2010/12/02
Yup, new job, new people, new product... same old story.
About 25 people were let go from Current yesterday. It's close to 20% of the company I suspect. I've been there for 6 months now and I'm not really surprised that this is happening, it happens with every company eventually, but I wasn't expecting it so soon.
I'm just going to sit tight for now and see how things unfold over the next 6 months or so. I'm working hard as usual and enjoying what I'm doing for the most part. The hours have been quite a bit long lately, but such is the cycle of the tech business. Wish me luck!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Reset
11/24/2010
So many things happen in life that you just don't expect. You might hear that when you're younger and think 'yeah..' but I think that reality becomes more tangible as you get older. You learn that there really are things that you don't plan for in life, some good and some bad... and some that just are.
It is November of 2010, about to be Thanksgiving. Nothing that I had planned at the beginning of the year has turned out exactly as I had envisioned it, not for lack of trying mind you, there was plenty of execution of the plan this year; an agonizing decision to leave a job surrounded by people whom I've worked with for years, accepting a new job about 300 miles away in Austin, camping out at my brother's house for about 2 months while I was working and my house was up for sale, getting a house you've lived in for years ready for sale to begin with... But that's about where the plan ends, all well executed, all as outlined.
What didn't factor into the plan was the job being a flop. In retrospect, what I've learned is really to trust myself. If something doesn't feel right, it's just not right; don't do it.
So here we are, me and my family; house sold, relocated, son in a different school, daughter starting school, different job, and I'm thankful that it worked itself into this. I would have never envisioned being here 10 months ago, but here we are nonetheless.
I'm trying to pick up some ideas that I left earlier this year before "The Great U-Turn" and maybe I'll get back to posting on a more regular basis, although given all that has happened and my absence in posting, I'll hazard that that has a low probability of happening. We'll see...
So many things happen in life that you just don't expect. You might hear that when you're younger and think 'yeah..' but I think that reality becomes more tangible as you get older. You learn that there really are things that you don't plan for in life, some good and some bad... and some that just are.
It is November of 2010, about to be Thanksgiving. Nothing that I had planned at the beginning of the year has turned out exactly as I had envisioned it, not for lack of trying mind you, there was plenty of execution of the plan this year; an agonizing decision to leave a job surrounded by people whom I've worked with for years, accepting a new job about 300 miles away in Austin, camping out at my brother's house for about 2 months while I was working and my house was up for sale, getting a house you've lived in for years ready for sale to begin with... But that's about where the plan ends, all well executed, all as outlined.
What didn't factor into the plan was the job being a flop. In retrospect, what I've learned is really to trust myself. If something doesn't feel right, it's just not right; don't do it.
So here we are, me and my family; house sold, relocated, son in a different school, daughter starting school, different job, and I'm thankful that it worked itself into this. I would have never envisioned being here 10 months ago, but here we are nonetheless.
I'm trying to pick up some ideas that I left earlier this year before "The Great U-Turn" and maybe I'll get back to posting on a more regular basis, although given all that has happened and my absence in posting, I'll hazard that that has a low probability of happening. We'll see...
Friday, April 2, 2010
The Winds of Change
Well, Spring has sprung and with it there are huge changes in my life. After a somewhat rocky December an employment opening came available down in Austin so once again I took the opportunity to go and see whether or not it might be a good fit for me. I had actually looked at a position back in September of last year with a division of AT&T called Wayport that makes wifi hot-spots; McDonalds, Barnes & Nobel, Starbucks, etc. That position was good, but the financial end just didn't line up for a transition without a huge dent in our savings. This time around however it turns out that this job is a good fit, it's located in the area that Colette and I want to live in, and it might actually provide growth opportunities in terms of my career down the line. It's with a company called TippingPoint, which is now a division of 3com, soon to be a division of HP.
It has been an exceptionally hard decision to make. Back in June of 2007 I made my first move away from a big corporate entity to Prodea Systems and have worked there for the better part of 3 years. That time has been extremely valuable time as I have learned much that I would have not had the opportunity to learn elsewhere, certainly not at Nortel Networks. That and taking on a big role in a smaller company demands that you take on more responsibility. Prodea is small, with about 88 employees across the whole of the company. TippingPoint will be slightly larger, with several hundred employees, I believe a little over 300 at this point.
I think the things that makes it most difficult are the friendships that I have built with the team there over the years. A few folks there are people whom I have come to respect over a decade or more of time spent working with them, some of them are people who I have met more recently and have come to admire and respect through the 3 years of work-hard/play-hard time spent at Prodea, and then there are the Ansaris, Anousheh, Hamid and Amir, who are very unique and gracious people in and of themselves. I will miss all of them dearly and wish them only the best of wishes and sincerely believe that they are on the path to success with the product after enduring what has been a very difficult period in the world economy.
