What I've been up to
Feb. 5th, 2015 06:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
klwilliamsI used to have a recurring dream, in which I found myself back at Mount Holyoke, only this time I was about to enroll again with a different major. That was the main dream, with details varying here and there, and I realized after a few experiences that I had the dream because it was time to change jobs. I haven't had the dream in a long time, but then, I change jobs frequently. It's the nature of the Valley.
I've held a number of positions in Silicon Valley, all around creating and using software: software developer (of course), professional services engineer (going to customer sites and helping them use my company's software), software development manager, tech support manager, product manager, and my favorite: Director of Innovation. All of them are similar yet all of them are different. The fact that my previous three jobs were in the eDiscovery industry was a rare but enjoyable fluke.
I was laid off last April, along with several others, because my company was having trouble with sales. I wasn't terribly disappointed, because I'd been sick for a while and while my boss and the rest of the company had been beyond good to me, the commute wasn't helping my health, and I was ready for a change. I mean, come on -- I was an expert in eDiscovery technology already. It was getting dull.
Since then I've been taking online classes on Coursera, learning about data science, machine learning, big data -- all meaty new topics that woke up the math part of my brain. I've almost completed a Data Science specialization, which should help me apply for data science jobs, though by "almost" I mean "a few months out". And, well, unemployment ran out, and my layoff money ran out, and I have cats and turtles to feed.
In the last long period of unemployment, just when my money ran out, my friend Ann talked her boss into hiring me as a database specialist at Alza. I was a contractor there, and while there were no benefits, there was a paycheck, friends to work with, and none of the stresses involved with being an employee. It was just what I needed. Which brings me further along in this tale...
One of my friends named Dave got a contract job a while back as a tech writer. He recently moved to a full-time position in a different tech writing group, and told me that they had a contractor position open. Had I done technical writing before? Well, yes, just not by that name, and not with the tricks that go with profession, but sure, I'd apply. So I did, and I had an interview, and I should start next week.
So again, I get to work with friends (another long time friend -- and fellow Bard -- also works in that group), nearby, on a product that I feel in love with as soon as I read about it, because I've been someone who would have loved to have used it in positions in the past. I really really like the woman who will be our boss, and not least because she also has sold a few sff stories. I'm excited about this, and looking forward to it. And it's good to have friends.
I've held a number of positions in Silicon Valley, all around creating and using software: software developer (of course), professional services engineer (going to customer sites and helping them use my company's software), software development manager, tech support manager, product manager, and my favorite: Director of Innovation. All of them are similar yet all of them are different. The fact that my previous three jobs were in the eDiscovery industry was a rare but enjoyable fluke.
I was laid off last April, along with several others, because my company was having trouble with sales. I wasn't terribly disappointed, because I'd been sick for a while and while my boss and the rest of the company had been beyond good to me, the commute wasn't helping my health, and I was ready for a change. I mean, come on -- I was an expert in eDiscovery technology already. It was getting dull.
Since then I've been taking online classes on Coursera, learning about data science, machine learning, big data -- all meaty new topics that woke up the math part of my brain. I've almost completed a Data Science specialization, which should help me apply for data science jobs, though by "almost" I mean "a few months out". And, well, unemployment ran out, and my layoff money ran out, and I have cats and turtles to feed.
In the last long period of unemployment, just when my money ran out, my friend Ann talked her boss into hiring me as a database specialist at Alza. I was a contractor there, and while there were no benefits, there was a paycheck, friends to work with, and none of the stresses involved with being an employee. It was just what I needed. Which brings me further along in this tale...
One of my friends named Dave got a contract job a while back as a tech writer. He recently moved to a full-time position in a different tech writing group, and told me that they had a contractor position open. Had I done technical writing before? Well, yes, just not by that name, and not with the tricks that go with profession, but sure, I'd apply. So I did, and I had an interview, and I should start next week.
So again, I get to work with friends (another long time friend -- and fellow Bard -- also works in that group), nearby, on a product that I feel in love with as soon as I read about it, because I've been someone who would have loved to have used it in positions in the past. I really really like the woman who will be our boss, and not least because she also has sold a few sff stories. I'm excited about this, and looking forward to it. And it's good to have friends.
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Coolio!
Date: 2015-02-06 03:27 am (UTC)