Going back as a freelancer was not that hard for me. My expertise, my network, my experience (being a former Technical Evangelist at Microsoft and Mozilla doesn’t harm), my personal brand (even published a book on the topic), the continuous growing needs of technical people in this world are all factors that helped me make the transition as flawlessly as it can get. I make good money and have the enormous privilege to choose the projects I’m working on. I love what I’m doing, but still, it does not make me as happy as it should…
I guess entrepreneurship may not be for me after all. My main pain point? I want to make shit happens. I’m a doer! This post isn’t for arguing about this, but there are too many things standing between me and doing epic shit right now. It’s why I decided to take long vacations for now (update from September: vacations are done, time to confirm my next challenge) and after, to go back on the market, looking for a full-time job (read, not being a co-founder). Not sure yet what will be the best opportunity for me (probably something in the line of Developer Advocate or Technical Evangelist roles), but here are, in no particular order, some food for thoughts:
- I’m technical and I like to learn new stuff;
- Remote is the way to go: life is short, going to an office every day is such a waste of time, but it doesn’t mean that I’m not open to relocation;
- I like blogging, public speaking, recording videos, networking and sharing my passion about technology online as offline. I prefer roles that mainly have a 1:many approach;
- I want big goals, but I need the freedom to create the path to success;
- I’m looking for a long-term relationship with my next employer: a place where I can take on my next challenge, but also have the opportunity to grow in my career;
- Achievements speak for themselves: time sheets or defined weekly hours are useful where confidence is lacking;
- In addition to French and English, I speak two more languages: developer and human. Hence, making the bridge between both worlds is one of my strengths;
- I’m as effective and efficient at what I do when wearing jeans and t-shirts;
- I’ve worked hard to reach the lifestyle I have now, so no need to say that I want to keep it. In other words, I have the privilege to do what I love and being greatly compensated;
- I’m totally fine with travels. In fact, I used to travel a lot and I’m missing it: it’s not a requirement, but I think it’s a good perk (even if not always easy) to discover the world while doing what you like. I would have a preference about larger territories than North America;
- No matter what my next challenge will be, it needs to be people centric: having a positive impact on people and helping them being successful is what’s energizing me;
- Let’s be honest, even if the line between work and fun is always fuzzy for me, it’s still working and I value my personal life too: if you talk about work life balance, it’s because there is already a balance issue within your organization;
- I live in Montréal (Canada) and may be open to relocation with help from the company (visa & relocation package), depending on where obviously;
- I’m looking for a “fuck yes” and you should too (the article is about relationships, but I think it applies to anything is life, like a hiring someone and accepting a new job);
- I’m bold. I’m an extravert. I’m creative. I’m colorful. I’m passionate. I’m living by the no bullshit policy and won’t change it for anything or anyone, ever;
Here are some jobs I won’t consider, even if you disguised them under the title of Developer Advocate:
- Engineer or developer team lead: I love coding, but I don’t want to go back as a full-time developer;
- Sales Engineer: I’m totally aware that advocacy or evangelism comes with a certain part of sales, but it’s not as direct;
- Technical Writer: I like to write, and I enjoy creating content on different media, but again, it’s about finding the right mix between all the things I love;
Feel free to ping me if you see a fit. Oh, and don’t bother to contact me if you don’t like cats, you are not human!
P.S.: Here is a “cheat sheet” on where to find stuff on me like social media profiles, articles, videos, talks…
