I currently write the editorial for the PASS Connector which is published every two weeks as part of my role on the Board of Directors. I'm cross posting those editorials here as well as to the main PASS blog.

Just as the list issue of the Connector was ready… Read more

I met Jeremiah at the PASS Summit last year and since then I’ve looked in on his blog from time to time. He has an interesting mix of content covering his local PASS chapter, SQL, and one of my favorites, his Links of the Week where he aggregates good stuff… Read more

I’ve written a few posts now about LinkedIn, and for now still find it be the best fit for me as far as a networking tool. If you prefer something else, that works too! But if you’ve decided to use LinkedIn, groups should be a part of your strategy, and… Read more

My favorite bad movie is The Master Gunfighter starring Tom Laughlin of Billy Jack fame. It’s a Western, and he’s a gunfighter armed with two 12 shot revolvers (each with two cylinders if you’re interested, quite the idea) and a katana – a samurai sword. What more do you need… Read more

Ran across the Levenger site while researching laptop bags and it’s branded as ‘tools for serious readers’. Some of it perhaps over done, but some of it looks interesting. They’ve got some beautiful pens and while reading about them realized I had never tried a fountain pen, so I wanted… Read more

Back in January I posted about purchasing a Dell Mini 9, wanting to see what how it worked and a certain amount of cool factor to it. In the months since the popularity of netbooks has definitely increased (you think my blog caused that?) and I could be wrong,… Read more

As happens occasionally I had a stack of books on my desk that needed to be put away, and as I went to do that ran into a small challenge – no more space on the shelves. I need to get another bookcase, but as I looked at what I… Read more

Saw this in email this morning, Clear has ceased operations after failing to negotiate with its senior creditor. I’ve written previously about trying it for a year and deciding that the benefit didn’t align very well with the cost, and maybe I wasn’t the only one that made that decision.… Read more

I think the hardest part about the job search is interviewing and not being selected. You keep saying “why” with rarely a good answer. It’s not fun to be rejected. I don’t think I can change that with any spin, but it helps if you understand that there are a… Read more

My friend Robert Cain was kind enough to include me on his list of big thinkers along with my business partner Steve Jones, Paul Randal and Kim Tripp, Pinal Dave, and Brent Ozar. Distinguished company to be sure! Thanks Robert:-) Read more

Getting a job is hard. If you’ve been lucky enough not to struggle for a job, don’t make the mistake of thinking it will always be easy. Equally, finding a good job is harder still. Some more tips for you to consider:

• Leverage your recruiter. They know the companies you’ll…

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I currently write the editorial for the PASS Connector which is published every two weeks as part of my role on the Board of Directors. I'm cross posting those editorials here as well as to the main PASS blog.

Before we launch into the big news of the week… Read more

Part 1 discussed ways to find opportunities, Part 2 was about how to get more interviews, and today we’ll cover some tips from the employer perspective.

• Don’t use an AOL.com email address. Seriously. Gmail, Live, Yahoo, all are good, but AOL.com makes it seem like you’re stuck in the 90’s.…

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Yesterday I posted Part 1 containing five ideas for those looking for work. Today I’m going to focus on what to do when you’re struggling to get interviews. Your chances of getting hired for any given job once you interview are perhaps 1 in 10 (an unscientific estimate). If you’re… Read more

I wasn’t able to attend this event, but did participate as a sponsor and I had this follow up message from MVP Arnie Rowland:

To All Portland Code Camp 2009 Sponsors:

Our sincere appreciation for your trust, your support, and your generosity!

We had initially planned and communicated to you…

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I was recently asked for advice about seeking a job, a request we all get from time to time. In this case it was someone who had been very technical for most of their career, but then changed direction and was now seeking to return to technology. Nothing wrong with… Read more

I didn’t attend, but wanted to get this written down somewhere!

I’m just catching up on email, Ken Starnes said all went well and estimated attendance at 120. Said he needed better signs to the event, that an early appraisal of speaker evals looked good, volunteers did well, had enough… Read more

Way back on May 19 I wrote about my search for a new laptop bag to replace my somewhat tattered Targus bag. I had a few good comments on the blog, even some comments on LinkedIn, and was interesting to have people ask about it when they saw me in… Read more

Michelle Ufford (aka SQLFool) is leading the first SQLSaturday in Iowa at the University of Iowa in Iowa City on October 10, 2009. It’s supported by volunteers from the I-380 Corridor Professional Association of SQL Server, and I can’t wait to see the speaker list! In her blog Michelle… Read more

Patrick Leblanc is the event lead for SQLSaturday #17 coming up soon on August 1st. Patrick emailed me just a couple weeks ago to get things started, it had been in discussion for a while and turns out that it was early August or wait until after football season! Event… Read more