Good luck Jeff

Can't believe it took you so long! Good luck amigo - good things await!

Good luck! I'm excited to hear what you're working on.

Good luck Jeff.

Any clue on what you'll be taking up aside from blogging?

Also, I am obligated by law to post a link to Joey DeVilla's "Assrockets and Opportunities" which is a different-- but wholly awesome-- take on the same topic.

http://www.joeydevilla.com/2007/11/25/assrockets-and-opportunities-or-why-i-changed-jobs/

Congrats! This is a big step, and I'm sure it's the right one. I've really enjoyed working with you, and I can't wait to follow along on your direction.

At least with Choose Your Own Adventure, you don't have to worry about death by dysentery.

Congratulations, Jeff! Can't wait to hear about your new venture (when you're ready, that is)

(double chest thump + peace sign) ai

Good luck, Jeff!

Good luck Jeff! I hope you will blog about the life on the other side.

I love Choose Your Own Adventure books, too! I didn't realize they were popular enough to ever find another person who had read and enjoyed the Cave of Time. Although, I disagree after there only being 11 positive outcomes. I liked some of the alternate lives in strange times. Good luck Jeff. This is a big step and I hope you succeed!

Those books are awesome, they, along with the Hardy Boys, Encyclopedia Brown and The Mad Scientists Club made up 95% of my reading material in my young reading life.

Good luck! Does this mean you'll be moving to Seattle?

I can't talk about the new project yet. I apologize for the secrecy, I really do, but there's simply not enough to justify talking about it yet.

Also, if you visit the Vertigo jobs page..

http://www.vertigo.com/jobs.aspx

That's me in the banana suit. Seriously.

Congratulations Jeff...
and good luck in your new venture

If you want a good laugh... here you go!
http://www.vertigo.com/People.aspx
Jeff's towards the lower right. Mouse-over to get the name.

:P

This, I believe, is my second comment on your blog, Jeff. I know the blog will continue, but this time of change is a good opportunity to thank you for all the great articles and for sharing your thoughts with the readers.

And, of course, good luck with the new path you chose. You've made a bold choice. I have no doubt in my mind that you will do well with the new venture.

I never thought of them as my first programmer books, but you're completely right. Now, thanks to your post I've digged out my old "Elige tu propia aventura" books. I hope page 10 turns out great for you!

Have fun, work hard and good luck Jeff!

Sure, you might end up on one of those red boxes, but at least you've stopped staring at the page and really chose your very own *adventure*.

Best of luck Jeff!

Nothing worthwhile has ever come easily or without some amount of risk. Thank you for your awesome posts so far, looking to read more from you, and best of luck in your new adventure.

Best of luck with your new job Jeff and congratulations on landing the new role. I do hope you keep the blog running, as I (and I am obviously not alone) really enjoy reading it.

Again, congratulations and all the best.

Good luck!

Good luck with your new adventure!

Been avid reader for a couple of years, and hope that you find happiness (and those couple of millions), while continue this amazing blog.

Good luck, Jeff.

Good luck with your new adventure!

Congratulations and good luck! I've been in your role before and I know is hard, but keep the faith and hope in a better future!

Again, good luck!!!

Good luck Jeff. Do stop by the office and play some more rockband whenever you get the chance! :)

Good luck and congratulations! Does this mean you'll be writing more books and then telling us all not to buy them? :)

Good luck Jeff!

Hey Jeff! Good luck! I started my own business almost four years ago, and I've been having a great time ever since. :-)

-Max

Wow - I salute your bravery Jeff, and hope it all works out for you.

This seems like the year of change for so many people I know, or feel I know! ;-)

Best of luck with your new adventures!

Congrats!

Or as we say here, "Awesome, bru"

Best of luck Jeff. I left the comfort and (relative) safety of being employed to try working for myself back in 2001, and although each and every day has brought some kind of challenge, it was definitely the right thing for me to do.

I think many people wander into this without really appreciating quite how much effort it can be (I was one of them) but for those who keep plugging away, it becomes very fulfilling.

I can look back on a day-by-day, week-by-week, year-by-year basis and see things I could have done better (or at least differently) and for me the 'trick' was to realise that it didn't really matter as long as I could identify which moves were mistakes, and to learn to trust that my own judgement would never /seriously/ let me down.

And of course, life itself is a lot less stressful while you keep in mind that you're never going to get out of it alive. :-)

All the best!

Congratulations & good luck Jeff. I'm sure page 10 will be a first page in an excellent new chapter and maybe a beginning of a whole new book.

Good luck with your new project! (Surely it's going to be a fully automatic repair robot for Rock Band guitars?)

Good Luck, hope you find your place under the sun!

Good luck!
Whatever happens you'll learn something new and that is always a good thing, enjoy.

Best of luck with the new venture Jeff. As you've shown with your blog over the past few years, you're a talented chap and I'm sure you will make a success of it.

Looking forward to reading all about it over the coming months.

I could offer the customary "best of luck" wishes to you Jeff, but luck has had nothing to do with what you've done and where you've gone so far so you won't need it.

