This posting has become more much personal than my normal posts, but consider it an introduction into a new section of the blog – Software development.

I love working with people and solving problems.  While I do enjoy what I do, much of it effectively is user support.  Unfortunately, the problems we run into are rarely challenging enough to really excite me.  I’ve been doing technology support for well over a decade and it’s getting pretty rare that we find a new problem for me.  Granted, I did have one fun one yesterday …

Luther now does much of the daily support for our company.  He loves getting his hands dirty and working through the issues that always seem to happen.

One of the things I have been enjoying is diving into Sharepoint Services.  I’ve done several rollouts now, and am finding it to be a fairly capable technology (although somewhat limited without Sharepoint Designer or custom development work). 

With one of my other projects, QCDocs, I’m finding an ongoing feeling of “I can do that” when I look at our product.  To make things more interesting, I’m also seeing the interesting convergences between our product and SharePoint Services. 

One evening, while lamenting about being somewhat bored, Laura pointed out how much fun I had a couple years ago, when I was digging away at an Access development project for yet another one of my projects. 

Well duh.  Sometimes I’m not too bright and need to be smacked over the head.  I spent my teenage years as a software developer.  I went to BCIT for software development.  I was actually quite a GOOD little coder.

Back into the fray!

Last week I downloaded Microsoft Visual Studio Express 2005 (C#) , a book from MS Press and started to dive in.  Not too surprizing – C# isn’t hard to pickup.  Through the years, I’ve programmed in way too many languages, including Pascal, C, C++ (badly), LISP (WOO Parenthesis!), VB/VBA and others.  I immediately found I could read and understand most of the sample code they gave me.

Microsoft nicely provides a bunch of tutorial videos and the like online to help you get started too.  So far, they’re pretty simple – I AM a geek afterall.  To prove I’m a geek, I’ve been spending my cardio time (on my exercise bike) watching video after video. 

What projects to tackle, though?  I have too many in mind to list.  I’ll do my best to let you know where I go.

Somehow it doesn’t seem to matter what job it is that people apply for – they’re always dreadfully unprepared.  This time around I’m hiring more people for one of my other projects, QCDocs Systems. 

Like when I hired for my company and when I hired for the graphics designer role at QCDocs, I’m finding applicatants haven’t done their research first.  So far (it’s day 2 of resumes coming in), most people have read the instructions and at least included a cover letter. 

Not a single applicant has done their research yet.  When I ask for a cover letter that wows and shows me how this person will be an exceptional member of the team, I expect that they’d do a little reading .. of our website.  Maybe include some basic information in there to show that they have read the website or know something about our market.  Heck – even figure out what my NAME is from the site (they get my e-mail address, and I am highlighted on the site!)

Having written this .. perhaps it’ll show up when the right person searches for QCDocs on Google.  You never know. . .