Transitions

There has been so much change in my life this year. As you know, the move to Madison was a huge change... chosen, but still, leaving friends behind, and the city I had lived my entire life in, and a job I had dedicated myself to and grown in over 6 years (not to mention my earlier years at DOT in the 90's)...

Also recently, friends and family have diagnosed with cancer, and have demonstrated strength I cannot even imagine.

Our dog FleeWee, at 14 years old, has been going steadily downhill. We have tried a variety of medications to ease his pain and encourage his appetite, but he is still doing poorly. He will no longer eat even the treats that we sneak his pills into, so we will let him go on Monday. If you haven't already, please read our boy's story on Susan's blog.

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As I've indicated here previously, the culture at my current workplace doesn't suit me (very conservative and regimented), nor, I have discovered, does the project management field. I was not so unhappy with the job that I was actively seeking anything, but I thought it would be worthwhile to see what might come to me, so I updated my resume and left it online. There were the usual clueless recruiters who, having happened upon sought-after acronyms in my resume tried to lure into short-term positions in New Jersey, or engage me in work I haven't done for 10 years.

But in the midst of those was an intriguing opportunity to join a small startup company downtown (2 miles away - a short ride down the bike path) which provides managed network security services. It would be risky, for certain, working for a startup. But the work! The work is exactly what I want to do. As the Director of Managed Services, I would be stepping into a position just created for this growing company. I would establish processes (using my knowledge of and interest in ITIL) for better customer service. I would supervise and mentor about 20 engineers, and design training and review systems to help retain them. I would evaluate their technology infrastructure, make recommendations, and implement them. And all in an environment that the founder/CTO calls "aggressively casual" -- I can wear jeans every day, and I won't even have to press them. (Being able to wear jeans to work is no small benefit with the winters here!)

I'm sure you can tell how excited I was about the opportunity. But I'm risk-averse when it comes to my career, so everything had to be perfect for me to take a chance on a startup. But after 3 interviews (founder and CFO, a team of other managers, and finally the CEO) over several weeks, they made me an offer. I negotiated a package that made me feel as comfortable as I could in such a circumstance (including a professional development budget so I can keep my skills current just in case), and I'm taking a flyer on this opportunity.

Thanks to those of you who served as references! I am especially grateful to Susan for being so supportive... with her new job as business manager at Gail Ambrosius chocolates, we will now both be working for new small businesses... yikes! I think Susan's is far more likely to succeed than mine (I expect my new company will. like most IT startups, either fail or be bought out by a larger company), but I am hoping to at least get in a couple of good years of exciting work while continuing to grow my skills and network in Madison.

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So, yeah, lots going on, happy and sad. Thanks for listening, again, via this impersonal medium. I want to hear what's going on in your life too... comment on this blog, email me, give me a call, whatever works for you!