This was a very bittersweet departure. I spent about 8 years of my life at VMware. I say "life" because I started there in my late 20's and during my tenure I not only ventured into new work areas and rose through the ranks...I also ran my first marathon, got married, had two kids, buried my father, bought a house and celebrated my brother's wedding. The time is synonymous with so many major life milestones. It is similar to people's reactions in selling their childhood home. Your memories and milestones are inextricably linked to the physical place - and by some home removing the place from the equation, it somehow dims the memory themselves.
I have been blessed to have worked for and with some of the hardest working, smart and inspirational people ever. The value of what I learned wasn't truly recognized (even by me) until I started working somewhere else.
So thank you VMware for the best education ever - to be in the orbit of some really amazing people - and to be a part of history -- I feel lucky and honored.
