Tuesday, April 12, Day 9

Rather than bore you with what we learned in class today (FRS, DFS-Namespace, DFS-Replication), I thought I would spend this blog post talking about the people I have had the privilege to share this experience with so far, my fellow AD Master candidates.

Let me start off by saying that I am blown away by the amount of experience and technical know-how of my classmates. Some of these guys are leaps and bounds beyond me, which I guess you could interpret as meaning their "beanie propellers" spin faster than mine or simply that they are braniacs and techno-whizzes. More importantly they are real, down-to-earth guys. Let me break it down for you.

Simon sits quietly off in the corner near the window and doesn't say much, but when he does, you had better pay attention because it is going to be something significant and very insightful. I put my pen down when he speaks up so I can listen carefully - I can't miss his distinct voice as he is the only one in class speaking the Queen's English.

Right next to Simon is Michael or "Mr. Service Pack" as I have dubbed him because he seems to know when every hotfix, OS tweak and knob was released across all Microsoft product lines. Michael also bears, at least I think, a strong resemblance to a younger Patrick Stewart, the Captain Jean Luc Picard of Star Trek fame. I almost expect Michael to command his computer to "Engage!" as he wonders around the operating system in search of new lifeforms.

Behind Simon is Chris. On the first day of class, I was partnered up with Chris for our very first lab doing AD Schema modifications through a script. Chris commandeered the keyboard, then expertly navigated through the script at lightning speed. I could barely keep up.

In the back row is Brandon, who can really talk tech and who has an uncanny ability to take a highly complex scenario that the class has been arguing about for ten minutes and laying in out in easy to understand terms that sound as smooth as butter.

Next to Brandon is Ambers, our resident comedian. Ambers is a smart techno geek but with a keen sense of humor with impeccable timing and delivery that had me rolling on the floor more than once. If he ever gets burned out on tech, he should consider a stint as a standup comedian.

Across the aisle in the back row is Tyson, also smart as a whip and who isn't afraid to challenge the instructor on a concept that is not clear. Tyson asks the question, and then rephrases the question, and then tweaks the question until the instructor understands the confusion. Thank God for that, because it is through Tyson's questions that every one else who is confused, achieves clarification.

Next to Tyson is Asen. Asen also sits quietly, but when he does ask a question or makes an observation, it is obvious that it has the weight of experience behind it.

In front of Asen is Mark, Mr. PKI, who has been chomping at the bit for Wednesday and Thursday to roll around, the two days we are covering PKI. Mark is an all around smart tech guy and he is a Microsoft PFE for a reason.

Sitting right next to Mark is another PFE - Manny, the consummate tech guy. Manny is the kind of person who has the need to learn how something works in its entirety and he is not satisfied until he does. I can now tell when Manny's curiosity is running in high gear because his eye lids flutter at a fast rate. You had better have your game on when you talk shop with Manny.

Then come Jun who also doesn't talk much but who also knows his stuff. Yun sits right across from me and sometimes I will glance over and catch him scanning through tech article after tech article, while somehow still tracking the conversation in the classroom.

In front of Mark is Matt who seems to have worked on everything and has a tremendous amount of real-world in the trenches experience. When we discuss some obscure technical problem that I have never heard of before, Matt will pipe up and explain how he ran into it and fixed it. I think I will knight him "Sir Been There, Done That."

Finally, we have Martin, quiet and unassuming, you would never know he is a techno-geek because he doesn't look the part. Don't judge a book by its cover - he's been in the field a long time and he has the experience and know how to back it up.

I have spent every night since I got here, holed up in my hotel room with my nose stuck in Technet, trying to keep up with the in-depth class material. I wish there was more time to socialize with these guys because as our first instructor Matt so astutely pointed out on the first day, this experience should not just be about focusing on technology but about building relationships with your classmates. I also have the feeling they would be a fun group to go out drinking with.

I hope that after we part and go our separate ways on Sunday, that I can keep up with everyone going forward and know how they are doing. It has been a real pleasure sharing this experience with them and I wish all of them the best. DTR12 rocks!