Agile .NET Geek

Yesterday, I took (and passed) the Microsoft Certification exam 70-536 (Technology Specialist: .NET Framework – Application Development Foundation).  Three months worth of studying and it finally paid off.

Just wanted to share. = )

I ran across this article today, written back in January 2009.  It definitely makes a lot of sense to me, and makes me reflect on co-workers of mine and which ones stand out among the rest.

What would be qualities to look for in a star IT professional?  Here are a few I can think of…

• They like to read books, magazines or blogs.  This may indicate that they have an affinity for learning.  Apply this to technical articles, and this would make them valuable in helping guide your company toward researching and selecting new technologies or tools.
• They’re curious about how things work (cars, electronics, etc.).  This indicates that they are analytical and may be good at analyzing designs or project code.

Anybody have any other ideas on what kinds of qualities or extra-curricular activities make up a star IT professional?

I decided to go with a new look to the site today.  The old theme I was using was two years old, and had too much blue in it.  It also didn’t take advantage of a lot of the widget features available in newer versions of WordPress.  So, it is time for a refresh.

Hope you like it.

Ok, I need to go rogue here for a minute…

Have you seen the latest technological experiment the Obama administration is trying this week?  When I first saw this, I was strangely excited.  I’m not usually big on politics, but I’ve got to admit that I’m impressed by how much the Obama administration is reaching out to the public for input.  It’s becoming increasingly harder to be apathetic about the direction this country is going — and that’s a good thing!

So, have you asked your question yet?

Ok.  So, I just signed up for a Twitter account the other day… finally.  I feel like such a noob.

Just to clear my tech credibility, I’ve known about Twitter for a long time now; I just haven’t had a need for my own Twitter account.  My friends are mostly on the Facebook wagon, and the only reason I now have a Twitter account is because I’m finding more and more conference and event notifications being posted on Twitter instead of their web site blogs / RSS feeds.  Oh well, it was about time.

However, this small activity gave me pause in my life…

Seriously, I’m starting to feel like I’ve passed my prime in terms of technology trends.  I don’t do the 300+ texts per month; I just now got on the Twitter bandwagon; My Facebook page is not littered with ever little app that I find (I’m selective like that); and I still read books on printed paper.

Maybe I’m just getting a little cynical in my “old age”.  After all, In my day, we didn’t have this obesity problem with kids playing video games all the time.  We enjoyed our 16-bit goodness and savored in the knowledge that we could beat our games in just a few hours and then have the rest of the day to go outside.

Some of my colleagues have done this in the past, so I figure I’ll share as well.  Here are some technical books that I have read over the past few months (or am currently reading):

• Now, Discover your Strengths – I actually read this early in 2008, but I find myself coming back to it frequently for reference.
  
• Behind Closed Doors (Pragmatic Series) – This is the book I’m currently reading.  So far, it’s… interesting.  The jury is still out on this one.
• Practices of an Agile Developer (Pragmatic Series) – This was probably my favorite book of the Pragmatic Series.  Lots of insightful things in here.
• Pragmatic Unit Testing with C# and NUnit (Pragmatic Series) – I read this after already being familiar with unit testing.  It was a good refresher and gave me several little nuggets of new information and tips.  I highly recommend this for both the novice and seasoned developer.

A co-worker of mine is a big fan of the Pragmatic Series and has been kind enough to let me mooch borrow some of his books.

And, because sometimes I get tired of reading technical books (gasp!), here are some recent books that have kept me from losing my mind in code samples:

• Angels and Demons – I wanted to read this before seeing the movie, since I’ve heard they are taking several liberties with the movie adaptation.
• Star Wars: New Jedi Order – I’m not ashamed to admit I’m a Star Wars fan, though I guarantee you won’t find me at any conventions in a stormtrooper outfit anytime soon.