One in 700 billion

No. Not my place in the world, just my spot in the blogosphere (is that a word?).

I'm one in over 8 BILLION (and growing), so how the hell do I stand out from the other 7,999,999,999?

(Interestingly, the US and the UK have different ideas about what 1 billion means. The US uses 10 figures - 8,000,000,000 or eight thousand million. Some of the the UK still uses a longer form 13 figures - 8,000,000,000,000 or eight million million. Most people, including most people - but not all - in the UK, the UN and World Bank now use US notation.)

According to ChatGPT... about 600-700 BILLION blog posts exist today (September 2025), and hundreds of millions are added every year.

That's obscene.

So, why the hell do we need yet another blog? Do people even read blogs any more?

I want this to be for potential employers to find out what really makes me tick - because that insipid CV you saw was tailored just for you to try and get an interview? That's not me. That's just the bit of me that I think you're interested in so you can summon me and see if we can help each other.

I want this to be for potential customers and clients - because the way you find out about me is via marketing and sales. That's not me. That's the bit of me that tells you that I will sell myself to you.

I believe that employers shouldn't be looking for perfect people for any given role, because the perfect hire today might be useless tomorrow. What companies need is good people, people - adaptable, capable and willing to grow.

So, where am I? And how did I get here?

I work for Microchip Technology, a fairly sizeable US company and major player in the semiconductor industry behind the giants like Intel, Texas and Qualcomm. I'm in the UK, and my team is based in Hampshire. I live and work remotely in Norfolk, occasionally attending an office in Cambridgeshire and make the trip to Hampshire once a month for a few days.

My title is 'Senior Software Engineer II' and I work for the Applications Division in Microchip's HMID business unit. Titles though, rarely tell the full story - my responsibilities span more than a single line on a business card. I've have been in the industry, more or less, since leaving the British Army over 25 years ago.

I didn't come up the traditional way. I have no degree, no formal letters after my name. My skillset has been learned the hard way: building, learning, breaking, rebuilding, reverse-engineering, and more learning. I don't rely on theory, I rely on my skillset, my experience and  the dogged determination to very quickly learn what I need to, to get the job done. I can't point to a certificate, but I can point to results - and the fact I've survived two rounds of redundancies in the last 15 years.

Here endeth my first entry.