A new job……yet again
Posted by admin | Filed under The Job
I recently took a on a new position as Programmer Analyst II at the City of Cedar Rapids. I started on May 26th and my last day is on September 1st.
A couple weeks ago my good friend Beard informed me that United Fire Group was looking for another Web Developer. I took the job. I will be on Beard’s team.
Now here is the reasoning behind this, plain and simple. I left Planet Discover in January of 2008 for what was seemingly a better opportunity at Gazette Communications. Six months later my project manager and the boss who hired me were let go and I spent the next eight months mentally flailing about, wondering if I was next or if the whole company was next. It was a sickening feeling - none I had ever experienced. I loved working there but I did not love that feeling. The people and the company are great - the newspaper industry…not so much right now. I felt I had no choice but to leave.
Now leaving was an interesting thing. The economy in late 2008 was not ideal nor was it four to six months into 2009. I applied for the very few positions that were available, one being a Programmer Analyst position for the City of Cedar Rapids. I interned at the City in 2002 and followed that experience with contract work for another eight months or so. It was a great experience overall. So I applied for the Programmer Analyst position in December of 2008 and was asked for my resume in April 2009, interviewed, yadda, yadda, yadda…started on May 26th.
Now I am leaving. My reason for leaving is plain and simple. I spent 32 months as a Web Developer at Planet Discover on a team of great developers and with many other great people in other departments. When you work on a team of developers it is gratifying, rewarding…intriguing. The City does not have a team of developers, it never has. I am the first programmer to ever be hired. I miss the dev team aspect. This is the real reason. I was not ready for the City and I don’t think they were ready for me. Just my opinion of course.
United Fire has a team of developers, one of them being Beard who is a very close friend of mine. I look forward to working in a “dev shop” once again. I look forward to working downtown again.
You only live once and life is short, make the most of it.
Matty out
August 22, 2009 at 10:14 am
Hey - you mentioned me in there!
Now I see what your response the other day was all about. I am very happy for you and there is NOTHING wrong with pursuing happiness. Working downtown and in a dev shop will be best for you. As always, best of luck to you! You deserve it.