It was a pleasure to work with you even for a short time (way back when, out in RTP), and I can tell you that you've had a positive influence on my career.

Whatever you do, it will be successful, I'm certain.

Good luck!

This is the second time in a week that you bring up a topic that relates directly to my current education. (Real-time raytracing was the first time; especially the Arauna raytracer since it's done by one of the teachers, Jacco Bikker).The Choose Your Own Adventure series were brought up in a narratology course related to game design as the first example of interactive narratology.

'break a leg' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Break_a_leg)

good luck.

Wow, brave decission! Good luck and looking forward to hear from that project!

god speed!

I wonder what it'll be you'll be working on!...

Congrats for taking such a big step!

Having read your thoughts on this for so long it kinda makes me proud :)
Out favorite blogger is growing up :)

Sick, I know.

good luck jeff, love the blog

As much as I liked the Choose Your Own Adventure books, I *loved* the Time Traveler series, especially the dinosaur one!

Just thought I'd state that before going back to the article ;)

My all time favourite book when I was growing up was the Fighting Fantasy book 'House of Hell' (http://www.gamebooks.org/show_item.php?id=47).

It was fiendishly difficult, full of puzzles, and very very entertaining

For those who liked the old 'Choose your own adventure' books, I seriously recommend it!

Good Luck on your new adventure and Godspeed.
May the Source be with you always.

I thought I was the only one who remembered the "Choose Your Own Adventure" books! Some of the earliest ever programs I wrote as a child were transcripts of CYOA books in BASIC. Ah, them were the days.

Good luck in your new ventures.

Good luck in your exciting new endeavors!

Good luck, Jeff!

All the best Jeff. Hope you don't run out of fingers marking the previous decision pages like I always seemed to do. Adam.

I am really shocked!!!
At first I thought I should stop reading this blog.
I don't want to read people who do nothing but blog.

Good to hear that you will continue 'building stuff'.
Anyway, best of luck Jeff.

When I read my first Choose Your Own Adventure "Journey Under the Sea", I immediately wrote a Pascal program to read the story using a computer.

And my best wishes for your new endeavor. This blog is a hangout I visit daily and I hope this will continue to be true. Can't wait to see what you are getting up to next.

I hope your new venture is as successful as your blog has been. Just keep on turning the pages of your adventure and I'm sure you'll do good.

I wish you good luck for your new adventures !
I'm wondering what you're working on now ... Please keep us aware !

Oops ! I don't think aware was the right word ! Obviously I meant "informed" but I clicked the Post button too fast ;).

Good luck!

Best of luck to you. Can't wait to read about page 10 when you've digested enough to share with us.

Jeff,

Best of luck in the future, I always enjoy your blog and I wish you success in your new enterprise!

Good luck with your adventure!
Code on!

Good things come to those who dare! All the best.

Great to hear Jeff,
If you need a beta tester, do let me know!

Des

I guess the Recession is taking its toll ehe..

Best of luck Jeff!

Good Luck, Jeff! Whish you all the best.

Good luck and have fun

Good luck dude, it'll be awesome! Your blog keeps my sanity when things are dark and brooding and the only option I have is to turn to page 10, knowing full well that there's an endless pit behind a trap door. BTW, I was more of a fan of the Steve Jackson series. Still love them and still think they were the best programming model on paper to date. Keep the blog flowing and the content growing and you will be ready someday little grasshopper.

Good Luck Jeff!

Good luck!

Jeff,

while I know what you were going through to reach this decision, don't fret about it. Job safety is mostly an illusion. The bottom line is, you simply put your life and financial security in the hands of your employer.

But economy constantly changes, and companies that do well today may be gone next year, and working at that company, while appearing to be "the safe bet" for that year longer, basically leaves you stranded.

If you have the opportunity to take responsibility for your own financial backing, then go for it without hesitation. Be your own boss, and look to find a second or third pillar of income over time, so if one breaks away, you can still survive on the others. You usually don't have even the option to start with that when you are in a regular employment.

Build, thrive, and expand. And don't forget to enjoy life along the way. ;-)

Good luck Jeff.

You know what you're doing, but it's a brave choice. I look forward to hearing about your new adventures, I hope they prove successful.

I read The cave of time, who killed Harlowe Thrombew, and one you haven't listed that I think was called "the supercomputer", this one was great... oh, and one with whales I don't recall the name...

They were great books...

Awesome news! Good luck.

Good luck Jeff! I really admire what you are doing.

Probably the best post I've read since I started following your blog. Thank you for so many awesome articles, and good luck with whatever it is you're going to be working on!

Oh, and yeah, I absolutely loved those books. Some of them were translated to norwegian (my english wasn't very good back then) so I would go down to the town library every weekend and rent new ones.

Best of luck Jeff!

Thanks for your insights these past couple of years.

Cheers,
JC

Best of luck to you, Jeff!

/m

Good Luck on your new job!

Just a comment to spoil the emphasis of your post (yes, I'm a big bastard). I know that thinking about a job change is a long and deep mental process, I've been there myself, but consider this:

- You are a very skilled and popular programmer
- You've been working at Vertigo for a long time
- You're leaving Vertigo in good terms

Given these 3 points, there is a VERY HIGH probability that Vertigo would re-hire you (with a higher salary) should something go wrong in your new adventure :-)

best of luck with the start up, you could also break into the podcasting, I'm sure there are a few people that would listen to you drone on for 5-10 minutes a day on various OSS projects that you feel passionate about. It would be a great way to advertise for you new adventure and possibly make more money while you are at it..

Thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog posts and hope to continue to do so. All the best to you.:-)

All the best amigo...

It's is always refreshing to jump into something new. So all the best.

Best of luck Jeff!
I'm also closing a door here at my current job and moving on to a new adventure.

These past few nights I've being going to bed pretty late just staring at the ceiling and wondering: "what if it doesn't work?"

Can't wait to hear more from your new endeavor.

Good luck on the new adventure!

Good luck, Jeff. It is scary, and it's hard to make such a decision. Mine was made for me when my employer laid me off and I decided to do what I wanted, not what was expected. But as you say, if it's not a little scary, it's probably not worth it.

Best of luck, Jeff. We'll be listening on the same Jeff-channel to see how page 10 turns out to be :)
F.O.R.

We'll be waiting with bated breath. Good luck!

Atta Boy Jeff, GO FOR IT!

The best books for choosing your own adventure were the Steve Jackson/Ian Livingstone books. Seriously. More monsters and maiming.

Oh, and good luck.

By the way, don't back down; you've made the right choice and you will succeed.

My attitude has always been:
'I will succeed or die trying.'

In the end, if you want something bad enough, these are the only two possible outcomes.

Most of the time, people succeed. I know I have when I really wanted something.
You’ve got to want it. And you have got to believe.
Again, good luck Jeff and best wishes for your new venture.

As far as being homeless with a suit and tie, I'd say that opting to fulfill potential (or the attempt to) will lead to less bitterness with preparation. The chains of material belongings and "base of operations" can be hindering. I'm not suggesting that going for such an extreme is good... without planning, anyway. That is what compels a response. It is an important point in your life.

There is risk where there is reward. Plan it out.

Best of luck; I look forward to seeing how it turns out.

I loved these books. I remember marking pages with my fingers, scraps of paper, whatever was handy trying to make sure I had found every ending and every path through the books. I think I've still got a collection of these at home that I'm saving for my kids (first one arriving in July!) and I'm hoping they love them as much as I did. It was the first thing I looked for in the Weekly Reader magazine when it was time to order more books in elementary school.

Good luck with the new venture. With your discipline in posting almost every day, I'm sure you will do well.

Best of luck ...

..and you were not alone in enjoying these books (and probably for the same reasons)

I especially loved Steve Jackson's "Sorcery!" series and Dever/Chalk's "Lone Wolf" (you gotta the Magic Spear found in #2!)

oh... Good Luck, Jeff.

Good luck Jeff, and big congratulations on coming to such a big decission!

/Admirer

I usually come to this blog and leave thinking "today's blog post is my favorite!" Bringing back memories of the Choose your own adventure books, the hilarious chicken illustration... I wish you a lot of luck! You're a great inspiration, and I enjoy coming here.

Good luck and thanks for the writing so far.

Welcome to the club. All the cool kids are here.

Good luck Jeff! I appreciate this blog and I wish you success. I've already turned off my ad blocker for this site because I know that you won't inundate me with ads.

There are no 'right' choices. Only the ones we make. There may be more desirable paths those choices lead us down but we can only speculate since we chose the alternate path.

Good Luck and I will keep reading.
l0ngterm

Oh, the nostalgia is killing me! Seeing the cover from "The Cave of Time" brought it all back in an instant. Seriously though, good luck with everything Jeff - and I can't wait to see what else you have in store!

Hey Now Jeff,
Good Luck, your new workstation will be a great post to see when you move.
Coding Horror Fan,
Catto

I started my microISV just over 3 years ago. It has been quite a ride, but I haven't regretted it (yet!). A good description is "trading the illusion of security for the illusion of freedom".

Best of luck with the new venture.

Congrats and good luck Jeff.

Good luck Jeff.

All right, I have three things to say:

1. Thanks for continuing blogging at CodingHorror!
2. Thanks for not becoming a full-time blogger!
3. Wish you all the best for your new adventure!

Can't wait to read the next chapter :)

Good Luck Jeff! I have enjoyed this blog everyday for the past year or so. Advertise all you want! :)

Good luck. I've been in your position, and will likely be there again soon - it's one of the most stressful times in the world. You might succeed, you might fail, but at least you made a decision.

Kudos to ya!

Good luck Jeff!

We all root for you (at least until you stop blogging :).

Good move, Jeff.. I commend your extended commitment to the developer community!:) Keep up the great work!

Ah... Prisoner of the Ant People...

Jeff, thank you so much for that bit of reflectance. I had forgotten all about this period in my childhood and the influence it had on my current career.

I absolutely loved those books growing up.

I was a little worried when I read the choice you had to make. I thought back to last weeks blog how you assumed a blog was closing because of his relationship with Microsoft. I thought the blog was ending.

Then when I read your choice, I was just as worried. To think you'd only be writing and not out there in the thick of it getting your hands dirty so you'd have something to write about.

It sounds like a very difficult decision you've had to make, and after the very high regard you give Vertigo - it also seems like a very honourable one.

Best of luck with your new adventure - let's hope the chances of success are a little greater than the 30% in Cave Of Time.

Good luck Jeff. You listed your 8 or so tech role models, but did you know you're on that same list for a lot of other people - including myself?

Fortunately, the stuff after 'page 10' hasn't been written yet! I'm sure you'll do well in your new adventures and I'll be following along here the whole time.

Although only related to the CYOA books, my first experience was with the Dungeons and Dragons Endless Quest books. This was my favorite: (http://www.gamebooks.org/show_item.php?id=900.)

And Jeff, good luck.

"Just keep clear mind, go straight ahead, and try, try, try for ten thousands years." Zen saying

Your blog is one of the best, if not the best I've ever read. Good luck!

Best of luck Jeff!

Also, those books were great. Those along with Encyclopedia Brown were all I read when I was a kid.

Jeff - You are passionate about what you do, and I know you will succeed. You only live this life once, I'm glad you decided to take the risk. I'll always be a faithful reader, advertisements or not.

jeff, does this mean you'll have time to have lan party with me again?

best luck!

Congrats, Jeff, and good luck!

The one CYOA book I remember the most is "Inside UFO 54-40" (#12 of the original series). Throughout the whole book you are searching for this utopian paradise, and there is actually a "Congratulations, You found it!" page in the book, but THERE IS NO WAY TO REACH IT!

I didn't make a graph, but I remember searching through the entire book to see if there was a "turn to Page 101". There was not.

So do we call that unreachable code? Should the book not compile?

Best of luck!

I still love choose your own adventure books.

Seeing Douglas Crockford as one of your blogging role models just propelled you to a higher level of coolness.

Jeff,

I'm really glad you're not going to be blogging full time. It's the time spent doing other things that gives the best ideas for blog posts.

As a fellow (still) (not much lately) coding blogger, I say, do it. I love my new job, but still wish I could make something new and independent again.

Does this mean we'll have to put up with a lot more posts about blogging instead of posts about actually coding?

"The original illustrator ... had quite an eye"

I think nostalgia has affected your judgment. That artwork is hideous.

You sure do need a lot of words to say, "I'm quitting my job. It's scary."

I'm glad you're going to continue developing. People who talk about developing, but have stopped doing it themselves, tend to start losing touch with reality IMHO.

Good luck!
One of the most important things is not to give up too early, even if it sometimes is an effort to get up as there are zero sales!

Good luck!

Kick ass!
Best of luck to you on your new endeavor, Jeff.

Too bad you can't cheat like with the books and just keep flipping back whenever you find yourself somewhere you don't want to be ;)

--Kevin

Dang, I'd forgotten about those books.

I got kinda disenchanted with them when I picked the most sensible option on one page and ended up dead.

But I was already coding at the time, and it got me thinking a lot about the differnces in the two media. For one thing, the stories were dissapointingly short, even though the books themselves were normal-sized. This graphicly shows how much more work it is to provide interactive content than non-interactive.

As for the career change, I'll join the chorus and wish you luck. It might not work out, but when you're old and gray you'd be more upset with yourself for not having tried than you would for having tried and failed.

Congratulations on your new choice. Looking at job decisions as a "Choose your own adventure" seems practical.
I myself am at the stage where you stare at the page, with the two decissions on my mind...
I think I too, will choose for change.
It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

Jeff,

I don't want to throw water on this--It seems that you have made your decision and I hope your employment shift turns out wonderfully. So I hope that your description of your Vertigo job was a bit exaggerated. You said,

"You have landed your dream job as a technical evangelist for Vertigo Software. It is by far the best job you've ever had. Every day is fun. You've become close friends with your coworkers, who are all as passionate about software development as you are." If it is your dream job and by far the best job you've ever had, why would you leave for anything less than the monarchy of the United Kingdom?

I'm not the biggest of bloggers, but I'll make an exception here.

I've had the pleasure of working with Jeff over the past 2 years or so while at Vertigo and probably the one thing that I've taken away from that is how "real" he is. Jeff is probably one of the most genuine, down to earth people that I have worked with and it's been excellent having him around to help out and bounce ideas off.

Jeff, I wish you nothing but the best of luck in your new venture!

Jeff, I hope your new opportunity involves authorship because you're a pleasure to read. Best of luck, keep writing -- code and otherwise.

Heh, just added your blog RSS to my iGoogle two days ago, and now you turn pro. The coincidence!

Good luck, Jeff!

To respond to the first part of your post, a colleague of mine has just launched a website that is in the same vein as the Choose Your Own Adventure books. It's called protagonize (www.protagonize.com). Authors login and collaborate on stories, create branches, etc. It's very cool. Enjoy!

i guess i better start clicking on your ads so you don't stumble onto page 16 which is DEATH!

Wow, well done Jeff.

You're very brave.

It must be hard leaving the bosom of salaried work, but i reckon altogether more satisfying when it works out!

Good Luck!

(Love the blog)

i've gone the indy/small biz path, and wish I did it sooner. Only I'm a consultant, and would love to have the opportunity you have with blogging and the small, secret project. I'm sure it will work out well, and you'll land on your feet no matter what. just don't ever quit this blog!

good luck.

I too, feel it necessary to wish you a heart-felt good luck. That certainly is a brave decision and I look forward to hearing about your new endeavor.

Good luck Jeff!

BTW: In my experience, you are probably better off reducing your hours at work (but not quitting) instead of working full-time on your new project. I also dumped my job a few years back to start my own business and it blew up in my face. Full-time work seems like it's the only obstacle between you and great riches but sometimes you find out this isn't the case.

Case in point, sometimes I'd get stuck in my business and it would be great to work on something else until I figure out the solution but once you quit your job there isn't anything else you can do. What I mean to say is that your business productivity doesn't necessarily go way up just because you quit your job (though it's fun doing away with the distractions).

Who cares one more GOOD LUCK to you: Jeff.

Who want's to play the Lottery when you can have more fantastic results in real life decisions!

Visit our life choice - Music creation vs. Engineering at:
http://www.andrewplayer.com

Now Mom supports the family while Dad develops Music for media.

I can totally relate to the whole 'I want to build something' itch! Hope the startup lifestyle doesn't cut into Coding Horror. It's a lot harder to blog regularly when the 'other thing' demands your attention (or at least that's *my* excuse).

Hope to see you around at some random MSFT events!

Jeff, you tell a great story.

I love your technique of "take something obscure > show why we should be interested > set the stage and move in for the kill > give us the punchline/news and commentary". Most folks either do the interesting but unimportant OR the news part, but you marry those expertly.

So thanks, keep up the good work, and congratulations!

Wait...isn't page 10 where you're attacked by a Gru?

Oh no....that's Zork...silly me.

Best of Luck Jeff!

Congratulations! I'm always excited to read what comes next, your site has been a big influence on me, and I wish you all the luck with what comes next!

Dude, that's awesome.

You could probably do "funding drives" every few months and be successful with your readership levels.

Any thoughts to more book opportunities?

Congratulations! I hope the adventure treats you well.

While I've enjoyed reading your blog for a couple of years now, if you've posted on any of your projects, I've missed it. SO I look forward to seeing what cool things you build when the time is right.

Congratulations...

This post reminded me of my first little personal programming project (as a wee kid) back in about 1981 - I coded out one of the Choose Your Own Adventure books - I can't recall which one - in Basic on a TRS-80. I even tried adding some rudimentary graphics to go with the text. I (somewhat) fondly recall saving and loading my code from the attached cassette recorder (!)

In some odd way these books helped make me interested in CS. I owned dozens of them at one point in my adolescence...

Thanks Jeff for the fun flashback...

Best of luck! I've always enjoyed Coding Horror and I'm excited to see what you do next.

Unfortunately, not everything is what it seems.... come on, you've been fired for reading and posting to your blog too much, haven't you!? Having fun on company time... tsk tsk tsk, :)

j/k

These books were a favorite of mine when I was younger... and I never could wrap my head around them. Thanks for the greater picture, so to speak.

Congratulations on your adventure through the new door and I wish you the best of luck.

Love the series too. I read them in my own language (there are translations of the books in Malay).

Excellent news.

Any life changing event can cause anxiety and I'm glad you made *a* decision; either definitely stick with Vertigo or definitely leave.

I think you really had three options and not two though - using trinary logic (yes/no/null).

Others could quite well be stuck in "null land" when faced with this kind of decision; staying at their job yet never making that definite decision to stay (or leave).

Good luck and godspeed!

From one of your blog's long time lurkers,

-Tom Woz

Best of luck! Look forward to reading about your adventures :)

Many of your posts were related to your work at Vertigo. Now we get the feeling that your blog will change

Best of luck! I hope this means more frequent updates! :-)

All the best for your new endeavour! Looking forward to more great insights posted on your blog.

Congratulations on the big leap! I hope your startup project and all future ones are even more successful than your blog.

The good news is if you ever need good developers to help you're a blog post away from more interest than you can handle ;)

Lucky You Jeff!! At least you are in a position to make such a step. Keep the good stuff coming..

Good luck Jeff!!! Best wishes to you to find a very interesting "page 10"!!!

@BradC

> The one CYOA book I remember the most is "Inside UFO 54-40" (#12 of the original series). Throughout the whole book you are searching for this utopian paradise, and there is actually a "Congratulations, You found it!" page in the book, but THERE IS NO WAY TO REACH IT! I didn't make a graph, but I remember searching through the entire book to see if there was a "turn to Page 101". There was not. So do we call that unreachable code? Should the book not compile?

I remember that one! I did the same thing -- saw the "you found it!" page, and then flipped through the whole book looking for a reference, and found that there wasn't one!

That "unreachable" page sounds like a private method with no references to it; nothing that wouldn't compile, but probably a good candidate for a compile-time warning message!

To stretch this somewhat silly analogy even further, we could call the process of flipping through a choose-your-own-adventure book in that manner a primitive version of using a decompilation tool. :-)

@Jeff

Best of luck in your new pursuit, and good for you for not being afraid to step out of your comfort zone and go for it! I'm looking forward to reading more about it in the future.

Good luck man! At least real life isn't as dangerous as a Choose Your Own Adventure (or the excellent Fighting Fantasy books) - and there's always the option to start reading again (not that you'll need that option I'm sure!).

I know it must have been hard to leave that sweet Rock Band rig at Vertigo. Good luck, and rock on, brother.

very inspiring!
good luck

Good luck with everything Jeff

Nothing beats the original CYOA books (I must've read every single one of them growing up), but I also remember the "Time Machine" and "Which Way Books" as well.

Was I the only one who begged for these as birthday presents?

Jeff I am convinced that through your intelligence and incredible insight that you will find a way to succeed. Good luck on your future endeavors.

Congratulations Jeff, and good luck!

hellz yeah, man! 433rd Good Luck! XD

Now you can start charging Vertigo to advertise on your blog...hehe.

At the risk of sounding a bit smarmy - oh what the hell!

<InstaSmarm>Atwood, you are the reason I am at the place I am now in my professional career. I consider myself to be the young apprentice who still to this day can remember all of the lyrics to "Big Ol' Gold Belt" and "Baby Got Back" in the office as you ripped my code up to a bloody pulp and spit it back out at me in the form of raw gold! I learned much from you then, and I continue to reap the benefits of your stylistic bloggings.</InstaSmarm>

You've changed the way I approach technical challenges as well as the way I approach my craft Atwood - no joke. I have no doubts that you're heart will go on.

You've heard enough Good Lucks... :-) Still Good Luck.

Also, I love those freaking books! I totally forgot about them. It is interesting that you relate them to programming... I probably would have never drawn that parallel, however I have to agree.

Regards,

WOW Jeff,
Does this mean we get to look forward to MORE posts, I certainly hope so I love your blog, it sits on my Google homepage and I check it at least once a day, and I've ready EVERY post.

Good luck Jeff!

I made this decision some time ago and appreciate it every day.

/bow
Wolf

Being trapped somewhere in time to live out an alternate life isn't necessarily a negative outcome!

Best of luck with the new opportunity. I can't wait to hear how page 10 turns out, live the dream.

I loved reading insight from somebody active in the industry who "works for the man". Though, I don't really think your topics or writing voice will change much because of this decision.

Best of luck! And you can count on me to stop by daily and click the shit outta your ads :)

Congratulations!!! I hope all is well with your new life

Best regards from Santiago, Chile

Ditto to what everyone has said!

Keep Chargin'!

Way to go Jeff. No way I'd keep on working for a firm that put me in a banana suit ;)

Seriously, there's nothing that beats defining your own job and your own environment. Been self employed for 10 years and haven't regretted it for a day.

Good luck and remind me to install a better ad-blocker ;)

Best of luck Jeff, and if you need any help just ask :-)

As Bob Parsons often says, "Get and Stay out of your comfort zone"

Good Job Jeff...

Jeff, you'll do great. God Bless!

You must have had more well wishes in response to this post than you have had in a long time. Let me add mine. Good luck Jeff!

I’ve been a lurker here for some time, but thought I’d pipe in and wish you all the best.

The cool thing about these books, and life, is that if you don’t like the page you ended up on you can often go back and make another choice. All the best.

The best one is "Space And Beyond"!!! I love that one!!!

Good luck to Coding Horror and all who sail in her!

Good luck to you Jeff! I hope there are more positive endings than the Caves of Time, but you won't know until you go through the permutations!

Hey Don't worry you can always flip back!

Congratz Jeff! Be sure to let us know how things turn out (not just posting about What happens... but the why and the how... and all the other good stuff you always post).

good luck jeff!
i know making those decisions are the most dofficult.. but are the easy ones ever worth it?

ive found myself falling back to the robert frost poem: the road not taken
http://www.ketzle.com/frost/roadnot.htm

-AJ

best of luck to you Jeff. I've enjoyed your blog for a long time now but this is my first post, just to wish you the best in your new endeavor.

Jeff - You've already earned enough attention that your new microISV has an excellent chance of success - but things are different over here than working in a good company like Vertigo. A couple of resources worth mentioning:

Pam Slim's Escape from Cubical Nation blog for lots of really good advice - particularly about the human side of going from over there to over here and Business of Software - lots of very knowledgeable people, low noise.

Good Luck!

Firstly, thanks for all the insightfull and well written articles. Your blog is always first on my list.

I recently had a similar dilemma, and after pondering for a long time, I did as you did. Never looked back.

Best of luck, you will succeed at whatever you do.

I wonder what CYOA books could tell us about child psychology. I too was one of those kids who couldn't turn the page without holding a finger in to turn back -- sometimes in a few places at once in case they tried to do me in without realizing it!

