Brian Swiger

Domain 1: Use GitHub Copilot Responsibly

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Learn how to use GitHub Copilot responsibly by recognizing AI risks, applying Microsoft responsible AI principles, and validating every output before it becomes code.

Lab 1: Exploring Copilot Surfaces

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Exam domains exercised

Domain 2: Use GitHub Copilot features

🎯 Learning Objectives

Experience all five primary Copilot interaction surfaces: inline suggestions, Chat panel, Inline Chat, Model Picker, and CLI
Understand when to use each surface and how they complement each other
Confirm your Copilot installation is active and your plan tier is correct

Prerequisites

VS Code installed with the GitHub Copilot extension enabled
GitHub Copilot seat assigned to your account (verify icon in VS Code status bar)
Copilot CLI installed (copilot --version)
A code project open in VS Code (any language — TypeScript recommended)

Exercises

Step 1

Inline Suggestions (Ghost Text)

Inline suggestions are Copilot's most iconic feature — gray "ghost text" that appears as you type. This exercise teaches you to trigger, navigate, and control them.

Copilot Pocket Reference Card

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A printable Copilot quick-reference card for last-minute GH-300 revision.

Domain 2: Use GitHub Copilot Features

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The largest GH-300 domain covers every major Copilot surface: IDE, CLI, agents, MCP, review, collaboration, and admin control.

Lab 2: Prompt Engineering Challenge

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Exam domains exercised

Domain 4: Apply prompt engineering and context crafting

🎯 Learning Objectives

Master five prompting techniques: zero-shot, few-shot, comment-driven, context crafting, and iterative refinement
Experience the difference between vague and specific prompts firsthand
Apply the 4S Framework (Single, Specific, Short, Surround) to every prompt

The 4S Framework (Reference)

🎯 Single — One task per prompt. Break complex goals into discrete steps.
🔍 Specific — Name technologies, specify types, mention edge cases.
✂️ Short — Concise beats verbose. Get to the point.
🔄 Surround — Provide context: open relevant files, add type annotations, use meaningful names.

Exercises

Step 1

Zero-Shot Prompting — Luhn Algorithm

Zero-shot means giving the model a task with no examples — just a clear description of what you want.

Domain 3: Understand Copilot Data and Architecture

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Understand how Copilot turns editor context into model requests, filters responses, handles data, and exposes model limits.

Lab 3: Full Developer Workflow

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Exam domains exercised

Domain 2: Use GitHub Copilot features · Domain 5: Improve developer productivity

🎯 Learning Objectives

Use all four Chat modes (Ask, Edit, Plan, Agent) and understand when each is appropriate
Execute a complete scaffold-to-test workflow using Agent Mode
Use the modern Copilot CLI for real development tasks
Experience Copilot-assisted PR workflow on GitHub.com

Chat Modes Reference

Mode	What It Does	Best For
💬 Ask	Answers questions, explains code, suggests changes as text. Does not modify files.	Learning, exploration, code review
✏️ Edit	Makes direct file modifications. Shows diffs for approval.	Targeted refactoring, specific changes
📋 Plan	Researches the codebase and proposes an implementation plan without making file edits.	Planning complex changes before committing to them
🤖 Agent	Autonomous multi-step execution. Plans, edits files, runs terminal commands, iterates on errors.	Feature implementation, scaffolding, complex tasks

Exercises

Step 1

Scaffold a REST API with Agent Mode

Agent Mode is Copilot's most powerful feature — it can plan, create files, run commands, and iterate. You'll use it to scaffold an entire API project.

Domain 4: Apply Prompt Engineering and Context Crafting

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Use clear prompts, context, examples, chat history, and reusable instructions to make GitHub Copilot produce better answers.

Lab 4: Agent Mode Deep Dive

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Exam domains exercised

Domain 2: Use GitHub Copilot features

🎯 Learning Objectives

Implement a complete feature (pagination) using Agent Mode's autonomous loop
Observe and understand the Plan → Code → Test → Iterate cycle
Understand MCP (Model Context Protocol) and how it extends Copilot's capabilities
Experience Copilot cloud agent via GitHub Issues (if org allows)

The Agentic Loop

📋 Plan → 💻 Code → 🧪 Test → 🔄 Iterate → ✅ Done

Agent Mode repeats this cycle automatically. It reads errors, adjusts code, re-runs tests, and iterates until the task is complete or it asks for help.