I'll also miss the product itself. I can say that building a product from scratch is somewhat like having a child. It's born, you nurture it, you watch it grow, you put your heart into it, you make mistakes with it, you hurt for its shortcomings and failures and you revel in its successes and vibrancy. For me, this is how my job has always been, as odd as that may sound. I am very much tied to the things I work on, it's just who I am. The greatest part of the Prodea product has been seeing its potential and watching that unfold. Sometimes I would steal the chance to just play with the product; browse my media, share photos and videos, etc. but the best times... the VERY best times where when I made it do something that it had never done before; the first performance demo; 2 HD streams, 2 SD streams, voice call, Pandora.. all simultaneously, the first file share of a photo album, the first web services for media, first IM to my TV from a jabber client, media import from drag and drop... etc. Fun fun fun stuff. I will miss that aspect of my job dearly. The Prodea product is a remarkable and fun system to work on.
Finally I will miss Dallas. I have spent the better part of my young-adult lifetime here. I have lived in Dallas since 1994, 16 years including this one. I have made a tremendous number of friends to whom I can honestly say I owe an unpayable debt. I cannot thank them enough for all the good times, all of the laughter, all of the mischef, all of the support. I know that Austin is just a stones throw down the road, and I do plan on making a poker game or two over the next few years (I'll need the money), but it is far enough that the trips won't be frequent. For that I am sorrowful. I will miss you all dearly.
On the bright side... I have a great number of family members down in Austin; Craig, Tiffany, Avery, Jillian, Kendal, Steve, Savannah, Seth, Leslie, Bennie, Michelle, Millie, McKenzie, Reilly, Ben, Courtney, Cooper, and then just down the road Jake, Tisha and their kids, not to mention Colette's family in the Bernie, San Antonio area. Who wouldn't want their children growing up with their family, 20+ whom are all collocated within a few miles of one another. I still have a bond with my cousins; Michelle, Jason, Jake, Drew, Sarah simply because we grew up within proximity of one another and did things together every now and then. I want that for my kids too, and they won't get that here.
So, time to take the plunge. Time to take the job in Austin, fix up the old broken-down house, and make the big move. This next year will be a big one... one that stretches every aspect of my being, my wife, my children. I have great expectations and great anxiety all at the same time. In the end I know that God is watching, directing, goading ;) and that it will all turn out just fine.
Here we go...
It has been an exceptionally hard decision to make. Back in June of 2007 I made my first move away from a big corporate entity to Prodea Systems and have worked there for the better part of 3 years. That time has been extremely valuable time as I have learned much that I would have not had the opportunity to learn elsewhere, certainly not at Nortel Networks. That and taking on a big role in a smaller company demands that you take on more responsibility. Prodea is small, with about 88 employees across the whole of the company. TippingPoint will be slightly larger, with several hundred employees, I believe a little over 300 at this point.
I think the things that makes it most difficult are the friendships that I have built with the team there over the years. A few folks there are people whom I have come to respect over a decade or more of time spent working with them, some of them are people who I have met more recently and have come to admire and respect through the 3 years of work-hard/play-hard time spent at Prodea, and then there are the Ansaris, Anousheh, Hamid and Amir, who are very unique and gracious people in and of themselves. I will miss all of them dearly and wish them only the best of wishes and sincerely believe that they are on the path to success with the product after enduring what has been a very difficult period in the world economy.
I'll also miss the product itself. I can say that building a product from scratch is somewhat like having a child. It's born, you nurture it, you watch it grow, you put your heart into it, you make mistakes with it, you hurt for its shortcomings and failures and you revel in its successes and vibrancy. For me, this is how my job has always been, as odd as that may sound. I am very much tied to the things I work on, it's just who I am. The greatest part of the Prodea product has been seeing its potential and watching that unfold. Sometimes I would steal the chance to just play with the product; browse my media, share photos and videos, etc. but the best times... the VERY best times where when I made it do something that it had never done before; the first performance demo; 2 HD streams, 2 SD streams, voice call, Pandora.. all simultaneously, the first file share of a photo album, the first web services for media, first IM to my TV from a jabber client, media import from drag and drop... etc. Fun fun fun stuff. I will miss that aspect of my job dearly. The Prodea product is a remarkable and fun system to work on.
Finally I will miss Dallas. I have spent the better part of my young-adult lifetime here. I have lived in Dallas since 1994, 16 years including this one. I have made a tremendous number of friends to whom I can honestly say I owe an unpayable debt. I cannot thank them enough for all the good times, all of the laughter, all of the mischef, all of the support. I know that Austin is just a stones throw down the road, and I do plan on making a poker game or two over the next few years (I'll need the money), but it is far enough that the trips won't be frequent. For that I am sorrowful. I will miss you all dearly.
