A Note About Jobs

In this crazy economy, there are a lot of people out of work.  I have been fortunate enough to be making the most money I’ve ever made at this point in my life…but it has come with a price. 

My dream job was going well a few years ago.  I worked for a company that sold healthcare IT products to radiology clinics.  They used the software that I’m a specialist in (OnBase) to manage the patient documentation.  It was a great job because there wasn’t much travel and I could often work from home.  I usually did work from home and then go to the office in Daytona Beach to teach a class on occasion.   And I would fly to customer sites when it was time to go live with the products. 

There was a rumor that we were getting bought by an investment firm.  My company told us that it would most likely be business as usual.  At the last minute, a different company swooped in and overbid the investment firm by quite a lot of money which shocked us all.  After the purchase, they started laying people off left and right.  I was on a conference call with the new president and he said that everyone on the call was safe.  Then I received an email after the call was over stating that I had 90 days left.  Apparently they decided to scrap OnBase and develop their own document management product and I would no longer be needed.  Nice.  By the way, this happened a month after I bought a house. 

So I went into a scramble to find a new job.  I was hired as a contractor by a reseller of OnBase.  That was a good company with a good bunch of people.  I enjoyed the work…it was challenging.  And the pay was nice, but it was still contract work which is still an unstable position.  I should have been saving the money but I wasn’t.  For example, last year for Christmas I bought two trees, a gel fireplace, and some nice gifts for my family (the family I used to have). 

In January of last year, the company I was contracting for drew up an offer to bring me in full time.  I was ready to accept but they put the offer on hold to see if some more deals were going to close. 

This past March I was in a wedding in Punta Gorda Florida.  I got a call from a company that had talked to me before.  It’s a healthcare IT consulting company.  I was intrigued by the offer but the one thing that stuck in my head was the frequency of travel.  I was supposed to be onsite Monday through Thursday every week and attempt to put in 40 hours of work during that time (no, the travel time didn’t count).  I figured I would just wow them with my abilities and at some point; they would relax the travel requirement.  After all, about 99% of what I was doing could have been done here, where I’m sitting and typing this in my office in Florida.  I’ve been a remote employee for years and it seems silly to spend such a large amount of money to fly me up there every week.  I would go to my cubicle (I hate that word!) and open my consulting laptop and do things I could have done at home. 

At first, the job was cool because it was new and I didn’t know how it was going to go.  After a few months of flying each week, it started to wear on me.  I became irritable and moody.  I felt isolated up there because I didn’t really know anyone or spend time with anyone.  I sat in my hotel room missing the ones I loved…very lonely. 

I was in a relationship back then.  I asked her to quit because she really didn’t like her job and I figured since I was making more money, I could keep things going while she worked on her personal business and a special project she was involved with.  Plus, my Friday’s were very light days and I figured we could spend more time together if she wasn’t working.  That decision was not a good one.  Unfortunately, it took her 4 months to start making money again and I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders during that time.  I was paying for everything and there is a lot of pressure there.  Plus the fact that I was not enjoying the work and it affected my mood which ultimately affected my relationship.  I felt trapped in that job and that other jobs would be hard to find at that salary level.  My frustration level increased.

It was essentially turning into a nightmare.  Then in October, she started working again and I was so much happier.  I was looking for a new job and I was starting to gain some ground in that area.  Well…(sigh)…even though things were getting better, she decided to leave.  I have been devastated ever since (as you may be able to tell from some of my other posts). 

On this past Friday, I had a job interview and nailed it.  It looks like a great opportunity and I found out today that they want to bring me in.  It’s a contract job but the initial term is one year and they expect to extend that at least another year.  Also, they asked me about eventually becoming a full time employee.  That’s what I’ve been looking for since I was laid off so I told them that I’m very interested.   I have a few concerns but they seem to be very open to remote work since one of the persons who interviewed me lives in a different state and I voiced my concern about that on the interview call. 

In a nutshell, I would be working for a state (I’ll leave that info out for now) who is retooling their Medicaid eligibility program and they are using OnBase to manage that system.  They are also affiliated with a nearby university and that school will also be using OnBase for various projects.  I’m excited because I’ll be getting my hands on the software again.  I was not doing that much technically with this consulting project and I don’t need my technical skills to deteriorate. 

This opportunity couldn’t have come at a better time.  In all honesty, I’ve been suffering since she left.  I’m slowly getting back on track and this new job will hopefully be just what I needed.  Interestingly enough, that company that I contracted for after getting laid off is the software vendor for this state agency.  Small world!  I’m happy about that too.  I know that there are good people there.  

I’m not looking for sympathy, but this was my first Christmas alone.  It was no fun at all.  It was the first year I didn’t receive a gift…(well, my mom sent gift cards).  But when I got the call today about the job….that was my gift.  I hope it plays out well.

I hope anyone who takes the time to read this had a great Christmas and has a fantastic new year. 

Oh, and I’m renting a tux and going to a James Bond themed New Year’s Eve party at the Enzian Theater in Maitland with some friends.  It should be interesting.  I’ll be thinking of her at midnight though…(sigh). 

Peace