Member Spotlight- Sitting-Duc>XI<

[BlackRose]

Let start with your clan name? Sitting-Duc

    Do you have any nicknames? Personal or in game? Duc

    When and where were you born? Beginning of the 90's in England, UK.

    When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? I'm generally wanting to do something in the military, but more on the intelligence or technology side of things. I don't think I would have done well as a 'grunt' in any form.

    Where have you lived? England for the majority and Wales whilst I was studying at university.

     

    What got you into gaming? My cousins and brother I guess, they played the games and I persuaded them to let me have a go. Started on console SEGA and then moved into PC Gaming.

    Your first game you played? I believe it would have been Sonic or a similar game in that genre.

    And what do you play now? I rarely find the time to play games anymore, and when I do I focus on playing single player games that come with little social interaction or time commitment. Generally, city builders like City Skylines or RPG type games like Skyrim or Fallout.

    Why did you join XI? I was headhunted to bring my scripting skills surrounding the Crysis series into the community. I generally joined as the promise was for servers and environments for me to unleash my creative skills on focusing on administration tooling and extending the original game functionality.

    What do you get from being in this clan? Rugger would say so much at this point. Generally, I get pain and suffering from a bunch of half-finished projects and ongoing maintenance that I need to keep on top of but rarely do and when I keep putting and putting it off then it becomes a significant, unavoidable job that I *have* to sort out. 

Excluding the pain and suffering; primarily the community for me focuses on those that have become friends and who I have both travelled with for the XI meetups but also on other trips and experiences.

    What is your favourite hobby? Currently, it would be working on my house and garden if you call that a hobby, regardless it is something I am both enjoying and hating it at the same time.

    What is your favourite travel destination? The one I haven't yet been to. The countries I have now been to are: Canada, USA, Iceland, England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria,  Slovenia, Ghana, South Africa, Qatar, Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Japan.

Out of all of them, the ones I know I will be back to (excluding the UK ones) would be Japan and USA. The USA I visit because of XI more than anything else. Japan is a country that I truly love - the people, culture and food all excel.

    Are you married? No, but if Hefe ever dies (completely non-suspiciously of course) I'll take his place. Or actually, if the same were to happen to Starla I would marry Hefe.

    Do you have children? None that I am aware of.

    What kind of pets do you have, if any? What are their names? There is a phrase in my industry, "cattle not pets". 

    Are you a sports fan? If so, what is your favourite team? Not particularly. A fun fact about me though is that the first football match I ever watched in a stadium was the world cup in Qatar where I watched England play. Honestly couldn't tell you who they played, though. Or who won.

    What causes are you passionate about? None that I am hugely passionate about. I focus on what is close to me and help where I can, family and friends are what matters to me. 

    Do you volunteer? If so, where? I volunteer here. My time investment in XI varies and is influenced by the competing priorities in my life however it does take a significant portion of time. I generally try and join together my personal development for work and projects for XI to maximize on the time investment.

    What is an interesting fact about you? Interesting is very subjective.. The countries I have been to as above? Scars that I have? Experiences?

    Have you continued your education past college or university with career development seminars or classes? What kind? There is a professional requirement for me to maintain Microsoft certifications, I maintain these two as my primary ones: 

Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert

Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert

    Did you know what profession you wanted to work in when you started college? College or University? They are different between the US and UK. However - starting college, I had no idea. When I started at University, I had a good idea that I wanted to go into Software Engineering.

    Did you belong to any professional organizations? None worth mentioning.

    What is your current job title? Cloud Solution Architect: Developer Advocate

    Did you win any awards or recognitions during your education? No, I (thankfully) was just before the generation of 'participation awards'.

    Where do you work? I currently work for Microsoft in the UK.

    What other job titles have you had in your career? Trainee Software Engineer

Software Engineer

Senior Software Engineer

Lead Software Engineer

Software Engineering Consultant

Senior AC&AI Apps Consultant

    Where else have you worked? I worked at my university part-time whilst studying. After that I worked for the Ministry of Defence. I then started my own company and did some consulting roles with different enterprises. Then Microsoft which is where I still am.

    Why did you choose to work in your industry? Primarily through my introduction to gaming and enjoying the scripting/programming side of things. This is where Rugger says I owe it all to him and XI.

    Why do you like your job? I enjoy the problem-solving element. Working with an enterprise to understand their challenges be that people, process or technology and then helping them achieve their goals. I also like the flexibility of the work and how it enables me to travel in my personal life.

    How would you describe your career? Pretty good, I would guess?

    What are some accomplishments you've achieved during your career? Most come under an NDA in one form or another. The big ones would be the ones that affect hundreds of thousands of people or have been significant financially.

    Describe a time that your career was rewarding. In one way or another, most days are rewarding. There is a 'learn it all' attitude that you are required to have in technology, and I try and maintain that to finish every day learning something new.

    If you could give a younger person career advice, what would it be? Likely at this point to go into the generative AI space and understand that you need to develop your skills across a spectrum. There is no point being fully technical if you can't talk to your customers or business peers to develop a wholistic solution.

    What is your favourite thing about your career or industry? It's my favourite and not at the same time - but probably the pace of change. There is always news and technology advancements that amaze me.

    What is a valuable lesson you learned in your career? Learning the power of 'insightful listening'.

    What do you hope to accomplish in your career? Early retirement.

    Are you involved in any professional/ non-profit/sports organizations? If so, do you have a title or rank within these organizations? No.

    What is your favourite sport? I thought I had answered this - none, really.

    Do you play any sports? Nope, I avoid them.

    If you were granted 1 wish, what would you wish for? Probably time.

[Ruggerxi]

@Sitting-Duc Thanks for doing this and it was a great read. I still believe I/the clan should get 20% of your wages since we made you who you are today. 

Sad you couldn't make it to Atlantic City with us, but I will see you in Branson in Sept. Bring lots of money this time for me to win

 

[baldie]

Great read Duc. thank you for sharing and for all your hard work here at XI 

[ROCKAPE]

What a geek lol

 

Luv Ya Duc

[Totty]

Great read thanks for sharing @Sitting-Duc

[Ghostlupus]

Great read @Sitting-Duc. Take care   

[major-mark63]

Thx for sharing nice to learn more of our admins.

[Labob]

So ah what country did you hmmmm borrow a tank of gas in ? Did you ever recieve an award in  broke it ism's ? Asking for a friend

[Hefe33]

Quote

 Are you married? No, but if Hefe ever dies (completely non-suspiciously of course) I'll take his place. Or actually, if the same were to happen to Starla I would marry Hefe.

 

so I have a chance!!

/hefe slowly plots his wife's untimely demise!

Edited June 11, 2024 by Hefe33

[Hoth]

Good read thanks for sharing. Didn't know you were that deep into Azure. Working for Bill and the Evil empire lol. Another IT nerd like myself.

[Bloodrunner]

Love these member spotlights, makes you all seem human.......sometimes!