On the flip side of leaving Microsoft, I have now joined VMware.  There, I’m going to conduct user research across the product portfolio.  I’m excited to have a geekier focus than I had at Microsoft — my two undergraduate degrees are in CS and math, so a geeky focus is perfectly in line with my own predilections.

Today was my first day, which consisted mostly of new-hire orientation.  When I went through Microsoft’s orientation in Redmond five years ago, there were ~300 people in the room with me.  Today, there were 10 people in the room with me, and another ~20 on the phone.  Size of the class aside, the orientation was pretty similar in structure to those I’ve had at previous employers: why you should be happy you’ve joined the company, the benefits options available, the checklist of things you should get done in your first couple of weeks.

I’ve been tweeting as I go through my new experience, so you can follow me on twitter here if you’re so inclined.  There, you’ll see exciting slices of my life such as the plastic pink flamingo I found tucked in some landscaping today, not to mention a picture of my new office.  Tomorrow, I plan to find the turtles, which I think are near the cafeteria.