How do you Thrive as a Software Developer? Over the past year, I’ve received quite a few emails from people who have been hit hard by the economic downturn and were looking for new opportunities.  Many were people who I’ve worked with and some were people I’ve never met but have followed me online via my blog.  I have suggested to all of them to explore the jobs at Microsoft, as I feel very fortunate to work for such an amazing company.  I’ve also suggested that people might want to start by trying any of these ideas:

• learning new technologies – create something cool that you’d want a prospective employer see.
• creating or contributing to open source projects
• search for jobs on Guru.com
• build their references on LinkedIn.  Ask former colleagues, partners, or customers to write references for you.
• start answering questions on StackOverflow or other relevant community sites to build online credibility. 
• Use a technology like Silverlight to create an online resume. 

These are all things that I’ve done over the years to enhance my learning and network.  Well, I’m excited to say that Microsoft has a new site, Thrive for Developers, to help developers advance in their careers, enhance their skills, and connect with a developer community.