*LOVE* the CYOA compilation picture! That's absolutely one of my favorite series of books. And the Boxcar Children.

I wish you luck on your new venture. Thanks for all the great posts.

Bah! I waited a day to read your post!

Congrats on your move and wish you the best of luck! Will be looking forward to you announcing the full details when the time comes.

The wisdom of Rudyard Kipling (by way of Grandpa Simpson):

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
[...]
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And -- which is more -- you'll be a Man, my son!

Everybody's changing something in their lifes these days - including me. Good luck on your leap my friend.

Cheers.

I loved those books! Good luck on page 10 (and keep your finger on the current page so you can go back if you don't like it)

@Alan Hogan

> and keep your finger on the current page so you can go back if you don't like it

I knew I couldn't be the only one who used to do that. :-)

Jeff, thanks for reviving some awesome memories. Our development group is pretty much exclusively composed of late-20's to mid-30's folk, and we had a great time on the Choose Your Own topic.

I also had quite a laugh following your digressions. Enjoy the fireworks, but be prepared for the smell of burning short-hairs.

Best wishes.

Good luck!

If the current trend sticks, your writing is only going to get better.

After reading an influential post from one of the guys on your list earlier this year, I took some actions that effectively caused a few events to occur and subsequently caused an abrupt shift in my career direction - and life has been a lot better since.

People don't always have access to the right information, and the insight/wisdom provided by great blogs go beyond the mere act of making money, they can change lives for the better, and put others in positions where they can make better decisions for themselves, it's perhaps the best thing anyone can do for another.

Congrats on making the move and all the best, keep it rolling.

Good luck man, I love your blog and I'm glad to hear that you'll be keeping on with it. I can't wait to read about your experiences working for yourself!

Actually, I like computer games of this style more.

In real life, the life is seldom changed just by single decision. Some of the choices may have no immediate effect, but have effects later in your life. Computer games can easily keep track of these, but in books, once the storyline merges, it'll become a single line. There's no hidden option(s) that opens if you've done something before, and makes it less entertaining. :P

Adding another voice to the choir Jeff; Best of luck - I can always appreciate courage, and leaving comfortable surrounds for the unknown is brave in my book.

Man I loved those books, too. It does seem to be quite common in programmers, you're probably on to something.

Congratulations and best of luck! I started an ISP back in 1994, and in the end made next to no money on my original investment - didn't sell out in the boom years when we should have - but the experience and understanding I gained from it made it entirely worthwhile.

If you make a fortune, great! If you make a living, great! If you end up with deeper self-understanding, better still.

"It's a magical world, Hobbes ol' buddy. Let's go exploring!"

"Failure is not an option." ~ Gene Kranz

(Sorry, I couldn't resist when I saw you say failure is always an option )

Good luck Jeff.
Its a tough decision that you have taken.
Wish you best for your future.
It would be like a Candle offering favor to Sun. But still if any help is required from us readers don't hesitate.

On other side being selfish. Jeff has always been a pathfinder for us.
Now if Jeff succeeds or fails(I trust Jeff and God it wont happen) the readers are one who are going to always gain from the experience of Jeff.

3 cheers for the new CEO of fortune 10 company.

Sachin Chavan.

One more CYOA thought: man, some of those had some BADDD titles "War With the Evil Power Master"?? "You Are A Shark"!?! I mean, I know the market is for kids, but those sound like titles thought up by kids.

Wish you all the best Jeff. I am sure you will do great as usual in your new venture

Good luck Jeff!

Looking forward to your next stop.

Miguel.

:-(

Man, my wife ends up in the hospital for a couple of weeks and the whole world falls apart. Don't be a stranger, and my newborn daughter (IIS) thanks you for the drum pads.

My man. Best of luck!

Best of luck, Jeff! With all this 'bloggers stop blogging' posts lately, I feared this would go the other way. But I'm glad I was wrong, and I'm also glad you will continue to code - as you said, I think it's an important aspect of your blog.

Once again, good luck! I promise, I'll start clicking on some of those ads here! ;)

Good luck. Glad you are continuing to blog here. I enjoy reading your blog very much.

Good luck Jeff!

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard (1813 - 1855)

so, just go for it and enjoy your ride! ;-)

Good Luck man! Ive recently subscribed to your because you gave some powerful insight, and I just want to wish you the best! Go have fun!

Thanks for the nice reminder of the Build Your Own Adventure books. They were a big part of my childhood.

I just recently discovered your blog and have been thoroughly enjoying it. Best of luck to you!

Hi Jeff, best wishes and good luck for your next adventure page ;)

hi jeff,
good work, carry on1

Congrats, Jeff. I've been contemplating a similar move, but holding off for "the right time." I applaud your confidence in taking the leap!

Good luck! I hope your new door will impress you ;)

It takes great courage to walk out of your confort zone and risk it all,i guess that's the essence of "choose your adventure" books.I know you certainly do not lack the courage ,good luck to you .:)

keep authoring great dialogue. love coming in each morning and reading something interesting on this blog. i look forward to it each day and am still surprised at how often the content is very useful, funny, informative and much more. good luck in your new adventures!

gl hf

cheong - Have a look at the Fighting Fantasy series of books, they're like CYOA but have stats and battles ;) http://www.fightingfantasygamebooks.com/ As a child they always seemed superior to me. Damn was I a geek about them though... I had guidebooks galore as well as a couple of shelves full of the stories themselves!

