We're hiring! Apprenda seeks another Client Services Engineer

We're looking to hire another engineer into my department at Apprenda. We work in post-sales, client support, training and professional services. We work directly with clients, we travel some 20-40% of the time, nationally and internationally. (I was in Denver and then San Diego the other week. We've got a guy in the UK right now; 2 others were in the UK a month ago, and the same guy now in the UK was in Paris for 3 months last year.)

I currently spend 20-30% of my time coding, and the rest of the time dealing with clients by phone, email, Skype or on site. I expect us to be doing more coding moving forward as we institute a standard POC & on-site training package as part of our engagements.

This is the first place I've worked (and I've worked many places) where I wasn't clock watching by the end of the first week -- and that includes my time with Xerox and IBM. We completed a $5M funding round a few months back. The company is healthy and growing, defining processes and procedures, figuring out how things ought to be done. It's an exciting time to come on board.

I'm one of the few "hardcore" .NET guys -- we have several people, some complete converts, with lengthy histories in Java and/or PHP, some C++ as well. (But no, no Ruby guys, to my knowledge :)


The bit about us
Apprenda is the creator of SaaSGrid, the industry’s leading Application Server for Software as a Service (SaaS). SaaSGrid solves the upfront and ongoing technical and business challenges of delivering software as a service. We're a hi-tech leader in a rapidly evolving technology space. We were just recently honored with the CEG's Rising Star Award.

The bit about you
We're looking for a Client Services Engineer.

The Client Services Engineer is responsible for ensuring an optimal client experience with SaaSGrid by proactively and professionally managing client information requests, technical support questions, and custom software development projects. The SaaSGrid client engagement is a highly technical process that requires skills in a variety of software development and infrastructure disciplines. To be clear: you will be writing code, and you will be configuring servers. You’ll then interface with clients via email, phone, community websites, and more during all phases of the client lifecycle. Many of our clients are new to the world of software as a service and have chosen SaaSGrid as a foundation - they will look to you to lead the way. Specifically, you'll be involved in the following:

SaaSGrid installation and configuration
Customer training onsite and remote (the position is roughly 30% travel - domestic & international)
Application development guidance and SaaSGrid best practice enforcement
Customization and extension of the SaaSGrid platform
Moderation of public community websites for SaaSGrid developers
The Client Service Engineer is a SaaSGrid knowledge base expert to all clients with whom he/she is engaged. You’ll lead webinars, trainings, and more. We’re looking for the unique combination of technical astuteness and personality!

Qualifications:

BS or MS in Computer Science or BS or MS in another science or engineering discipline with significant practical software development experience(minor or dual degree that includes a Social Science a plus)
A solid foundation in computer science, with strong competencies in software design, systems architecture, and data structures.
Strong OO skills and practicing knowledge of OO languages
Several years of large systems software design and development experience (extensive knowledge of Windows based environments preferred)
Coding skills in C#, Javascript/AJAX, and SQL preferred
Practical knowledge of WCF & ASP.NET preferred
Practical knowledge of Windows system administration preferred
Strong writing and interpersonal skills required (You MUST be personable!)
Quick “on your feet” thinking and the ability to be creative in tight situations
The position is located in our headquarters in Clifton Park, NY. Relocation to the Albany, NY area is required.

One more thing
Tip: Along with your resume, send us a brief explanation of how dependency injection might be used in a billing system accepting multiple forms of payment. We just might move your resume to the top of the stack.

Email resume & other material to: job-tjxvf-1772851493@craigslist.org

Coffee: I prefer to buy 'local,' but ...

I prefer to buy local/do business locally when possible, but almost invariably I order my coffee online from remote (to varying degrees) vendors.

Case in point: I would love to buy my coffee from Uncommon Grounds, an Albany/Saratoga coffee house, roaster, bagel shop venture with two locations. I believe they're about 18 years old. They've recently become fairly social media savvy; I don't know specifically how long they've been online in general, but they seem to have a decent enough online coffee & t-shirt store.

