I got fired about two months ago. Ostensibly it was because of ‘poor work quality’ but I’m going to go out on a limb and say it was because my boss didn’t like me. She and I never saw eye to eye, and she’s one of those people who asks for an opinion, yet really doesn’t want a different one than she has. Needless to say, my personality didn’t get along well with hers. So, they kicked my ass out.
My sister, the budding psychologist, tells me that a lot of men have their identities wrapped up in their work, and when they lose their jobs, it crushes them. Personally, I see exactly where she was coming from. I was very sad for the first couple of weeks, and it was hard to start looking for work again. I’d resolved a long time ago that Avantia was the last job I’d have in Cleveland, and the prospect of looking for another job in another state was daunting, especially considering my confidence was shot.
But I buckeled down and re-wrote my resume, which marked the first total re-write in seven years . I went on craigslist and started searching. I sent out about ten resumes, and within a week, I heard back from four. I responded to three of these (the most interesting ones) and landed two of the jobs. They’re both with really exciting companies in the San Francisco area, and if you’re a geek, you’ve probably heard of them.
At my father’s urging, I also filed for unemployment. Even though I’d been fired, he felt that they were covering up the actual reason, and the ‘poor work performance’ was a smokescreen. Avantia contested the claim, but was unable to show that I couldn’t do the work. The unemployment bureau ruled that I was fired without just cause. The letter stating so is currently hanging on my fridge.
The interviews out there are much more technical than they are here. I suppose that here, if someone has a modicum of intelligence they’re snapped up; out there, everyone is smart. There were a lot of questions about Big O notation and running times of various algorithms that I’d design. They asked the puzzle questions. They asked about hobbies and interests. They even asked what kind of beer I like. It was fun (if a bit tiring) to fly out for the interviews, and I got pretty good at them. They did wonders for my wounded confidence, as it’s nice to know that I’m smart enough to get a job in a different state in a difficult economy. To further increase my confidence, one of the companies had been looking for someone for six months, and had interviewed 90 people. They picked me.
So the end result is that I’m leaving Cleveland to move to San Francisco. This has been a dream of mine for quite some time, and now that it’s actually happening, I’m extrememly excited. As the weather gets colder, I think that it’s going to be my last really frigid winter, and that I’ll probably be able to ride the motorcycle in January. My thoughts also turn toward my old company with some anger and sadness. Avantia’s culture is remarkable, somehow, they managed to combine the politics and backstabbing of a large company with the lack of resources and misdirection of a small company. The environment they created was absolutely poisonous, and it really wore on people. The development staff has tremendous churn, and now it’s clear why; I wish I’d picked up on that sooner. Nevertheless, my pending move is a direct result of this poisonous atmosphere, so in a sense, I owe my recent good fortune to it.
So, Jennie, Jeff and Paula, Keep it up!