Some years ago while traveling with colleagues, our conversation turned to 'the worst job you've ever had'. When it came to me I told of milking cold, wet, manure covered cows in the cold of winter! Sitting there in a suit with tie and crisp white shirt, my associates would never have dreamed I grew up working on a farm. It is what I learned while working on the farm that drives me to this day.

My earliest memories are of farm life in some fashion. But not all of my memories are of hard work. To this day I cherish many memories of my family getting together on the farm and the happy times we shared there. However, somewhere in my 12th year I had had enough of farm work: milking 285 cows twice a day, loading bail after bail of heavy itchy hay into a truck in the heat of summer, plowing fields from sun up to sun down and coming home at dark with a thick covering of dust on me from head to toe. It was then that I told my parents, "I’m leaving this farm as soon as I can to get a 'real' job!" To me this was any job that didn't entail taking care of cows in any fashion. Coincidentally, that same year we moved off the farm to a larger town. Here, I was introduced to a larger school, new people that would become lifelong friends and a music teacher that would pave the way for my software career.

Within 2 weeks of graduation I went to see my former high school band director. While talking with him, he asked me of my college plans. At the time I had not been accepted at any college I had applied to. Through our combined efforts I ended up attending his former college on a music scholarship. It was during my junior year there that I took my first computer course and was hooked! I changed my major from music to computers and graduated in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science.

In my ‘real’ job, working for software companies I have had the opportunity to work in many different roles, each harder in progression: as a solution architect, a consultant, a teacher and as an account manager. In sales, account management, I was considered a ‘farmer’ as I nurtured and grew business relationships with my accounts.

Working on the farm, I learned the value of hard work, persistence, and responsibility. I believe it takes these values as well as planning to get things accomplished at the right time. Like planting a field in early Spring to be able to harvest a crop later in the year to feed cows.

I have been blessed, fortunate and lucky during my career. I have worked for great companies, traveled to many places and met amazing and talented people. 

And now that I'm 'retired', I can enjoy looking at the cows  - not milking them!