Uncommon Grounds seems to have a strong following in the local community. Having been to the Saratoga location in the distant past, and perhaps once to the Albany location in more recent times, I personally don't have any particular attachment to their physical locations. I don't eat out (or get out, for that matter) often, and when I most urgently need to restock my bean inventory, (during code crunch time) I need it to be as quick and painless as possible, while interrupting my workflow as little as possible as well. This typically leads to online ordering.

When I order coffee, first and foremost I want fresh-as-possible, quality beans of varying roasts that arrive as quickly as possible. Close behind that, I prefer organic, fairtrade, preferably shadetree grown beans. After that it's all about price and customer service.

I just placed my second order with Porto Rico Importing Co. out of NYC, (three hours away) tipped to me by Ed Costello. (thanks again Ed!) I placed an order in February on a Sunday, and it arrived Tuesday morning. The beans were, while maybe not the absolute best I've ever had, pretty darn good. They've been in business some 103 years, their website isn't anything flashy, and as far as I can tell, they're not particularly active when it comes to social media. Their store has much more diverse offerings than coffee and t-shirts however, including filters, syrups and machines.

While I prefer to do business locally, I, currently an independent consultant with irregular income, have a hard time justifying a 44% premium on coffee, a staple that I generally consume 2lbs. of each month. I have to wonder, is it a simple matter of profit margin? Or is it a differential driven by sales volume, or diversity of inventory? 44% is a steep premium for buying local.

Job: Mid-level .NET Developer in Saratoga, NY

A friend has "a client in Saratoga that needs a solid mid – to senior level developer – must be .Net C# and SQL. 4-6 years of experience. This person needs to be independent and take ownership of one of the products."

Pay range is decent for upstate NY -- email me a...@b... for details.

UPDATE: CANCELLED :( March 11th, 2009: Microsoft Roadshow in town

Update: unfortunately Microsoft has had to cut the Albany stop on the Roadshow, probably for the remainder of 2009.

Per Chris Bowen's blog, the MS Roadshow is back in Tech Valley! Once again hosted by Autotask, the event is next Wednesday, March 11th, 8:30am-4:00pm.

Register online.

Software Job Listing FAIL

So Google Alerts (terms: albany software) popped this gem this morning:

"Amazing Position"

"VP of Product Development & Support"

"An Albany area software company seeks a talented individual to provide strategic leadership in the planning, direction and oversight for all product development and support. This individual must be experienced in the organization and management of a software operation. The ideal candidate must possess solid communication and people management skills along with the requisite technical skills."

...

"Assist in the development of a structure or framework that integrates all departments with other Senior Management to facilitate communication and decision making."

...

"Resume MUST be mailed."

FAIL.

Here, allow me to instantly produce that structure or framework for you with this WONDERFUL bit of technology from 1965.

VP of product development for a "software" company -- and they don't accept resumes via email? The only thing missing here is really, really bad clip art of a representative dinosaur. Let me fix that.



For all of those who are just dying to apply, check it out.

The Albany Tech Market - Part II

OK, quick recap. I'd been in Rochester nine years, worked a few fulltime roles and a number of contract/consulting positions.

Over the years, I'd done what I could to keep an eye on the Albany market. There was little or no call for classic ASP that I ever saw. Java, sure. RPG, yeah. COBOL, yep. C++, absolutely.

.NET was slow to gain traction in the Capital District; when I first really dove into .NET, and C#, at the end of 2005 (I'd worked -- loosely -- in VB.NET previously half-porting classic ASP stuff into ASP.NET 1.0/1.1) I was pretty head-down in various projects, and hadn't checked the Albany market in a while. When I started looking for .NET jobs in the area in the summer of 2006, there were a decent number of listings on Monster, mostly through recruiters. I ended up hooking up with Davis Vision through Robert Half -- an absolutely miserable experience. (Not the Davis aspect -- Davis is 100% pure awesome.)

Allow me to note: I do not, in any manner, way, shape, fashion nor form, endorse the Robert Half experience. Nor any "big" recruiter either. Stick with the locals. Stick with the places that realize you're important enough that you're in touch with principals, not fresh-faced account reps eager to earn a commission and move on to the next available target to leach off of.

