I first came to Avanade in 2004 because I wanted to learn from the best. I wanted to work at the best Microsoft technology firm in the world, and get huge learning experiences on large projects, across many clients, and in many different industries. This is what Avanade does.

After 10 years of doing that, I needed to try something new so I went to a promising international startup. After just one year, that startup failed and I took some time off to think about what I valued in a job. What motivates me? What gets me out of bed in the morning? What makes me happy at work? I came up with four key things and Avanade already did most of them. Right about that time, my friends at Avanade called me and said “If you want to re-join, we can do all of those things,” and I am so happy that I came back.

Avanade offers me so many opportunities. I am surrounded by people that I respect and admire, who appreciate me, and they care about my career growth. These are my mentors. I also get to mentor teams of the best software engineers in the industry from around the world, solving interesting and challenging problems for our customers. I get to have a very comfortable and diverse work environment, a flexible work schedule, and finally, I get support and relief when I need to focus on work/life balance.

One thing that I have learned while building my career at Avanade is that if you aren’t challenged and a little uncomfortable, you aren’t growing professionally. You will encounter unexpected challenges. You will need to use the skills you’ve gained to devise solutions in short order and that is exciting. It’s actually a lot like improvising a blues guitar solo. You have the building-blocks at your disposal. All you need to do is put yourself in a situation where you are forced to combine them in new and interesting ways, and you will make beautiful music.

Take a closer look at what life at Avanade is like for me in my Life at Avanade video: