The Next Step
Published on 18 May 2021 · Filed in Personal · 377 words (estimated 2 minutes to read)The Greek philosopher Heraclitus is typically attributed as the creator of the well-known phrase “Change is the only constant.” Since I left VMware in 2018 to join Heptio, change has been my companion. First, there was the change of focus, moving to a focus on Kubernetes and related technologies. Then there was the acquisition of Heptio by VMware, and all the change that comes with an acquisition. Just when things were starting to settle down, along came the acquisition of Pivotal by VMware and several more rounds of changes as a result. Today, I mark the start of another change, as I begin a new role and take the next step in my career journey.
Last week, I announced via Twitter that I was leaving VMware to explore a new opportunity. Today, I start at Kong, Inc., as a Principal Field Engineer. Kong, if you aren’t already familiar, is a company focused on service connectivity for modern architectures, with products like their eponymous API gateway and the Envoy-powered Kuma service mesh. I’m really looking forward to getting much more familiar with Envoy, the Kong API gateway, Kuma, and related projects and technologies. I still get to be involved with Kubernetes, since these products support Kubernetes, and so this allows me to continue to build upon the experience and knowledge I’ve gathered over the last few years while still pushing me in new directions.
(Rest assured, by the way, that stuff I learn will continue to make its way onto this site, just as it has for the last 16 years. I’ll still be sharing my knowledge with anyone who’s interested!)
I’m also excited to get to know the Kong team. This is a “two for one” bonus for me; not only do I get to meet lots of new and very talented people from whom I can learn and grow, but I also get to work with some folks with whom I’ve worked before (you know who you are!). Our industry really is a small industry, and I’m thankful to cross paths with these folks once more.
Feel free to contact me on Twitter (my DMs are open), and stay tuned as I take this next step. New challenges, new accomplishments, new friendships, and new knowledge await!