The featured speaker will be Ed Carmody, a Managing Director, Account Management and Service Delivery with PPT Consulting. Ed is an established industry leader with over 30 years of experience in delivering transformational technology solutions in a variety of industries. His broad industry and technology experience includes leading initiatives in custom web and mobile application development, business process optimization and automation, ERP integration, Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), Enterprise Content Management, supply chain, and sales and operations planning.

The title of Ed's talk is "To Consult or not to Consult". Have you ever considered taking on a consulting role? Should you consider taking on consulting engagements while pursuing opportunities for a full time role? Today’s business reality is that we can all expect to go through job transitions multiple times throughout our careers – and finding that next opportunity requires significant focus and time. Meanwhile, consulting offers the chance to build new skills, stay active and bring in a paycheck. So what should you do? This session will start by providing insights into what it takes to be a consultant including how to brand yourself, land engagements, deliver with quality and be your own employer and then go on to explore the pros and cons behind choosing to temporarily consult versus remaining fully focused on the job search.The 

5:30 - registration - snacks - networking
6:00 - call to order - announcements, landings
6:15 - Microsoft Technology Center Tour
7:00 - break - networking
7:30 - speaker - PPT
8:30 - end meeting