I was inspired by Brent Ozar, Steve Jones and Iris Classon to write about my day. My work and life don't balance each other at all; my work is my life and I love what I do and I'm an unapologetic workaholic. I'm also a single Mom, so life crashes down around my ears on … Continue reading A Day in the Life of Jen Stirrup: Tuesday 17th July, 2018 #SQLCareer
Ever had to provide email for legal evidence? If not, good... but one day, you might have to do that. How will you find it? Email is serious stuff and you need to look after it. In this blog, I'll explain how I set myself up with email for a balance of keeping my primary … Continue reading Email is a huge part of our lives. How can you set yourself up so you find it easily, when you need it most?
Microsoft have to reach the future generations of coders and GitHub is a common denominator for coders. This shows that Microsoft believes in developers, and AI, for the long-term. This is visionary and I love the forward-looking aspect of development. What will Microsoft get? - VS Code - TypeScript - Electron - GitHub This is … Continue reading Microsoft acquires Github – does it make sense?
I have a hard time keeping track of my activities. It can be hard to track my availability, and my days tend to disappear in a flash. I have tried many different digital ways of doing this, and now I'm going with a mix of digital and analog. You don't get what you want, you … Continue reading Managing activities and productivity as a consultant
Does Microsoft have to prove it's not another IBM? I read this article from the Verge, which suggested that Microsoft would have to prove that it's not another IBM. The article suggests that 'Microsoft is increasingly focusing its efforts on businesses rather than consumers', evidenced by the Windows demos being relegated to Day Two. In … Continue reading Why Microsoft does not need to prove it’s another IBM: Work is what we do, not where we are.
I'm still learning about being a Microsoft Regional Director and I'm figuring things out. I'd like to thank Microsoft here for this opportunity and I'd like to thank the great RD team at Microsoft for their seemingly-endless patience with my questions! Here is my opinion. I don't represent anyone other than myself, and this is … Continue reading Being a Microsoft Regional Director: faith, trust and pixie dust for good
Now I'm part of the Regional Director Program, I've decided to learn more broadly about some of the great things that Microsoft do in order to be a diverse and conscious organization. I was interested to read about the Microsoft Software & Systems Academy (MSSA), which is aimed at veterans with career skills required for today’s growing … Continue reading TIL: Microsoft Software & Systems Academy (MSSA) for veterans
It's been my first week as a Regional Director and I thought it would be useful to report back on what I've learned so far. Firstly, many existing RDs and Microsoft team members have been in touch to welcome me and it's been such a nice experience. They are all incredibly nice. I feel I'm … Continue reading First week as a Microsoft Regional Director – what did I learn?
I am now a Microsoft Regional Director! I have a lot of people to thank and I'm still overwhelmed and digesting the news. I want to do a really good job of this role and it's a real gift. I understand it's a mark of people's faith in me and I don't want to let … Continue reading Microsoft Regional Director and setting an example with diversity and inclusion
Human Resource Management for MBA and Business Masters by Iain Henderson My rating: 5 of 5 stars The book Human Resource Management for MBA and Business Masters students offered an excellent introduction to the study of HRM, and I thoroughly recommend it as a way of cutting through the MBA material on HRM. If you … Continue reading Book Review: Human Resource Management for MBA and Business Masters
Grokking Algorithms An Illustrated Guide For Programmers and Other Curious People by Aditya Y. Bhargava My rating: 5 of 5 stars I've just finished reading the Manning book called Grokking Algorithms An Illustrated Guide For Programmers and Other Curious People This is a very readable book, with great diagrams and a very visual style. I … Continue reading Book Review: Grokking Algorithms: An Illustrated Guide For Programmers and Other Curious People
Don't you think that the amount of Big Data technologies in Azure is very confusing? I've distilled some information from the official Microsoft Azure blog so it's easier to read.