The young developer productivity specialist from TechnologyOne, William Bartholomew, heads to the US this week to work on the tools Microsoft developers need to pump out their software.

"It's something I have always wanted to do but I didn't quite expect it this early in my career," he told Computerworld.

Bartholomew, who went straight into the workforce after high-school, was awarded with the title of Microsoft Most Valued Professional (MVP) for his work on implementing a new way of building and deploying software. But it was his work proof-reading technical publications and his co-authoring of the book, , that put him in touch with the Microsoft opportunity.

His advice for other young Australian software developers is less about the technology, and more about networking.

"Probably one of the big things is not to underestimate networking," he said. "Developers are typically quite introverted and they don't get out and go to user groups or conferences and talk to people. So one of my key points is don't underestimate that because that's how you get in contact with new people and get known. You start to build an image a profile for yourself which can lead to some pretty big opportunities."