So Long, and Thanks For All the Fuss

At first, I wasn’t really enthusiastic about the idea of working for ISM eCompany. But the owner and CEO of the company at that time (now Minister of Finance of The Netherlands) somehow convinced me that it would be a great job.

And (in this case) he was right.

I participated in awesome projects (and a few not so awesome). I worked with great people (and one or two numskulls). I wrote some code I was very proud of (and also a huge amount of crap). And I managed at least a hundred people (though sometimes I suspect they were actually managing me).

But the best part of working for ISM was that nothing was ever the same. There was always some mess to clean up. Always problems to be solved. Always interesting challenges to discuss. Always fuss about stuff. And that’s what made these seven years so valuable to me. Sure, the fuss wasn’t always enjoyable. But, from a learning perspective, it was priceless. I used many of those valuable lessons as inspiration for this blog, and for my upcoming book. And on top of that, I could choose my own work, my own title, and I got a nice salary too! Amazing.

But all things must come to an end. And now it’s time to go.

This was my last day at ISM eCompany. It was a time of fun and frustration. I felt both excitement and despair. And I worked sometimes singing, sometimes cursing. In short, it was a time I will never forget.

Thanks to everyone who made me want to stay for so long. In particular Arno, Niels and Jeroen, who launched with me the Sociotoco business unit. (It was the best idea we had in years, almost as good as promoting the CEO to Minister of State.)

I have no idea what the world looks like where I’m going. It’s both exciting and scary. So I may call upon your help some time. In the meantime, try to do what I did all those seven years: learn. And I hope you will keep following my adventures on this blog, which will now focus on my new career as writer, speaker, and trainer. If you enjoy watching people struggle and tumble, stay tuned. This might be hilarious.

So long, and thanks for all the fuss.

(And sorry about the crappy code.)

(image by striatic)