Speaking of locals, and speaking of .NET being slow to gain traction, Art Bianco, principal at Computer Technical Services (CTS) in Great Oaks, has echoed my feel on .NET jobs in the area. As someone who's done fair amount of Java and mainframe placements, as of February 2008, Art feels that, yes, .NET listings have certainly been increasing in the Albany area for a while now, though perhaps not disproportionately to listings in other technologies.

I know we at Davis Vision are constantly looking for great .NET people -- our architect has been through many dozens of resumes, phone screened dozens of those. We've interviewed some ... 8 or 10? candidates in the 18 months I've been there. We've offered less than half of those interviewed, we've hired 3. We're still looking for more, but they seem to be hard to find. There's a maxim I read recently about the number of truly good software engineers in any technology not increasing with time. Very limited resource -- the early adopters are often the true professionals and enthusiasts, and everyone else who comes along got into the game because they saw it as an easy route to a good income. I think the noise we see on the DotNetDevelopment Google Group demonstrates this all too well.

I know Jennifer Lee, HR manager at AutoTask, is constantly looking for good .NET people. I know Art Bianco of CTS is looking for good .NET people, and Susan Lundberg, principal at Capital Tech Search, is often looking for good .NET people as well as a variety of other technical roles. Other local recruitment firms seem to have a number of listings as well, but I'm not sure how unique they are beyond what Computer Technical Services and Capital Tech Search offer. I know VersaTrans was hiring, not certain of their current status; they were recently acquired I believe.

craigslist is, like anyplace else, pretty noisy, often spammy. There are definitely a lot of web-related listings, but most of them want something for nothing, or want the world, in PHP, for $12/hour 20hours/week. That said, in the 14 months or so I've been glancing at craigslist, I have hooked up with two solid, paying, .NET-centric clients. One of those opportunities has led to me taking a CTO title. I also know Agora Games over in Troy lists positions on craigslist.

The Albany Tech Market - Part I

Per Michael's (@catalyst? not sure which Michael) request, here's my take on the tech job scene in the Capital District.

Permit me some background. I grew up 45 minutes north of here, in a town called Queensbury, literally living on the edge of the Adirondack Park.


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I was a geek in a decidedly non-technical area. Around 7th or 8th grade, I started getting ideas about software consulting. Around the age of 15 or 16, in 1994/1995, I'd picked up enough JavaScript, HTML and Photoshop that I tried my hand at web freelancing. I did about a half dozen simple sites, encountered client payment issues, had business disputes with my partner -- my brother -- froze some accounts, abandoned the sole proprietorship, and moved to Rochester for college.

The next nine years I was in Rochester. By the end of my sophomore year I was no longer focused on RIT, but working in the field. I'd returned one summer to work a co-op position with Adirondack Technologies, Inc. -- one of the first large-ish web design and hosting firms in the area. By the end of that summer (1998? 1999?), I'd secured my first fulltime job offer, with Meridian Technology Group, back in Rochester as an ASP "web engineer".

From there, at the age of 19, with no degree, I hopped to a Xerox contract, to an IBM contract, to what turned into a year-long 1099 contract with a startup, subcontracted to Global Crossing. Got laid off a month after 9/11, brand new car to pay for, not-cheap apartment rent, etc. etc., and started freelancing again. After six months I took an underpaid, but fulltime w/ benefits, job with one of my clients, Northern Air Technologies.

Six months later I landed a job as "associate webmaster"/technical lead with the Democrat & Chronicle -- one of the earliest non-NYC/LA/DC newspapers with a website, and someplace I'd had my eye on for years. Now, I wasn't hunting at the time, having only been with Northern Air as a direct employee for six months, but a resume I had shotgunned out some time in the distant past had, in fact, been retained -- maybe those "we'll keep you on file, thanks for applying" rejection letters AREN'T all outright lies. After we fired the douchebag, scotched-up, smoked-up webmaster, all such duties fell to me.