GH-300 Practice Questions

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Practice questions grouped by official exam domain, every answer verified against current GitHub and Microsoft documentation.

Domain 5: Improve Developer Productivity

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Domain 5 is about using Copilot to move faster without outsourcing judgment, ownership, testing, or security review.

Lab 5: Enterprise Configuration

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Exam domains exercised

Domain 2: Use GitHub Copilot features · Domain 6: Configure privacy, content exclusions, and safeguards

🎯 Learning Objectives

Configure content exclusions to prevent Copilot from accessing sensitive files
Understand and configure organization-level Copilot policies
Set up duplication detection and understand its relationship to IP indemnity
Navigate audit logs for Copilot activity
Review usage metrics and adoption data

Important Context

⚠️ Admin Access Required: Steps 1–2 require organization admin or Copilot admin access. If you don't have admin access, follow along observationally — screenshots and descriptions are provided. Step 3 (audit logs) requires admin access. Step 4 (metrics review) can be done with the public documentation.

Enterprise Policy Reference

Policy	Options	Business	Enterprise
Suggestions matching public code	Allow / Block	✅	✅
Content exclusions	Path patterns	✅	✅
Copilot in CLI	Enable / Disable	✅	✅
Copilot Chat in IDE	Enable / Disable	✅	✅
Copilot on GitHub.com	Enable / Disable	✅	✅
Admin policies (org-wide)	Various	✅	✅
IP indemnity	Requires duplication filter ON	✅	✅
SAML SSO	Enable / Disable	❌	✅
Audit logs (API)	Streaming / Export	✅	✅

Exercises

Step 1

Configure Content Exclusions

Content exclusions prevent Copilot from reading or suggesting code from specified file paths. This is critical for protecting sensitive files like environment variables, secrets, and proprietary algorithms.

Copilot Plans and AI Credits Billing

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Plans, allowances and AI Credits billing as they stand in August 2026.

Domain 6: Configure Privacy, Content Exclusions, and Safeguards

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Learn how Copilot privacy controls, content exclusions, public-code safeguards, and policy hierarchy work for GH-300.

Lab 6: Security-First Testing

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Exam domains exercised

Domain 5: Improve developer productivity · Domain 1: Use GitHub Copilot responsibly

🎯 Learning Objectives

Use Copilot to generate code, then identify security vulnerabilities in it
Fix SQL injection and other OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities using Copilot
Generate security-focused test suites including attack vector tests
Understand how SAST/CodeQL complements Copilot-assisted development
Practice writing security review documentation with Copilot

🛡️ Important: This lab intentionally generates vulnerable code for educational purposes. Never deploy intentionally vulnerable code to production. All vulnerable examples should be created in isolated lab files and deleted after the exercise.

Exercises

Step 1

Generate — Create a Vulnerable User Search Function

Ask Copilot to generate a database query function. We'll deliberately use a vague prompt that may lead to insecure code.

Official GH-300 Resources

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Every official GH-300 resource worth your time, with each link checked.

Lab 7: Custom Instructions, Agents & Spaces

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Exam domains exercised

Domain 2: Use GitHub Copilot features · Domain 4: Apply prompt engineering and context crafting

🎯 Learning Objectives

Create and test repository-level custom instructions (copilot-instructions.md)
Create path-scoped instructions that apply to specific directories
Build reusable prompt templates (.prompt.md files)
Set up a Copilot Space with curated knowledge for your team
Create a custom agent profile in .github/agents/NAME.md

Custom Instructions Hierarchy

Personal → Path-specific → Repository-wide → Agent instructions → Organization

Shown highest to lowest precedence. Enterprise and organization policies are guardrails, not something repo files can override.

