10/28/2008 9:25:05 PM
I really can't blame the VCs for sitting on their wallets. The
past six weeks have been an exciting ride for the big investors.
One thing I do know, with the amazing volume, is that someone is
making money. A lot of money.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008 11:49 AM The past five weeks have been a little hectic, as I have been working at a new job and scrambling to get up to speed. Now I am free once again, due to no fault of my own, to search for my perfect form of self-expression. My contract with Schwab expired on May 15, a week before I expected it to, and I found that the market for system administrators had changed. Now, I knew that I would find the perfect job, in the perfect way, as it already existed in the Mind of God, but I didn't have any idea about the timing. It was a journey of phone interviews, in-person interviews, elimination of potential clients on my part, and elimination of me on others' parts, because of one mismatch or another. Over the summer I found that the overwhelming number of companies in San Francisco that were looking, were actually just looking out of curiosity. Many of them were small internet companies with one system administrator, who were hoping to find a second one so they wouldn't be so exposed to risk. They were very eager to find people who could run the entire companies' infrastructures, without any training or orientation whatsoever. Needless to say, all parties involved in these discussions felt a certain level of frustration. After four months of looking, I ran into a small software company that wanted me for a technical support role. It was a "regular" job, not a contract, but the pay was competitive. It was in town, which meant a ride on the Muni would take me from home to work effortlessly. The programmers and engineers were friendly, communicative, and delighted to see me. It was everything I had asked for at the beginning of my search. I worked there for five very interesting weeks. I was exposed to a product line that showed me why all those small internet companies were anxious to find someone who had already dealt with the stuff. I impressed my colleagues with my ability to write technical documentation in a way that was clearly understandable, and that would work when the instructions were followed. That was a big deal, and we all were imagining a long relationship. At the beginning of week six, they laid off 41% of the company, including yours truly. It seems the venture capitalists decided not to put any more money in, and the company had to cut down to operations they could sustain on their own sales revenue. What a novel idea that is! Some of their company values are derived from Don Miguel Ruiz' The Four Agreements, and they are: Be impeccable with your word Don't make any assumptions Don't take anything personally Always do your best Right now, the "don't take anything personally" part is mine to practice. During the initial interviews I told them that I didn't see any material difference between contracting and "regular" employment, and my belief has been confirmed. Six weeks would be about right for an interim contract. Over the past 20 years I've worked about 20 places, some for as little as ten days. This is not out of my comfort zone. However, during the previous four months, which was one of the longest times I had been without earned income in my life, I did get a little anxious. My faith was tested, and the perfect job came through in an unexpected way. So, this time around, I resolve to remain calm, to trust in God, and to find another perfect job. I hereby declare, accept, and give thanks for the following gifts: That I find my perfect employment and my perfect self-expression That the opportunity appears quickly That I remember God is my source through the entire process God provides for us all, wherever we are, in all circumstances. And so it is.
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