Goodbye Audacia; Hello World
Tags: goodbye, thefuture
Published: 2019-02-22 17:13:49

---
title: Goodbye Audacia; Hello World
published: true
description: A goodbye to my most recent employer, and the friends I made there.
tags: goodbye, The Future
cover_image: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1473625247510-8ceb1760943f?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&ixid=eyJhcHBfaWQiOjEyMDd9&auto=format&fit=crop&w=1299&q=80
---

_The header image is [Embarking on an Adventure](https://unsplash.com/photos/_g1WdcKcV3w) by [Mantas Hesthaven](https://unsplash.com/@mantashesthaven)_

Inspired by James Turner's recent post on [beginning a new chapter in the development journey](https://dev.to/turnerj/i-left-my-job-today-f1a) - which, in turn was inspired by a [post by DeChamp](https://dev.to/dechamp/25-years-of-coding-and-im-just-beginning-442n) - I thought that I'd write a public farewell to [Audacia Consulting](https://audacia.co.uk), and all of the wonderful people I've met there. The people I've grown with, and watched grow

_I've even had a hand in shaping some of them, too_

### First: The Beginning

I remember that I was around 6 years old when I first encountered a programmable computer: The Amstrad CPC 464 (which is a terribly British computer)

_psst: I've written about that machine before [here](https://blog.gaprogman.com/2014/02/my-first-computer-the-i-ever-used-or-programmed/)_

From the very off, I loved that I could tell this computer to do things. It's a common enough backstory to the development journey that there's [a podcast all about it](https://wildermuth.com/hwpod) by [Shawn Wildermuth](https://twitter.com/shawnwildermuth)

_and he's even making a [documentary movie about it](https://helloworldfilm.com/)_

We eventually got a Windows 3.1 machine, and I loved messing around with the autoexec.bat file, having to create boot floppy's to start some games

_X-Wing vs Tie Fighter, I'm looking at you_

but we mostly used it to help us to do our homework - with my Mum using it to pass all of her college courses.

Around the year 2000, I got my own machine. It had an Intel Pentium CPU, about 64 MB of RAM, and (probably) a 500MB hard drive.

_those may not be the correct specs. It's been almost 20 years_

I loved that thing, even though I killed Windows on the first day that I had it, and it had to be reinstalled.

It was only natural that I'd take programming classes at college

_I keep mentioning college but, as I'm from the UK, this was the 16-18 age bracket_

and go on to take a CompSci degree, with the hopes of joining the games dev industry. That dream was not to be, because I found systems and web development, and fell in love with making a server do crazy things.

I've since created R&D applications which talked to experimental hardware (using WinForms); countless web applications (using both ASP NET Framework and Core); mobile applications (using a combination of JS technologies and a little of Xamarin); a bunch of throwaway applications which help me stay productive in the podcasting space; and run the DevOps department for a company.

It's been one heck of a journey so far, and it's just the beginning.

### What's Next?

I don't know yet, but I'll be sure to update this post or write a follow up when I figure out just what's next for me.

I could stay in the DevOps space, I could head back to the Dev space, I could move further into the public speaking space

_I totally smashed my goals for 2018, regarding that_

or take a closer look at what I'm doing with my podcasts

_[The .NET Core Show](https://dotnetcore.show/), [The Waffling Taylors](https://wafflingtaylors.rocks), [DevOtaku](http://devotaku.transistor.fm/), and [Ask a Brit](https://www.askabrit.us/); if you're at all interested_

Or none of the above. I just don't know right now. But I _do_ know that one way to keep up with my journey is to [follow me on Twitter](https://twitter.com/dotnetcoreshow), or sign up for [The .NET Core Podcast Newsletter](https://buttondown.email/dotnetcoreshow/).

### See You Around Folks

To the all the devs at Audacia who I've worked long into the night with, fixing broken sites or servers (or both); I've helped figure out Core vs Framework differences with; those I've learnt from, and those I've taught lessons to:

Thank you. You've helped me grow and become a much better developer.

It was whilst at Audacia that I started to investigate .NET Core (albeit, in my own time), from that I started writing [a blog all about .NET Core](https://dotnetcore.gaprogman.com/). I brought that knowledge to the company and (with the help of the awesome devs) built a number of templates, tools and productivity boosters which helped you all to fly. Once that was done, I started to do talks (both internally and externally)

_I even talked at [Umbraco UK Festival in November 2018](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULai6sIbeAU)_

and I even started a podcast on .NET Core.

I don't know whether we'll work together again, but I hope so. Maybe we'll meet up at a conference or something in the future. Who can say.

Until then: You've got this, just try not to bugger it up 😆