Lab 8: Capstone — Full Enterprise Setup

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Exam domains exercised

Domain 1: Use GitHub Copilot responsibly · Domain 2: Use GitHub Copilot features · Domain 3: Understand Copilot data and architecture · Domain 4: Apply prompt engineering and context crafting · Domain 5: Improve developer productivity · Domain 6: Configure privacy, content exclusions, and safeguards

🎯 Learning Objectives

Tie together every GH-300 exam domain in a single, realistic workflow
Configure governance: plans, content exclusions, and custom instructions
Build a feature with prompt engineering and Agent Mode
Find and fix a real security vulnerability and a worthless test
Apply Responsible AI practices with an AI-usage disclosure

Before You Start

Open the starter project in lab8-capstone/ (a tiny Express + TypeScript API)
GitHub Copilot extension active in VS Code
Node.js 20+ installed
Install and run the project once to confirm it works:

cd lab8-capstone
npm install
npm run dev # http://localhost:3000/health and /orders
npm test # runs the (intentionally flawed) test

💡 How this lab is organized: Each of the 8 steps below maps to one exam domain and to a concrete file already in lab8-capstone/. The repo's README.md is the quick demo script; this page is the detailed walkthrough.

👩‍🏫 Facilitators: see the Instructor's Guide for timings, talk track, and answer keys.

There Are No Official ATS Rules. Here Is What Actually Works.

Fri, 18 Sep 2026 18:54:00 -0400

No standards body certifies a resume as ATS compliant, and the major applicant tracking vendors publish nothing about how they parse your file. The real guidance comes from the parsing engines those systems license, and it rests on a single mechanical fact: your resume is flattened to plain text before anything reads it. This is what that means in practice, what is genuinely true, what is folklore, and how to check your own file today.

Mastering the AB-410: My Journey to the Intelligent Applications Builder Associate Certification

Fri, 18 Sep 2026 17:13:00 -0400

Passing the AB-410 Building Intelligent Applications exam is a great way to validate your AI and Power Platform skills. Here is my breakdown of the certification, study resources, and exam tips from my experience as a developer and Microsoft Certified Trainer.

Certifications Expire. The Learning Compounds.

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 23:11:00 -0400

I have written, reviewed, and updated Microsoft certification exams, and I have held certifications for technologies that no longer exist. The credential was never the point. Here is why the journey matters more, and the GH-300 study hub I built to prove it.

The Show Pony and the Workhorse: The Visibility Tax in the Age of AI

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 13:59:00 -0400

After more than 30 years building software, I have become increasingly convinced that workplace visibility has a dangerous failure mode: the people best at performing impact can overshadow the people actually creating it. AI is making that problem even bigger.

Unlocking Next-Gen Document Intelligence: A Deep Dive into Azure Content Understanding 1.0 GA Refresh and 2.0 Preview

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 16:30:00 -0400

Microsoft announced two landmark updates to Azure Content Understanding: a production-ready CU 1.0 GA refresh with GPT-5 integration and lower token costs, alongside the CU 2.0 Public Preview packed with real-time synchronous APIs, semantic chunking, and agentic reasoning. Here is your complete architectural breakdown and model selection guide.

Scaling AI Agent Teams: Complementing GitHub Agentic Workflows with Azure Container Apps

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 19:18:00 -0400

Discover how combining GitHub-native slash commands with Azure-native serverless compute creates a powerful, isolated, and scalable architecture for autonomous AI agents.

The Cost of Commodity Compensation: Why 'Peanut Butter' Raises Undermine High-Performance AI Culture

Sun, 09 Aug 2026 12:35:00 -0400

Equal percentage raises might offer short-term administrative convenience, but they severely undermine high-performing engineering cultures. This post explores recent compensation research from Payscale, Mercer, and The HR Digest while offering a technical perspective on what high performance requires in the age of generative AI.

The Model Context Protocol Goes Stateless: Why MCP's Biggest Update Matters for AI Engineers

Sat, 01 Aug 2026 19:04:00 -0400

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) released its largest update since inception, replacing its bidirectional stateful core with a request/response stateless protocol. Learn how this shift unlocks horizontal scaling, simplifies load balancing, and impacts AI application development.

Automating Multi-Agent Workflows: Triggering Squad on ACA via GitHub Actions and Microsoft Agent Framework

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 20:36:00 -0400

An end-to-end architectural guide on configuring GitHub Actions as a transport layer to trigger Microsoft Agent Framework multi-agent teams inside secure Azure Container Apps Sandboxes based on GitHub issue events.

Securing Multi-Agent Execution: Bringing Squad on ACA to Azure Container Apps Sandboxes

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 22:52:00 -0400

Learn why dynamic code execution in multi-agent systems requires dedicated isolation, how ACA Sandboxes solve startup and state management challenges, and the architectural decisions behind updating Squad on ACA to leverage sandbox resources.

