Aloha,
After getting fired in 2006 from a sh*tty Corporate America job, I took a huge career risk and started down a path that would eventually lead to me going "all-in" on Salesforce.
In the 17 years since, I have seen and done a lot of stuff in the Salesforce space, working with 100+ organizations on 250+ engagements, from two presidential campaigns on either side of the aisle, to supporting traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
I developed and sold AppExchange apps in 2008 as an early AppExchange ISV and OEM partner.
My first certification came in 2009 at my first of 10 Dreamforces - 7 of which I spoke at.
I started my own consulting and app development shop that I ran for 12+ years.
I did the independent thing as a Salesforce architect long before we had Salesforce architects, let alone CTAs.
Hell, I even taught Salesforce developers how to write code for a number of years as a technical instructor, wrote content and certification questions for Trailhead, and subcontracted to build Lightning apps for the mothership itself.
To complete the cycle, in 2019 I took a hiatus from my retirement from the corporate world when I was recruited by a global securities trading firm to be the Salesforce architect / product owner.
I had now checked the boxes of Salesforce SI, ISV, and Customer. I had completed the trifecta.
It truly was a great run. I had a blast. But today as Benioff gives the Dreamforce keynote, it's time to retire from the space.
Obviously a complicated emotional decision to make after spending 30,000+ hours mastering the Salesforce Platform, writing books, creating video content, attending and speaking at community events around the world, training and mentoring thousands of Salesforce developers, and building so many amazing relationships along the way.
But it was a decision that needed to be made.
Moving forward, I will be serving growing small to medium-sized enterprises in the capacity of fractional advisor, focusing on socio-technical (the intersection of humans and technology) enterprise systems architecture and strategy.
More details regarding the new venture are available in my profile and on my website, but I'm not here to pitch...just to say farewell.
Thank you to everyone I've met and worked with along the way, my hope is that I've contributed at least some value through our engagements and interactions.
There are many "whys" behind the decision, but the late Jason Molina said it better than I ever could in his darkly beautiful Songs:Ohia song, "Farewell Transmissions" - which was recorded right here in Chicago by our own Steve Albini:
The real truth about it is no one gets it right
The real truth about it is we're all supposed to try
There ain't no end to the sands I've been trying to cross
The real truth about it is my kind of life's no better off
If it's got the map or if it's lost
Aloha,
Mike
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