The.Clouded.Path

Something has been bugging me for a while and I thought to share it - maybe get some advice. About six weeks back I was asked to take-up SharePoint and due to utilization pressure, I had no choice but to oblige. Day-in-day-out, I tried my best to pickup the product and tried to convince myself that it is OK to go ahead. However, a reality check on myself today made me realized that my job satisfaction is wearing thin.

Today, I had spent almost half-a-day on designing and converting PowerPoint templates and uploading them to document libraries. My job for the past days had also been clicking and configuring stuffs. To some people, it maybe interesting, but for me, I say that it is a complete waste of my skills (and time).

I should be working on something that is more aligned with my experiences. For example, I was researching on how to generate architecture-compliant code with the Guidance Automation Toolkit previously. If successful, it could enable architects to automate the creation of their code components (i.e. data access components, entities and etc.). Basically, it is putting the theory into practice by eliminating tedious repetitive job.

There are many things that I wanted to learn. Among them were Windows Workflow Foundation, Windows Communication Foundation, Visual Studio Team System and the Patterns & Practices guidances. I believe these knowledge will further increase my capacity in bringing greater value to customers. However, majority of my time is currently concentrated on picking up SharePoint because I need to grow my expertise in the area.

SharePoint 2007 is a great product. Great feature enhancements over the previous versions but it is not something that I would like to build my career on. I'm saying that only because I know I could do something else better and that is .NET architecture. I strongly feel that application architecture and software development are my roots.

I was quite depressed when I discovered that we have VSTS Rangers while I was in Seattle. Rangers are experts who have proven their technical knowledge in the field. I can't stop thinking that should I be given the opportunity, I could have done it as well. Afterall, I'm blessed with a good mix of experience - CMM style of project management and a developer's background. Having these knowledge allows me to easily switch back-and-forth between agile and formal practices. But I had not touched VSTS since it left beta and my skills had rusted.

I also realized that during my diversion to SharePoint, I'm missing a lot of developments and learning opportunities in .NET. Yesterday, a senior had asked me to help review something on SQL CLR Integration. He told me that he thought of me when the word .NET came up. However, when I looked at it, I realized how much I did not know about the subject. But how can this be? It is .NET and it is SQL Server 2005 - both were my core.

The problem with technical knowledge is that somehow, it vaporizes when we don't use/practice it - just like math. And given the limited time, we can only invest that much on learning up new technologies for our work. There are just too many "leaking barrels to fill".

The diversifications are diluting my skills and breaking my focus. It has also created an internal conflict within myself - the thing I do no longer aligns to the career I envisioned. I guessed it is all about what I want to do vs. what I need to do. I had always known my passion. I just need someone to discover my potential.