For the past two and a half years, I have worked for Northrop Grumman – first on a Navy project and then on the corporate side providing desktop support and now Unix administration as well. The time has come to say goodbye. Well, not quite yet. Let me explain.
Change is in the air. I can smell it. I can feel it. Everywhere I turn, folks I know from the company are leaving citing reasons such as “it’s hard to work your ass off and whether you fuck up or do exceptionally well… no one notices”. Today I realized that that is exactly how I’ve been feeling and just could not identify it as such.
You see, my forty hour week is split equally between the Unix work I’ve been doing for an FDA project and desktop work that cover 7 sites between Rockville and Aberdeen. That’s 100 miles of territory in either direction. All in a 20 hour week.
Then my mojo will get thrown out of kilter when one person at another site calls out because we are stretched so thing and I need to adjust my schedule to compensate. It’s just hard. And it’s getting harder.
Many of you know that I’ve also been working for The Connection part time doing mainly web development and phone support. It pays decent money for a part time job and I know they’d like to keep me full time, but I also know they can’t pay me what I need and deserve to make.
I also blog and write and perform b5media work, another fulltime job albeit unpaid. But that is the most rewarding of all the work. If I could work for them full time and blog and write, my life would be made. But that’s not reasonable. Not by a longshot.
So I decided today that my resume looks too good and I get paid too little for far too stressful of a job to continue. NG has been good to me. Very good. But I’ve discovered, in my short 10 year career, that when you stop enjoying what you do, it’s time to look elsewhere. I want small company atmosphere with small company culture, but I expect to be paid my fair share. I’m tired of being ripped off for work that I do way too well. I’m hitting the job market as early as this weekend. Who knows how long it will take. The last job search took 3 years. I was far less qualified and the economy was different in 2003.
Wish me luck.
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About Aaron
Good luck in the job search. However, I should say be wary of going the small business route. It can be fun and challenging, but if you are accustomed to a large enterprise environment–and enjoy certain parts of said environment–be prepared to be bored. That is a problem I am currently experiencing, and I am by no means unhappy where I am currently ensconced.
Good luck in the job search. However, I should say be wary of going the small business route. It can be fun and challenging, but if you are accustomed to a large enterprise environment–and enjoy certain parts of said environment–be prepared to be bored. That is a problem I am currently experiencing, and I am by no means unhappy where I am currently ensconced.
Good luck in the job search. However, I should say be wary of going the small business route. It can be fun and challenging, but if you are accustomed to a large enterprise environment–and enjoy certain parts of said environment–be prepared to be bored. That is a problem I am currently experiencing, and I am by no means unhappy where I am currently ensconced.
I wish we could pay you a full-time salary :} Especially if you only had to do 6 hours work per day ;-)
I wish we could pay you a full-time salary :} Especially if you only had to do 6 hours work per day ;-)
I wish we could pay you a full-time salary :} Especially if you only had to do 6 hours work per day ;-)
Yeah, that would rock! :p
Yeah, that would rock! :p
Yeah, that would rock! :p
I have subscribed to this feed and I am going to keep my eye on you! If nothing else for inspiration.
I have subscribed to this feed and I am going to keep my eye on you! If nothing else for inspiration.
I have subscribed to this feed and I am going to keep my eye on you! If nothing else for inspiration.
[Comment ID #3995 Will Be Quoted Here]Excellent, Jim! Thanks!
[Comment ID #3995 Will Be Quoted Here]Excellent, Jim! Thanks!
[Comment ID #3995 Will Be Quoted Here]
Excellent, Jim! Thanks!
Good luck.
Good luck.
Good luck.
I want small company atmosphere with small company culture, but I expect to be paid my fair share. I’m tired of being ripped off for work that I do way too well.I realize as I re-read this entry that this sounds an awful lot like it was directed toward b5. It is not. I love doing anything I can with b5.
I want small company atmosphere with small company culture, but I expect to be paid my fair share. I’m tired of being ripped off for work that I do way too well.I realize as I re-read this entry that this sounds an awful lot like it was directed toward b5. It is not. I love doing anything I can with b5.
I want small company atmosphere with small company culture, but I expect to be paid my fair share. I’m tired of being ripped off for work that I do way too well.
I realize as I re-read this entry that this sounds an awful lot like it was directed toward b5. It is not. I love doing anything I can with b5.
You will be missed, but understood. Good luck!!!! I heard it’s a pretty target rich environment for job seekers right now.
You will be missed, but understood. Good luck!!!! I heard it’s a pretty target rich environment for job seekers right now.
You will be missed, but understood. Good luck!!!! I heard it’s a pretty target rich environment for job seekers right now.
Dude you know I feel where you are coming from. I wish you just as much success as I have for myself. I know we will do big things.
Dude you know I feel where you are coming from. I wish you just as much success as I have for myself. I know we will do big things.
Dude you know I feel where you are coming from. I wish you just as much success as I have for myself. I know we will do big things.
Aaron – check out http://www.buchanan-edwards.com – (my current contractor) they are a small minority owned company with their hands in a LOT of contracts. I’ll definetly keep my eyes open!
Aaron – check out http://www.buchanan-edwards.com – (my current contractor) they are a small minority owned company with their hands in a LOT of contracts. I’ll definetly keep my eyes open!
Aaron – check out http://www.buchanan-edwards.com – (my current contractor) they are a small minority owned company with their hands in a LOT of contracts. I’ll definetly keep my eyes open!