Deep Dive: Securing Autonomous AI Agents Against the 2026 OWASP Top 10 Risks with Microsoft Agent Governance Toolkit

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 14:40:00 -0400

As AI agents transition from text-generating copilots to multi-step autonomous actors, traditional prompt-based guardrails fail. This deep dive explores the 2026 OWASP Top 10 for Agentic Applications and demonstrates how Microsoft Agent Governance Toolkit provides sub-millisecond, kernel-level runtime enforcement to prevent goal hijacking, privilege abuse, and cascading agent failures.

Inside the Software Dark Factory: How Intent-Driven AI Agents Are Automating End-to-End Development

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 14:45:00 -0400

Explore how GitHub Agentic Workflows and MCP-driven AI agents are paving the way for “dark factories” in software development, shifting engineering from manual coding to high-level intent design and autonomous agent orchestration.

Running Multi-Agent Teams on Azure Container Apps: Porting Squad to Serverless Architecture

Tue, 14 Jul 2026 21:13:00 -0400

Discover how agentic development has evolved from simple text prompting to sophisticated, repository-native multi-agent swarms. This post walks through porting the Squad agent framework from AKS to serverless Azure Container Apps (ACA), providing an automated, cost-efficient, human-in-the-loop AI development environment. Learn how to use the custom squad-aca command as a GitHub Copilot agent to dispatch tasks directly into the cloud.

The End of AI Vibes: Measuring True Business ROI for Production Agents with Azure AI Foundry

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 17:47:00 -0400

Building AI agents is easy, but proving their business value is hard. This post explores Microsoft’s new ROI tracking capabilities introduced at Build 2026 (Session BRK252), detailing how organizations can move beyond basic token and latency metrics to map agent performance directly to financial and operational outcomes.

TypeScript 7.0 RC: The 10x Speed Era and the Native Go Rewrite

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 11:10:00 -0400

TypeScript 7.0 has reached the Release Candidate stage, bringing a revolutionary 10x performance upgrade over version 6.0. This milestone realizes Microsoft’s multi-year project to rewrite the compiler for native execution, utilizing advanced parallel processing across parsing, type checking, and emitting.

Beyond the Prompt: Why Loop Engineering is the Future of AI Development

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 23:19:00 -0400

A deep dive into loop engineering, exploring how to shift from manual prompting to building multi-turn, self-verifying autonomous cycles with AI agents, including the structural components needed to avoid token-burning loops.

The Model is the Commodity, the Harness is the Moat: The Rise of the Forward Deployed Engineer

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 23:10:00 -0400

Raw LLMs are rapidly converging in performance and price. Real enterprise value now lives in the deployment harness. This shift requires a new breed of professional—the Forward Deployed Engineer—focused entirely on business outcomes rather than selling software licenses or billable hours.

The Flat-Rate AI Era is Dead: Inside the Token Crisis

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 19:24:00 -0400

With major developer tools shifting away from flat-rate pricing to metered token billing, Token Crisis emerges as a hilarious yet sobering look at our AI prompt habits. This post breaks down why our token budgets are disappearing in minutes and how to practice better token conservation.

The New Era of Agentic Architecture: Moving Beyond a Single Model to Multimodal Harnesses

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 12:42:00 -0400

An in-depth analysis of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s framework for frontier AI deployment. Moving beyond single-model dependency, the modern enterprise relies on robust agentic harnesses, private evaluation loops, and empowering high-leveraged generalists to transform tacit knowledge into permanent operational value.

Shifting from Plumbing to Prompts: Introducing the Azure Functions Serverless Agents Runtime

Sun, 07 Jun 2026 22:14:00 -0400

Microsoft has launched the public preview of the Azure Functions serverless agents runtime, introducing a declarative, markdown-first approach to building event-driven AI agents. This runtime leverages the core scaling, billing, and integration strengths of Azure Functions while removing the infrastructure boilerplate usually associated with production agent development.

What's New at Microsoft Build 2026: Building, Deploying, and Operating Enterprise Agents at Scale

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:31:00 -0400

Microsoft Build 2026 introduced the Foundry Agentic Platform, a unified ecosystem that Bridges the gap between local agent prototypes and production-grade enterprise deployment. Key updates include the unification of Semantic Kernel and AutoGen into the stable Microsoft Agent Framework, managed hosted runtimes with framework interoperability, autopilot agents integrated into the corporate org chart via Entra ID, and automated closed-loop optimization using production traces.

