+1: The start of me, version 4.0

Kent Tegels — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 20:00:00 GMT

After a few months of silence, I am happy to say that I am returning to regular duty in the Microsoft Technical space. The last eight months have been very difficult ones between health issues and the economy. However, I feel like now is the best time to start making a personal investment in community building again. Therefore, to that end, I am pleased to make the following announcements.

Working with the other leaders of The Sioux Falls .NET user group, I have taken on responsibility for getting The Sioux Falls chapter of the Professional Association for SQL Server up and going. As you know, SQL Server is just as much my passion as helping others learn and grow are. I am very excited about this opportunity. We will soon be announcing an organizational meeting for those of you interested in attending.

Second, as many of know, I had a great run with DevelopMentor as one of their SQL Server instructors. So when I read Ted Neward's post about the company, I felt sad.

In much the same way he does, I feel warmly about people like Dr. Sumida and the Niels Berglund. Indeed, I remember my night with "Scary Ron" and agree -- it had a lot impact on me! So much of what Ted has to say resonates deeply with me -- especially the bits about what it meant to be part of that culture. Honestly, that is what I found to be so great about being there.

Sadly, the economic reality of 2009 meant that I could not continue to be part of DM going forward. While there has been a lot of back-and-forth DM's economic future today , there is no doubt in my mind that they will continue to be successful thanks to the hard work their instructors and back office staff.

Still, I love to learn and share what I have learned with others. That is why, today, I am pleased to announce that I have joined the Technical Staff of PluralSight. Again, I feel blessed to be working with "the best of the best" folks like Fritz Onion, Dan Sullivan and many others. This is also a great fit for me since I can work on developing on-line delivered content, cutting down on travel while I work on getting practical experience and data for my Doctorate research. Of course, getting my health back the best it has been in years benefits too.

Last but far from least, I am happy to say that Joe Olson has let me know that I will be speaking at the Heartland Developer's Conference again this year. Of all of the conferences I have done, HDC is the most rewarding and important to me since it directly affects the developers in my community first. This year's talk will be very different for me: rather than doing a deep dive into some facet of the technology stack I will be talking about "how to (and not to) give a presentation."

Maybe a little of "Scary Kent" will finally come out. I'm +1 with that.

Welcome to my Splendid Isolation

Kent Tegels — Wed, 13 May 2009 13:17:00 GMT

Hello to those of you who are new to my world, and welcome, again, to those of you following me here. My name is Kent Tegels. I am currently an adjunct Professor at Colorado Technical University here in Sioux Falls as well as student finishing up my Master of Science in Management. I have also been involved in the SQL Server and .NET communities since their inception. My passion is for learning and teaching, my areas of focus center around databases. Otherwise, I'm into food, wine, beer, music and gaming (both board and role).

My goals for this blog include:

Sharing information about the technologies I am interested in
Helping to create awareness of and interest in the Sioux Falls .NET users group as well as our partners and affiliates like the Heartland Developers Conference
Having fun, making friends and helping others achieve their personal best

You can also find me on Twitter and FaceBook as ktegels.

But why Splendid Isolation? As you may know, the musician Warren Zevon has had tremendous impact on my life. One my favorite songs of his is Splendid Isolation, so this name is really in homage to his work. And, in sense, I always used to think of Sioux Falls as my splendid isolation from the demands of being a travelling trainer. It was nice to come home to a place where I could just be me, not the talking head up on stage. That said, when David and Brian came to me with the desire and a plan to get a .NET users' group going in the Sioux Falls area, I just couldn't resist throwing myself in it. We are no longer isolated from one another as developers and database in this community. I think that is truly splendid.

For those of you who are familiar with another blog I once did that had this same name -- sorry, the content here will be nothing like that. That part of my writing has gone into its own splendid isolation indefinitely.

In the words of my favorite teacher: "Go. Do."