Tuesday, July 1, 2008

New Job

On Thursday, July 10th, I will be starting a new job with Art & Logic. I'm very excited about this career change and can't wait to start.

Leaving my current job was both an easy decision a and hard decision to make. I really like the people I work with and will miss the camaraderie our team shared. I'm also leaving right in the middle of a large project so the timing isn't the best. But finding the perfect time to leave is probably impossible.

With that said, I feel very confident I'm making the correct long-term decision. I've worked for my current employer for over seven years, the last four years working on the same project. One of my favorite things about programming is that it requires a constant effort to learn new languages, skills and techniques and I feel that my current position was lacking in this area. I work in a very mature industry with little opportunity for innovation. Programming has become somewhat stale for me over the past few months, and to me, that signals a need for change. Spending nine hours a day at a job that just isn't fun anymore does a disservice to myself, my family and the rest of my team.

My new job should remedy the problems I stated above. It's a contracting position so I'm looking forward to the variety of projects and challenges I will face. I already feel rejuvenated when it comes to writing code and am ready to jump headfirst into my first project. I will also be working out of my home, which I'm sure will pose a new set of challenges for me and my family. But the thought of escaping the cube farm and working in an environment where it will be much easier to reach a flow-state, is very satisfying. There are some potential downsides to working as a contractor, but I'm not too concerned about them at this point. I'm really just excited about the chance at a fresh start and the opportunities that lie ahead.