Today I announced broadly that I'm leaving Microsoft.
I sent 3 emails. Two went to the discussion groups of tools that I own, to announce the change of ownership of these tools. Strictly for business reasons, but then the news started flowing, and I was starting to get questions. So I sent out the third - to basically every person I've worked with in the last 11 years.
What's next?I'm going to be a stay-at-home dad. The twins are 20 months old. Reid is 6. We want to homeschool Reid, and eventually the twins.
Living off savings will require that we spend a lot less. We currently live 1.9 miles from Microsoft campus, which is a damn expensive place to be. With me not working there, it doesn't make sense to live here, so we're moving away.
We've picked Port Townsend as our new home. It's such a cool city. 8000 people. 25mph speed limits. Hopefully we can bike & walk just about everywhere.
It's also a good choice because I love old, wooden boats, and PT has plenty of them. But that's for the future - right now, our attention will be on the family. Catching up on rest, taking good care of ourselves, being together.
I'm trying to leave Microsoft on good terms, and that includes trying to wrap things up on my current project so that it will succeed when I'm gone.
There's also a lot of work to do to get the house ready, purge our stuff some more, find a new home, pack, and move. Whew!
11 comments:
Congratulations on your new home. I live in Sequim and we love living in the peninsula.
P.T. is nice. Reminds me of Wales. We have a friend up there. Now we have two.
wow that's a corageous choice! wish you all the best!
I hope the best to you and yours, Jay.
I'm curious, why the decision to homeschool? Financial? Religious? That's cool though, I see more and more people doing that nowadays.
judah: thanks! My motivation to homeschool came from my miserable experience in public & private schools. They seem to be best-suited to the thick-skinned, and to those of average intellect.
I was always thought that I could do a better job. I've only recently realized how right I was!
COngrats and Good luck! You are a brave man. We made a similar choice recently - but I still work and its my wife who stayed home to school our boys. I contribute during weekends and evenings.
Its really worth it.
-raj
Look like you're blazing your own path. Congratulations.
http://www.unconventionalideas.com/dropin.html
Hi Jay, congrats and good luck. I hope you continue to blog periodically as I've really learned a lot from your thoughts on refactoring, testing, and development in general.
Jay,
I remember hearing you speak on the debugger years ago @ a C++ conference and thought you were brilliant. Good luck to you and your family.
Heh, cool! The debugger talks were a nice contrast to the days in the office in front of the PC. Good to travel, and meet folks using what I worked on.
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