Congratulations, Alara!
So, congratulations to Alara for landing a pretty sweet gig today. She starts on Wednesday, doing business analysis type work for a healthcare company in Elk Ridge - in addition to whatever else it was she's been doing with the city to earn money through her business.
The extra money she'll be bringing in from this new contract will really help a lot. Even if it doesn't go past the 2-3 months that it's commited to, it'll teally put a dent in what has become our too-damn-big pile of debts.
A lot of people don't like to talk about money, but for me it is not something I am coy about, and I'm generally very up front about it. The truth is that I make better money now than most people out there - more than I ever expected that I could. I'm not ashamed of that, because I work very, very hard and have cultivated some pretty unique skills. (Acutally, I'm not full of myself, so I know it's a lot of luck plus a little talent.)
So, when I say that this past year has been very difficult for us financially, please understand that if it was rough for me, then my heart truly goes out to the 90%+ of Americans who bring home less than I do. I grew up in near poverty; my mom took help from her parents, food stamps, and college aid as she raised me by herself. I know how it feels.
Lately, raising four kids, it's hard to figure out where the money goes and why we don't keep more of it. Maybe that is just a part of having kids. Or maybe we should both work a little less hard and instead devote that time into managing our money better. Less time spent in setting up the TVPC and a bit more in balancing the household budget might help. I think a lot of it has to do with the simple fact that the dollar just is not worth what it once was. If I had to guess, I would say it has had about the same effect as a 25-33% pay cut.
Oddly enough that's not what I wanted to blog about. I just wanted to thank Alara for her hard work, and for taking the stress (and the daycare bills) off of my shoulders a bit.
So, What Kind of Job Would I Love To Have?
So, her getting this gig made me start thinking about my job, about raises I did not get, about what I enjoy about my job, what I'd rather take a pass on, and how I really want to be spending my time.
So here goes, my wishlist for a dream job:
- I want to work with SharePoint most or all the time, because it's really cool!
- But, I don't want to work for Microsoft.
- I like working on lots of little short-term projects. Veriety in work and in solving different problems for different types of users is exciting. For that reason, I could probably spend my whole life building nifty web parts and showing people how to use them.
- But, I hate having to think about my commute [or the people I have to work with] changing whenever the project ends.
- I truly enjoy using technology to help transform a business. Getting only little wins is really frustrating, so buy-in from the top is very important to me. If that means part of my job is to fight for that support, then so be it. Unlike many people, I find debate invigorating.
- I like doing work on proof of concept and design. Finding out what can be done is fun. Finding out that you *could*, except that you *can't* because there either a) aren't the skills, b) aren't the resources, or c) isn't the time is no fun at all. So, a place where there is a real investment in technology (as opposed to band aid solutions) is a real plus. (Update: Add "lack of political will" to that above list of frustrations.)
- I would like to either have a very short commute to downtown Baltimore, or else a reasonable train ride to Washington DC that I can do myself. I am tired of relying on my wife for transportation. I wouldn't mind working in my boxers either, but I need an excuse to get out of the house once in a while, and some things are better done face to face.
- I'd like a job title where the median base salary is in the neighborhood of $150,000/yr. Software Engineering Director looks nice, though frankly I have never seen anybody hiring for that one. They always use terms like Developer, Analyst, or Architect. Sorry, but the pennies don't spend like they used to, and wages don't seem to be going up to meet inflation. I guess I could accept a lower salary for the right perks, but the money is pretty important.
- Funnily enough, I like managing technical people, and I am good at it too. That's an aspect of work that I miss when being stood up as a lone gunman in consutling gigs. You rarely if ever have the authority to direct a team. Well, at least sometimes you can act as the trusted advisor; that can be nice.
Too bad that nobody will probably ever ask me what kind of job I want. Wouldn't it be great if we interviewed companies instead of companies interviewing us?
For your pleasure, here's my resume. If you feel so inclined, tell me if you think I am qualified for the job I am describing, or for that matter if it even exists.