The Age of Agentic Engineering: Orchestrating Copilot Teams with Squad and Layered SDKs

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 21:04:00 -0400

AI development is shifting from single-turn prompts to multi-agent orchestration. Discover how Microsoft’s Command Line platform highlights the future of software development through the Squad framework, durable memory architectures, and layered agentic SDKs designed for predictable enterprise workflows.

The Power of a Second Opinion: Why GitHub Copilot's Rubber Duck Agent Changes the Game

Fri, 22 May 2026 16:18:00 -0400

AI code generation is fast, but catching subtle architectural flaws is hard. Inspired by Thomas Thornton’s insights, this post explores how the GitHub Copilot Rubber Duck agent utilizes separate model families to act as a true code reviewer inside the Copilot CLI.

The Myth of AI Layoffs: How a Laid-Off Atlassian Engineer Fought Back with Knowledge

Fri, 22 May 2026 12:43:00 -0400

When Atlassian laid off 10% of its workforce to “self-fund AI,” veteran engineer Vasilios Syrakis lost his job after eight years. In response, he published a detailed, free 38-minute architectural breakdown of the company’s core web traffic infrastructure. This post explores the reality of “AI washing” in corporate layoffs and celebrates a engineer who chose to empower the community instead of staying silent.

The Cloud Next Door: Why 71% of Americans Say 'No' to Local AI Data Centers

Tue, 19 May 2026 14:23:00 -0400

The physical footprint of the AI boom is facing unprecedented local pushback. With a recent Gallup poll showing 71% opposition to nearby data centers due to energy and water concerns, the cloud industry must innovate its infrastructure and community engagement models.

Beyond Chat: Giving Your AI Agent Real Azure Skills

Fri, 15 May 2026 12:10:00 -0400

Learn how to install and use the official Microsoft Azure Skills plugin to empower agents like GitHub Copilot and Claude Code with real-world Azure expertise, live resource management, and AI Foundry capabilities.

Fast Track Your Apps: Introducing Azure Container Apps Express

Wed, 13 May 2026 12:28:00 -0400

Stop getting lost in complex YAML and infrastructure plumbing. Azure Container Apps Express provides a streamlined “Source-to-Cloud” experience that allows developers to deploy serverless containers in minutes, making it the perfect tool for rapid prototyping and high-scale retail solutions.

The Next Wave of AI Certifications: Three New Microsoft Beta Exams

Sat, 09 May 2026 17:49:00 -0400

Microsoft has expanded its credential portfolio with three new beta exams focusing on Azure AI solutions, Copilot sales integration, and AI-centric data security. This post explores the exam details and my personal history contributing to the Microsoft certification ecosystem.

Beyond Chat: Analyzing Microsoft’s OpenClaw and the Rise of Agentic Assistants

Tue, 05 May 2026 13:35:00 -0400

The OpenClaw project represents a significant pivot in AI development. By focusing on agency and execution rather than just text generation, Microsoft is defining the next era of personal computing where AI agents manage complex, cross-platform workflows.

Beyond the Bot: How Frontier Firms are Rebuilding for the AI Age

Tue, 05 May 2026 09:18:00 -0400

The gap between AI leaders and laggards is widening. This post breaks down the concept of the “Frontier Firm”—organizations that have moved beyond simple AI adoption to rebuild their operating models. Key takeaways include the shift toward human-agent collaboration, adaptive governance through “Fast Train” models, and the elevation of data hygiene to a strategic priority.

The Value Exchange: Redefining Security in the Era of AI

Mon, 04 May 2026 09:21:00 -0400

Jobs aren’t disappearing because of a lack of talent, but because the game has changed. This post explores the “Value-Delivery Equation” and how to move from dependence to ownership.

Azure AI Foundry Toolboxes: Define Your Agent Tools Once, Use Them Everywhere

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 17:43:00 -0400

As organizations scale their AI agent deployments, tool management becomes a bottleneck. Every agent wires its own tools, manages its own credentials, and duplicates integration code. Azure AI Foundry Toolboxes solve this by letting teams define tools once, manage authentication centrally, and expose everything through a single MCP-compatible endpoint that any agent framework can consume.

