I finished up my last SharePoint project on Monday, and I have a few days before the next one starts. That has given me the opportunity to try some stuff I haven’t been able to while busy with SharePoint, namely building a .NET 3.5 app without worrying about details like getting a sufficient number of service packs installed on a production environment.

   

I think I’m in a pretty good place right now - I get to work on my own project, but I know I’ll be back to consulting next week so I don’t have to worry about whether it will get me paid. Uncertainty can be real productivity killer. It’s even worse if you are writing enterprise software and don’t know if you will get paid, though I’m pretty sure I can avoid getting in that situation again.

   

The application I’m working on is implementing a Social Networking/Search idea, which gives me a lot of freedom to play with new stuff. Enterprise development certainly has its good points (mostly involving cash), but for actually enjoying the work you can’t beat converting an idea into working code.