It's been a while. The financial markets being what they are, the point of this blog should not be that surprising. It was in the beginning of September when my group at work found out we were likely to all be laid off. From a business standpoint, it makes perfect sense. Most of the people we actually supported were laid off last year around the same time. Upper management said that they would be replaced throughout the next year, but that never happened. So the question then becomes, "why do we need you guys?" It's hard to justify your relevance when there's really no user base. My feelings on the matter? I'm actually okay with it. I feel that I gained the experience I needed, and a new workplace might be refreshing. There are risks involved...I could end up miserable like I was when I was working at MCI. But hopefully I'll be able to screen prospective employers a little better now. I've been going through the interview process since the middle of September with a couple places...here are the contenders thus far: - Software Development Company: This one's kind of at the bottom of the list right now. It'd be interesting to finally help develop commercial software, but it's definitely no Google. Try thinking Office Space instead. Current status with them is that they like me and it could go to the offer stage if I didn't tell them to hold off while other opportunities got back to me. No big loss if they find someone else. - High School District: This one's interesting because it's the public sector and I'd get a pension. It's also got a nice salary, plus casual dress...no more dress shirts! Status is that they like me, but they seem to be dragging their feet on making a decision. Might be typical red tape of the public sector. - Large Financial Company: This one puts a lot of emphasis on workplace culture. I believe this can be both a good and bad thing. They're VERY strict on anyone who makes waves, which begins to sound like some weird communist propaganda driven regime. Status with them is second and possibly final interview tomorrow afternoon. - Small Financial Company: This one is closest to what I am doing at my current company. I like the freedom that I'd have as the only technical person there, and being able to build everything from scratch. Status with them is second and possibly final interview tomorrow morning. - County Treasurer's Office: Got a call this morning about a first interview for Wednesday. Everyone I've talked to over the phone thus far seems typical of working for the state: devoid of all life and joy. I accepted the interview because I didn't want to judge it purely on phone conversations, though I'll probably have my fears justified. Status with them is obviously tenuous as everything is in preliminary stages. Well, that's everything in a nutshell. Things are definitely different this time around. I remember it being really difficult to even get an interview, let alone make it past the first round a few years ago. Apparently I'm now in the experience "sweet spot". Despite everything that's going on in the economy and the grim job outlook, God has graciously opened doors to not only opportunities, but good ones. Hopefully the next job will be a good move. | 