Now in public preview, Toolboxes support built-in tools like Web Search, Code Interpreter, and Azure AI Search, plus open protocols like MCP, A2A, and OpenAPI. Best of all, they are framework-agnostic: Microsoft Agent Framework, LangGraph, GitHub Copilot SDK, and custom agents can all consume the same toolbox.

GPT-5.5 Is Here: OpenAI's Smartest Model Redefines Agentic AI

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 18:41:00 -0400

OpenAI just dropped GPT-5.5, and it’s a big deal. This model scores 82.7% on Terminal-Bench 2.0 for agentic coding, excels at knowledge work and scientific research, and matches GPT-5.4 latency while being significantly more token-efficient. Here’s what you need to know and why it matters for developers and enterprises.

GPT-image-2 is Here: AI Image Generation Just Leveled Up

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 16:47:00 -0400

GPT-image-2 launches on Microsoft Foundry with 4K resolution, multilingual text rendering, intelligent routing, and iterative editing capabilities that turn small creative teams into production powerhouses.

The 2026 Tech Hiring Thaw: A Strategic Pivot to Agentic AI

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 22:18:00 -0400

While general hiring remains cautious, the demand for “Agentic Orchestrators” and AI Engineers is driving a significant market thaw. Discover why keeping your skills sharp in the Microsoft ecosystem is more critical than ever.

The Developer Evolution: From "Typists" to "Architects of Agency"

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 21:16:00 -0400

From Assembly to AI, every era of software engineering has faced a “panic” over new tools. This post explores the five stages of AI enablement…from simple chat to scaling agent hubs on Kubernetes…and argues that the real value of tools like GitHub Copilot and Squad isn’t in replacing thought, but in providing a “momentum engine.” Ultimately, we examine the ethical importance of developer delight: ensuring AI makes engineers feel brave and powerful rather than disposable.

Exciting news for the developer community: Microsoft just unveiled MAI-Image-2-Efficient!

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 08:23:00 -0400

New MAI family of models means more options for image generation.

Is it just me, or is the "manual" part of "manual cross-posting" the ultimate productivity killer? 🚫

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 23:10:00 -0400

POSSE stands for Publish (on your) Own Site, Syndicate Elsewhere — a publishing model where you first post content on your own website or platform, then share it (or links to it) on other sites or social media channels. Doing so allows me to save the content on my blog while also leveraging the power of LinkedIn.

Three Azure Certification Renewals!

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Staying current is a major part of the journey. I just renewed three Azure certifications — Administrator, Solutions Architect, and SAP Workloads — keeping the skills sharp while building for the future.

The "Squad" Just Revived My Dinosaur-Aged Blog

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0500

My personal site was stuck in the Blogger era while I built the future of AI at Microsoft. Using Squad, I migrated to Hugo + Azure Static Web Apps in under an hour.

2026 Update: Agents, Architecture, and High School Graduations

Sat, 11 Apr 2026 18:22:00 -0400

Catching up on 27 years of marriage, two sons navigating college and graduation, and the era of Agentic AI.

From the Command Line to the "Squad" — The Evolution of Development

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0500

From Borland C++ to VS Code to agentic AI — a look at how development has evolved from solo coding to orchestrating AI teams.

Résumé Reflections: Why Staying Current Is Part of Staying Prepared

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

I finally updated my résumé and discovered how much has changed. ATS systems parse content differently now — clarity beats impressiveness.

The AI Panic Is the Same Panic Every Generation Has

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

From calculators to AI, every technological shift triggers the same fear. History is clear about who comes out ahead.

A Decade of People, Process, and Possibility at Microsoft

Sat, 13 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Ten years at Microsoft. A reflection on growth, gratitude, and the people who make technology meaningful.

Platinum Club Outstanding Achievers — Thank You

Thu, 13 Apr 2023 00:00:00 -0500

A heartfelt thank-you to the incredible people at Microsoft who helped me earn the Platinum Club Outstanding Achievers award.

The Origin Story: From VIC-20 to Cloud Architecture

Sun, 30 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000

How a USAF Chief Master Sergeant’s son went from a Commodore VIC-20 and Quake clans to a career in cloud architecture at Microsoft.