2001-01-11 - 2:54

That's your policy, not mine

Finally, I have some actual news to put on here . . . and it's not exactly the story that I was expecting, but it's close.

So, I lost my job today . . . and I am so incredibly happy! Heh. Does that one make sense? Well, yes, considering the fact that I was planning on quitting within a week or two, anyway. Now I'm receiving a sweet severance package for leaving the company . . . and I was about to leave, anyway. Free money, baby! Happy, happy, happy.

For some time now, I've been planning on making a move. I've hinted about that fact before on this journal; but I didn't feel able to talk about it freely because I have seen hits from someone reading this journal from work. Now, though, it doesn't seem to matter.

As I see it, job satisfaction comprises three factors: money, the nature of the work, and the people you're working with. (And that's not in order of importance; it's just an easier order for explaining my take on things.)

The money where I have been was clearly less than I could make elsewhere. It wasn't low enough to insult me into leaving; but it certainly wasn't enough to make me stay if I was otherwise unhappy.

The work itself was okay, but not as great as it had been. It was simply more fun in the old days; although I can say that I have continued to learn a lot.

As for the people, the group had been getting smaller and smaller. It just wasn't the same dynamic that it was when there were so many qualified, intelligent people around. Everyone still there was top calibre; but I also saw a lot of great people leave. The fact that they weren't even hiring to make up for attrition was my cue to exit. I had decided that if any of the senior guys left, I would go, too.

For a while now, I've been planning to leave; and recently, I've had a specific destination in mind. It still remains to be finalized; but I am very likely to end up where I want to be. I'm very excited about that.

So, today's news was a huge bonus for me; and several others felt similarly. In fact, Don and I left after the announcement to celebrate. We ended up hooking up with Tim and his crew downtown, which was a lot of fun.

All in all, I have to say that life is very, very good. This was the best news that I've had in ages, the timing was almost perfect, and I'm all set to land in a better place . . . after enjoying some time off. Wicked-ass sweet!

J.