Tech-Ed or Bust

I’ve known about Microsoft Tech-Ed/TechEd since somewhere around 1999. They had an Exchange-only conference as well back then, but it didn’t matter, I never went to any of them. See, in the 90’s I was what you call “enlisted”, which meant that I was the lowest paid MCSE on the planet (willing to put money on this). No way was I going to a non-government sanctioned event that costs thousands of dollars. I was told that’s what consultants are for .

Then I was off to a series of corporate jobs and consulting gigs that all promised training but only delivered with free Microsoft seminars. By the time I was senior enough or financially able to spring the trip myself, I was self-employed and to “busy” and “broke” to even think about a week-long non-billable $5k business trip.

So here I am, like so many others, a decade into my career and I have finally chosen a management that does what it says. Heck, if quality senior level training is ever a question of ROI: the SANS GIAC Securing Windows by Jason Fossen training I went to in 2004 is still reaping rewards, so I am my own proof that there is more to training then boot camps and glorified product demos.