Moving on!

I have never been more miserable in a job than I have been in the one I currently hold. In fact, I don't think I have ever been miserable in a job at all. Not even at Burger King! :-)

Of course, this is not something one blogs about until they have an alternative... So yes, I am pleased to tell you that I am leaving the startup tech company (the one that was acquired 8 weeks after I started) for an opportunity with an very well-established health care services firm. I'll be managing the staff overseeing their IT infrastructure (about 250 servers and a large storage environment) - work similar to what I enjoyed at DOT.

My new company seems like a great organization. They involved all the staff I'd be managing in the interviews, which says a lot about the company, and allowed me to meet what seems to be very talented, dedicated team of folks. When I discussed the importance of regular hours and having a life outside the office, my boss's boss reassured me by noting that, by interviewing me past 5:00, I had triggered cell phone calls from his wife wondering where he was! The benefits are good, and include domestic partner benefits, so Susan won't have to go back to self-insuring again.

Here's hoping this will be the job I long for -- challenging and rewarding work as part of a cohesive team, and work that does not follow me home every night.

I am so grateful for the support that Susan and others have given me in this extremely trying period. This job has had me tied up in knots for months, with Susan nearly single-handedly giving me the energy I needed to make it through.

Lucky. I am lucky.

Looking for work in Europe?

I always enjoy perusing the Economist's job advertisements. Here's my favorite, ever (click the photo for a clearer image):

Back to the big city

Now that my company headquarters is in Chicago, I've had to make a couple of trips there for meetings. The HQ is on LaSalle St., in the heart of the old financial district, across from the City Hall (with its green roof) and a few blocks from the Sears Tower.

It's about 150 miles from Madison to Chicago, but during rush hour is a 3-1/2 hour drive. The only positive thing I can say about that is that it serves as a reminder of the traffic I left behind in DC! I do not miss the regular honking of car horns.

The people, too, are different. I have been so spoiled by this wonderful, smaller city, with its friendly people who greet strangers, hold doors, and give thanks when others do the same. Simple things can make life so much more pleasant.

My next trip is tomorrow; I have to make a presentation at the company meeting (eek!). Two presentations, actually; a short one before the entire company (150 people) on Monday and long (30 minute) one for just my division (90 people) on Tuesday. Public speaking is not my thing, and I've had very little time to prepare... I'm going to have to imagine Tim Gunn over my shoulder... "make it work!" Send positive vibes my way, won't you?

already?

In a post about my new job a few weeks ago, I said I expected that my new company would "like most IT startups, either fail or be bought out by a larger company." Well, sure enough... I've been in limbo for a couple of weeks until it was official and I could tell people, but we did indeed get acquired. (Scottie: call me!)

My job appears to be safe -- I take nothing for granted, but there is very little overlap with the parent company (still small, 150 to our 50 people), so the biggest change should be that I'll have a new boss and we'll be headquartered in Chicago (2.5 hours away) instead of Madison. I have been to the new HQ once already for planning meetings, and will go again for the annual company meeting later this month, but hope not to have to venture to the big city too often!

So, 8 weeks into trying to learn my new environment, I am tasked with integrating a whole new set of services and people into it. I will be very busy for a while, but ultimately the organization and other resources the new company brings could make my job a bit easier. And I have far fewer concerns about the funding of the new company (which is, like the other, still a venture-capital-backed startup), because it has been extremely successful in its own niche of providing PCI services.

Oh, and they offer domestic partner benefits if Wisconsin's new constitutional amendment in defense of the sacred institution of marriage doesn't invalidate them...

An update on the new job

So, I've been kind of quiet as I've settled into my new job. The environment is great, a wonderful converted loft office space downtown featuring exposed brick and contemporary design concepts. I have a nice office, and other amenities (large kitchen with all major appliances and free coffee, tea, sodas water -- and if they don't have what you want, they'll order it).

I love the location; 2 miles from home, a few blocks from the capital. The immediate neighborhood includes the Electric Earth Cafe (one of my favorite coffee and sandwich spots), WORT public radio, the Echo Tap and Grill (an institution -- 41 years in the same location run by the same family), the offices of the Onion.

My co-workers are very friendly, which is good because there is a steep learning curve and I am having to learn in a very ad hoc manner (I have, after all, been brought in largely due to their lack of processes, so hopefully I will be among the last to suffer this!) The other managers are very open to new ideas and offering me the freedom to make changes.

The work is really interesting -- I am excited to learn more about networking and security, and there are so many ways I can help this company be more effective and efficient, the hardest thing is going to be focusing my efforts. I get up each morning excited about what I can accomplish that day, a feeling I haven't had in a very long time. The flipside of that is that the company needs a lot of help -- it is growing rapidly, and if we don't get a handle on it quickly the ramifications will be substantial. Customers are already wary of the changes they've seen as the company has grown, so I'll need to move quickly to make sure I get the staff, most only with the company for 6 months or less, trained and motivated.

So... lots to do, but a good fit for my skills and work I enjoy, as well as an opportunity to gain experience in areas I'm interested in. So far, so good...!

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!

NPR: E-Mail Takes a Holiday, at Least for One Day

Great story about a company that bans corporate email on Fridays.

NPR : E-Mail Takes a Holiday, at Least for One Day

(Click on the headline to the story using a RealAudio or WindowsMedia player.)

Why I need a new job

I can't even wear jeans on Fridays. Bummer! But here's the best part: by donating $3 to the United Way campaign I can get a "Denim Day" sticker that will allow me to wear them tomorrow. But you knew there'd be a catch! From a corporate email:

What is work-appropriate denim? All denim should be clean, gently-worn and pressed. You also can wear athletic footwear, such as tennis shoes. Please make sure your footwear is also clean.

Uh, no, I didn't buy a sticker, too much pressure. :-)