Just over 6 years ago I joined ASU's University Technology Office as a young and admittedly very inexperienced developer. I was fortunate enough to spend the time since then working for folks with foresight and strategic vision that I've only recently started to appreciate. I've also been blessed to have been involved with projects that I feel proud to say are changing the face of education. In short, I've loved my work at ASU more than my clumsy writing can describe here.
The public university system is not without its critics -- I've frequently been one of them -- but ASU is different. In my six years with ASU, I've worked with some of the most talented, dedicated, passionate, and brilliant people I could ever imagine encountering in one place. My team mates in alt^I and UTO are phenomenal. I had an incredible and rewarding few years obtaining my masters in Educational Technology, where I met folks that have changed my life and informed my vision of innovation in education. I can say the same about my friends in CLAS, the Provost Communication Group, President's Office, ASU Foundation, Education, Engineering, Nursing, and the ASU community at large.
Sometimes, though, an opportunity comes by that would be unthinkable to pass up.
In a couple of weeks, I'll start a new job at Acquia. I'm joining their team as a Technical Consultant. The role is a little hard to define without using the word "consulting," but it essentially comes down to helping customers successfully deploy and work with Drupal-based solutions. In my dealings with the Drupal community, there are only a few companies that I've ever considered to be "I would drop everything to work there" types of places, and Acquia was one of them (Yes, ASU is that great of a place). Acquia brings a passion for and focus on enterprise-level, large-scale solutions and support that melds with my vision of Drupal as a "serious" web development framework. While they see it as a long-term player in the web software market, their vision is to ensure that Drupal remains accessible and usable, and that the barrier to entry continues to lower. Most importantly, they've managed to be great contributors to the Drupal community while developing a sustainable, strategic approach to the business side of things.
I really can't describe how excited I am about this new adventure. My work at ASU has been so rewarding, but the scope of possibilities with work at Acquia is unlimited. I'm both humbled and nervous to be headed off to work with some of the best Drupal developers in the world, in a company guided by the founder of Drupal itself, Dries Buytaert. The leadership team at Acquia share a bold vision for the future of Drupal - and open source in general - one that makes me feel confident in having placed all my chips on that table several years ago.
I'm fortunate enough to be staying in Phoenix, close to my family and friends. The consultant job is going to have me traveling all over the country, though, which is something I'm really looking forward to trying out. Acquia is located in Boston, and I think it's going to be great to spend time there and other places on the east coast, which is still relatively foreign land to me. I think my upcoming travel will afford me opportunities to meet some incredible people.
ASU is a wonderful place, and I hope that I'll remain in touch and work with many of you in the future. I've made countless friends at the university and consider it "my" school, so I'll definitely not be disappearing. I will always be a Sun Devil.