On the bright side... I have a great number of family members down in Austin; Craig, Tiffany, Avery, Jillian, Kendal, Steve, Savannah, Seth, Leslie, Bennie, Michelle, Millie, McKenzie, Reilly, Ben, Courtney, Cooper, and then just down the road Jake, Tisha and their kids, not to mention Colette's family in the Bernie, San Antonio area. Who wouldn't want their children growing up with their family, 20+ whom are all collocated within a few miles of one another. I still have a bond with my cousins; Michelle, Jason, Jake, Drew, Sarah simply because we grew up within proximity of one another and did things together every now and then. I want that for my kids too, and they won't get that here.
So, time to take the plunge. Time to take the job in Austin, fix up the old broken-down house, and make the big move. This next year will be a big one... one that stretches every aspect of my being, my wife, my children. I have great expectations and great anxiety all at the same time. In the end I know that God is watching, directing, goading ;) and that it will all turn out just fine.
Here we go...
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Busy busy busy
Wow... what a couple of months... Some weird stuff happened over the holidays.
First, my paychecks didn't quite come at a regular interval in December, which is all part of working a start-up I suppose. I can honestly say that working for a small company has taught me some valuable lessons with respect to what I can tolerate in my work life and certainly what to look for in the next aspect of my career that I pursue.
Second, mom gave us quite a scare over the holidays. She came for a 5-day visit but ended up staying for about two weeks. A couple of days after Christmas she was in Caleb's room, reached down to pick up a toy and she fainted, hitting her head on the bottom rail of Caleb's bunk bead. Colette was hollering for me to "come quick" and when I got there she way laying on the ground with a giant knot on the back of her head. Luckily we had the presence of mind to prop up her feet and check her blood pressure. The blood pressure machine showed that her pulse was "LO" on the digital readout, so I took it by hand. Once I was able to find her pulse, I measured it over a 2-minute interval... her pulse was 30 beats per minute. Needless to say we headed to the hospital.
Long story short, we got to the hospital, they discovered that her pulse was 30 and rushed her into the ER. 24 hours later, the diagnosis was that the lower part of her heart was not beating properly, at all really, and after taking her off of all medications and with no change in her condition mom had a pace maker put in. That was an amazingly quick operation, 9am into surgery and 4pm checking out of the hospital.
She is back home now and doing really well, "motoring" so to speak. :) I feel like God was watching over her and somehow managed to land her perfectly into my house at the right time under the right circumstances to discover and correct the problem. I am so thankful for that. Also, I owe a special thanks to our good friend Jennifer who was so gracious as to listen to our questions and give us some great advice regarding her condition.
Finally, I'm starting to explore life opportunities. I've started looking into taking the GRE, thinking about possibly going back to get a graduate degree. I'm also entertaining the idea of a job change with possibly relocation. We'll see where it all goes and whether or not it's part of the Grand Plan. In all I am stressed from work, but I am working on that and at the same time I am blessed in my personal life with a wonderful wife who supports me and two beautiful children that provide me with endless hours of joy.
I hope that all of my friends and family are doing well. Here comes Spring...
First, my paychecks didn't quite come at a regular interval in December, which is all part of working a start-up I suppose. I can honestly say that working for a small company has taught me some valuable lessons with respect to what I can tolerate in my work life and certainly what to look for in the next aspect of my career that I pursue.
Second, mom gave us quite a scare over the holidays. She came for a 5-day visit but ended up staying for about two weeks. A couple of days after Christmas she was in Caleb's room, reached down to pick up a toy and she fainted, hitting her head on the bottom rail of Caleb's bunk bead. Colette was hollering for me to "come quick" and when I got there she way laying on the ground with a giant knot on the back of her head. Luckily we had the presence of mind to prop up her feet and check her blood pressure. The blood pressure machine showed that her pulse was "LO" on the digital readout, so I took it by hand. Once I was able to find her pulse, I measured it over a 2-minute interval... her pulse was 30 beats per minute. Needless to say we headed to the hospital.
Long story short, we got to the hospital, they discovered that her pulse was 30 and rushed her into the ER. 24 hours later, the diagnosis was that the lower part of her heart was not beating properly, at all really, and after taking her off of all medications and with no change in her condition mom had a pace maker put in. That was an amazingly quick operation, 9am into surgery and 4pm checking out of the hospital.
She is back home now and doing really well, "motoring" so to speak. :) I feel like God was watching over her and somehow managed to land her perfectly into my house at the right time under the right circumstances to discover and correct the problem. I am so thankful for that. Also, I owe a special thanks to our good friend Jennifer who was so gracious as to listen to our questions and give us some great advice regarding her condition.
Finally, I'm starting to explore life opportunities. I've started looking into taking the GRE, thinking about possibly going back to get a graduate degree. I'm also entertaining the idea of a job change with possibly relocation. We'll see where it all goes and whether or not it's part of the Grand Plan. In all I am stressed from work, but I am working on that and at the same time I am blessed in my personal life with a wonderful wife who supports me and two beautiful children that provide me with endless hours of joy.
I hope that all of my friends and family are doing well. Here comes Spring...
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