Frost and Kipling? Bah. I grew up on "the wrong side of the tracks", and could never get into poetry from those eliteist white men. I thought I just didn't appreciate poetry, until recently.

Here, try something from Langston Hughes for someone deciding whether to follow a dream:

What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?

My favorite CYOA (or what do i do now) books were the Zork books. This was early 80s, so roughly the same time period. This was right before I got my intro to computers via the Vic-20!

Best of luck Jeff!

Jeff, as a long time reader of your blog, I think you would do really well in your adventure. I wish you all the very best.

Good luck to you, Dude! =)

Good luck!

Best. Resignation Letter. Ever.

Good Luck! :)

Hey Jeff, Long time reader, first time poster.

Good luck - I really hope everything works out for you. I've learned loads from your blog and I recommend it to everyone that I think will benefit from it.

Tim

It takes great courage to walk out of your confort zone and risk it all,i guess that's the essence of "choose your adventure" books.I know you certainly do not lack the courage ,good luck to you .:)

Jeff, good luck to you on your new path.
Greetings from Brazil.

Work is simply Love in action, follow yer heart.
Best wishes and Good Luck!
K

Congratulations and good luck Jeff!

I'll be right there every step of the way!

Dude, you're giving up a FRIDGE WITH AN ICE MAKER!!!!

What's wrong with you?

Good luck Jeff, your a Brave man!

good luck, Jeff

You should try vlogging and participate in the YouTube community. I've just returned from a Carnival cruise with YouTube vloggers. It was a fantastic vacation! If you are made a YouTube Partner you will even get paid for vlogging. I just like the colorful characters in the community so I chat with them for fun. So far it has been the ultimate adventure.

Good Luck Jeff! We're gonna miss you here; in the sunny Spain that is. ;)

Good Luck Man! Hope it turns out ok and u get lots of money...

and happiness :D

Good luck Jeff!

Even if failure is an option you can always count on us, your readers who keep on reading you up. I really hope you can earn a pretty good living out of your blog ..come to think of it if your advertisements are not intrusive nobody will have a problem with them!

Great luck on your new adventure!

Good luck Jeff! Hope page 10 holds tons of $!!

Good luck, Jeff! Can't wait to see what you build.

Karl says: XYZZY

Hey Jeff, That was a pretty good analogy. I think you have a real talent for breaking things down in a unique way like that.

I myself had to make a simillar decision recently. I had worked on a small startup project pro-bono about 7 years ago with the hope that it may blossom one day. It came for me and I decided to leave my old job and haven't looked back, its been great.

The thing is that sometimes "someday" acutally may come and at that point you have to decide to shit or get of the pot, it sounds like you decided to take a shit. Congrats.

I'm a programmer, and I've been reading your blog for a while now, but never commented. I guess this is as good a time as any to do so.

Good luck, man. For what it's worth, I think you'll do great. All the best.

All the best Jeff!

My friend was raving about an APress book by Bob Walsh called "Micro ISV: From Vision to Reality". Maybe you might find it useful :)

Regards,
Swaroop

When you mentioned those books some time ago you made me go back in time, so I took a picture of the few I still have at home (the italian edition) after all of this time (and several relocations...):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dani3l3/2168597987/

oh, cool, I am seeing now that you linked that already :-)

Ah now your talking Jeff, those kind of books (I read some of the UK versions) were excellent.

Good luck for the future.

Good luck Jeff,

let us know if you need any help

Warm regards, Mike

Oh man I use to love those books. Wow that brought back some memories thank you !

Don't pipe up here often, but just wanted to wish you luck as well!

The good 'ol days of growing up. I read all of those books and loved them. The narrative was compelling and inspirational.

Take care Jeff, and thank you for all your TFS knowledge while at Vertigo.

Jeff, i am a regular reader of your blog. Good luck on your new venture...

Good luck Jeff! I know you'll do well in your own venture. You've been out on your own before and were successful.

Great post. Good luck, Jeff!

I love those books too. Found some old ones & I couldn't have been more thrilled (though WhichWay books were even more awesome :).

gl

Good luck Jeff. I have been consulting for 16+ years and if I had to work full-time for anyone in any role, I think I'd have to jump out of my skin after two days.

All the best with your next project. Being independent is more fun that being an Evangelist of anything - because Independence has-a Freedom.

I think this may have generated more comments then most of the other posts. Except mabey one... something about 2 types of programmers. ;)

Hey Jeff -

Does this mean this you'll be switching back to VB.NET now that you're in charge again??

Or have you fallen head-over-heels for C#? :-(

Inquiring minds want to know! :-))

These books were my first. I started reading them and when my school library ran out of them, I shifted to Hardy Boys. These literary adventures started my voracious appetite in books.

I like your article. Your thing is brilliant.
Suzzane Waltz