The reason why I change job

Same same but different

I`ve just announced that I`ll start in my new job on Monday.

Some of you already knew this, and I have received the same question from most of you.

“ – Why do you start doing something else when you`re a CIO? “

If you don`t know what a CIO is. A CIO is the head of information technology within an organization. Some people compare this role to be the same as the top of the food chain. So what people are really asking me is: Why are you moving down the career path? It sure seems to be the wrong direction?

Let me explain that for a minute.

I have had the time of my life so far, working for the same company in almost 7 years. We have made dreams come through and I`m struggling to find the right words to describe how grateful I am, how much I`ve appreciated all the opportunities I`ve been given, and how much I`ve learned from all the skilled people around me in my day to day work. In Norway, many companies and organizations consider us to be pioneers on technologies, and we`ve been recognized and awarded by independent sources several times. It`s been an adventure from day one.

So back to the question: Why am I leaving all this good stuff, colleagues that I actually consider as one of my best friends, and a very nice and laidback employer with knowledge far above my head, inspiring me to achieve things I did not knew I was capable of doing?

The explanation is rather complex, but in the end it`s all about exploring new opportunities and to leverage my knowledge towards a broader audience. From now on, I`ll spend most of my days digging around in Beta software, testing and exploring and find the answer to the complex questions. Of course this is cloud related, and of course, this is Microsoft related. I will help organizations to adopt, embrace and make the most of the technologies available in the market. I will work even closer with my friends at Microsoft in Norway with both SC 2012 and Windows Server “8”. Driven by a huge portion of curiosity, and a bit of pressure from a friend of mine who joined the company last year, I was triggered pull the switch. I am really looking forward to this new role as a cloud evangelist.

But for the sake of sadness, I will never forget who gave me the opportunity in the first place, the company that has raised me.

As my grandmother said: Will you walk around in a suit, talking about stuff I don`t know?

-          I guess that should summarize it.