I spent a little over three years at the D&C, doing small bits of freelance here and there along the way. Eventually I got fed up with the "the internet is a necessary evil" and "let's cut payroll and use corporate boilerplate rather than write our own code" attitudes that pervaded that institution. A new director came in, with no respect for, nor apparent desire to make use of, my skills. I ended up walking out, after losing my office, after losing the interesting work I used to do there -- I used to be the guy writing the kick-ass, avant garde, bleeding edge code that the rest of the corp used as boilerplate -- after losing any respect I had for the place or a good majority of the people in it. (ID, Jamie, Mike, Rich E, Julie, Nick, Stacia, Ian, Corinne, Karl, Anne, nothing but respect for YOU all, but the rest can die in a fire, especially the cold-fish, man-boy director who can't shut up about his allegedly brilliant daughter. Get over it! Sorry buddy, but those same irrelevant IQ tests I took too, and I scored higher. Too bad I never had the right moment to shatter your beliefs with that fact.) One thing the experience DID afford me was the opportunity to start converting some ASP code into ASP.NET/VB.NET.

I did my first .NET (C#) contract at that time, RnD'g and prototyping a cell-based, IP-centric, no-wires-required, web-viewable "security camera". A month or so into that consulting job, I took my second contract with Xerox. I LOVED it there -- I learned a ton about .NET, got exposed to Scrum, got exposure to all the latest and greatest tech, we had great hardware, all the stuff that comes of working in the software arm of Xerox Global Services. Unfortunately I'd totally goofed on negotiating my rate, and wasn't entirely happy with the situation.

Over the years, I'd occasionally looked for jobs in Albany, eager to return to someplace closer to family. My brother had recently taken a new job, and I felt motivated to start looking at Albany again myself. A day or two after I started looking, I got an inquiry for a job with a place that grows animals for testing purposes. EPIC FAIL -- and I told the recruiter exactly that.

Fortunately within 24 hours, he put something else in front of me -- an opportunity with Davis Vision, Inc. They were looking to migrate from .NET 1.1 to 2.0, they have an enterprise remoting services architecture, and, as I was to learn, they have some truly excellent, wonderful, friendly, caring people in their employ. The recruiter asked if I could do an interview later that week, and it just so happened I was going to be in the area for my mom's birthday and mom and dad's anniversary. How could I say no?

The interview went pretty awesomely. I'd say I interviewed them more than they interviewed me -- and I can't stress enough, if you're going to find a position that is truly right for you, YOU must interview the company as much as they interview you, if not more. Besides which, with you doing the "interviewing," I think it's a lot easier for your personality and skills to come through. It cuts through a lot of the rigmarole and bs.

Davis was kind enough to hold the position for me through September, when the first release of the project I was on at Xerox was due. I returned to the area in September 2006, almost exactly 9 years to the day that I'd left for Rochester.

/background. I appreciate your patience! To be continued ...

Followup: Times-Union response to my privacy complaint

Mark P. Vinciguerra, Consumer Marketing Manager, contacted me via email to apologize, and to make me aware of the TU's DNC (do not call) list, which I immediately requested to be placed on.

Mark was polite, responsive and considerate. Thank you Mark, I look forward to not receiving further annoyance phone calls.

Mark's full contact info, in case anyone else finds themselves in this situation:
Mark P. Vinciguerra
Consumer Marketing Manager
Albany Times-Union
News Plaza
Box 15000
Albany NY 12212
office phone: 518-454-5703
cellular phone: 518-859-6353
Fax: 518-454-5635

Albany Times-Union violates my trust

For a few months now, I've been receiving subscription sales phone calls from the Albany Times Union. I've never been a subscriber, and they're calling me on my home number, a number issued by a private VoIP service, a number not listed anywhere, a number I've only given out to my doctor's office and, once, to the Times Union, when submitting a letter to the editor.

I can only assume the TU scrapes those phone numbers, and feeds them into their sales database. I am highly disappointed -- I feel outright violated. I did NOT opt to receive any further communication for marketing or advertising purposes.