Three months ago I was laid off. Believe it or not, I had seen it coming. (The night before I was given notice, presenting for the Portland Data Visualization group, I gave hint of what was to come during my demo by way of the URL.) I had thought for quite some time about what I’d do post-Microsoft… now it was time to set the gears in motion.

The response I received after the announcement just in the first 24 hours alone was incredible. I had a couple job offers right off the bat, several more promising leads, and made the news. One person even offered to work for me if I was in need of a developer. All of this was unsolicited. I still haven’t made it through all the messages of support I received. A huge thank you all for the concern, compassion, and recognition – it more than makes up for the doldrums of the last year or three at my previous job.

So what have I been up to these past few months? I’ve been staying pretty hush-hush until now… so without further ado, allow me to introduce to you my new business venture.

(Oh yes I did just do that.)

Mighty Code focuses on three areas:

Training on a variety of topics, mostly technical (ASP.NET MVC, Windows Azure, etc). One particular area of interest is to help developers tame the beast of concurrency by incorporating more declarative and functional programming into their toolbox.

Our first training course is a joint effort with Dawn Foster and the Oregon Training Network on getting organizations up to speed with online communities, social media, and all that jazz.

Consulting to get projects back on track, completed on time, and exceeding expectations.

I actually started my first contract gig a week after leaving Microsoft and am still on it today. I’m serving as team lead and architect for a web site rebuild project at a prominent local firm. ASP.NET MVC 2, VS2010, the works – it’s been going well so far. (I love the smell of production code in the morning!)

Development because that’s what we do. We’re not just a services shop; we’re a startup out to build apps and online services, fill some niches, and have fun doing it. We’re aiming for the end of March to announce our first project (at Boise Code Camp), so stay tuned.

For a long time I’ve considered my real promotion at Microsoft to be departing the company and starting something on my own. Here it is, and I couldn’t be more excited. (Or busy. :)

What’s in a Name?
I’ve had the mightycode.com domain for several years, waiting in the wings for when the time came to set out on my own. At one point I was contacted by someone from Borland interested in buying the domain when they were selling off their developer division. I decided to keep it; the offer was just validation of the name for me. (They ended up going with CodeGear instead.)

Community
For my fellow geeks who may have wondered if I’d disappear on them since I no longer have Evangelist on my business card, rest assured I will continue to be active in the tech community. I’ve since presented at the Corvallis .NET User Group and Fullerton Code Camp, and have several talks planned for upcoming events through the next several months. I’m involved with planning for this year’s Portland Code Camp/BarCamp/SQL Saturday conglomerate, and am continuing to participate with the SAO Dev Forum, the Legion of Tech, and 30 Hour Day. In addition, Mighty Code is sponsoring Ignite Portland 8 and hopefully some other upcoming events as well.

Joining the Team
I’m proud to announce that two weeks ago I hired my first employee, Beth Murray, to serve as our Director of Consulting. Beth has already started working to expand our consulting practice so we can bring on more talent and pursue some of those crazy project ideas I have.

Speaking of which, if you are in the Portland area, are a development badass, and like the idea of getting in on the ground floor, email me. I know from experience that being pigeonholed can get boring fast. We offer plenty of variety in the work available to keep skills fresh, interest levels high, and people hopefully sticking around for the long term. This is a developer’s dev shop, and I intend to milk it for all it’s worth.

Keep an eye out for the latest from MIghty Code at mightycode.com or on Twitter as @mightycode. Game on!