographies work together to (in most cases) make everything run smoothly and seamlessly.

And in the intervening time?

I had some weird health issues affecting my balance. After many tests and some physical therapy I’ve been assured that there’s nothing threatening, but I still don’t have the leg strength or balance I once did. I can still ski but I’m going to back off on some of the ski patrol skills where patient safety is an issue.

On the career exploration path I spent a lot of time focusing on technology for marketing and social marketing tools. In the end that’s not where the job offer came from but it’s an area that’s going to have widespread impact on many of us in the years to come.

I had a nice opportunity to devote additional time to my volunteer work as President of Temple Sholom in New Milford, CT, and with the Ski Patrol at Thunder Ridge in Patterson, NY.

And I had the flexibility to travel more than usual.

So I’m looking forward to new learning and achievements in 2018 and beyond. Will post when there’s something of interest. Best wishes to all.

David