The results from the job interview came in quite quickly from the interview on Tuesday. I was told it would be a week. And having dealt with the old office (From Hell!) when it came to job postings, a "week" to an job candidate can actually be up to 3 weeks (or not informed at all).

This took less than 24 hours.

No.

No more.

No more annoying commute, switching modes of mass transportation every 30 minutes.
No more being left in the dark about my job responsibilities.
No more annoying work partner.
No more missing trains because of slow traffic and a slower crossing light.
No more extremely low pay.

No more.

Effective February 4, I start a much better job (with the company at #1 on my list when I was in school) and I'm already bouncing off the walls.

I have one week left at work. One week and I never have to go there again.

Thank God.

The One With the Really Good Monday

I've been gearing up for a big eBay sell-off and, ironically, it meant buying up a bunch of things off "the 'Bay" in order to make my stuff look better. I had a couple tricks up my sleeve for the good ol' "buy low, sell high" strategy.

Today's mailbox was so stuffed with... stuff... that it was actually bulging out from the wall. It looked kinda cool and I was like a kid on Christmas morning as I tore through the envelopes.

There were a couple other pieces of mail as well that I basically ignored as I went through everything. But that's when I saw the logo.

It was from my insurance company.

After 5 months, they have finally concluded their investigation and have found me 0% at fault. Yep, for the exact reasons I told them in October, they've now spent thousands of dollars investigating to come to the same conclusion. And, according to the arbitrator, the Google maps helped immensely!

So, I have $350 coming my way in about a week or so. Yay!!

I've also finally made a decision on the job front. Despite having more "con's" compared to the other, I've decided the best action for me to take is with the big company. A big company means some job security and growth potential that may or may not exist with a new company just starting up. That being said, and decided upon, I've still done everything that the new company asked of me and now if they turn me down, it's not a let-down.

If they offer me a job.... That's just a hurdle for further down the road :)

The One About Making a Choice --If I Had to Choose

I honestly figured by today I'd be applying for any job I saw in the paper, regardless of potential, career, or happiness. Things were far too quiet on the job hunt front and even acts of desperation were getting me "no thanks" in reply.

Suddenly, I got hit with a company wanting to talk to me about working for them.

'Them' is overrated here as it's a new venture and is still in initial start-up and a very, very small team. So far.

However, something about my work "intrigued them" and I guess I left them wanting more --or at least clarification in what it is that I do. Yeah, it's a little funny and a little disconcerting to think that after 5 months of applying within such a specialized industry, someone's come along and asked me to clarify what I do.

"And what do you want me to do?" is apparently not the right answer to that question. But, c'mon, I'm desperate for work here!

So, I have the mega-fantastic very enthusiastic phone interview and things look up as he wants to meet in person and discuss things further. I like that and can't wait to meet him.

In the meantime, someone who called me about a job months ago suddenly calls me up again. I was their #2 guy and the #1 just pooped out on them. So, the day before my interview with the new company, I'm headed into Vancouver for another interview with the mega-company.

Crazy.

OK, it's crazy, but things are about to get crazier. See, after yesterday's interview (which was an odd set of questions, followed by some computer testing), they actually offered me the job. Yep, you read that right. I've been officially offered a job. I have 'til Monday to accept their offer.

Cut to my next meeting with the new company. No, not really offering me a job --yet. But it sounds like he likes what I'm saying & seeing about their production and he just needs the weekend or maybe a few days longer to decide if I'm the guy he wants in the role.

So, now I need to make a decision by Monday.

I've said before (who can count how many times) that it really bugs me when people can't make a decision. Good or bad, jut make the decision already! And now I'm in the boat for a decision that affects my life, my family's life, and the life of virtually everyone around me. So, time for the good ol' Pro's & Con's...

Mega-Company Pro's:

1. Stable company, so no chance of it shutting down/layoffs.
2. Major project with some credit by the end.
3. Gets my name in an established company.
4. Supervisor role for me.
   

Mega-Company Con's:

1. Big mega-company, so I'm just a small cog in a very, very large machine.
2. Has the potential for extremely long hours, which means I don't get to see my family.
3. Pay isn't great.
4. Fairly long commute which eats into my income with insurance and fuel costs.
5. No time for eBay, Dr. Jones!!
6. Contract position with no promise of promotion or career longevity.

Small Company Pro's:

1. I'll be part of a creative idea and not just a cog.
2. Potential for promotion.
3. Telecommuting, which means my family actually sees me!
4. Telecommuting also means there's time for eBay (Dr. Jones!)
5. Pay should be more, but could be less.
   
6. Commuting once or twice a month has little effect on my budget.
7. Potential to learn new things.
8. Understanding boss with similar values/beliefs (nice change of pace!)

Small Company Con's:

1. Small company which may not exist a year from now.
2. Pay could be less.
3. My name will be out there, but will it have an impact?
4. Potentially could challenge me beyond my skill levels (already hinted at during the 2nd interview)
   

I can't think of any more con's.

My choice is looking fairly clear. And I still have until Monday to add to the lists.

The One with the Unexpected Phone Call

Within moments of getting my latest "thanks but no thanks" for the last interview (darn!), I got a call from a company I'd applied to in early February wanting to set up a phone interview.

I'm not a fan of phone interviews, nor am I a phan of fone interviews... get it? Oh, never mind.

But I've done my little research things on them, so we decided to talk to one another again this morning. See, I really liked that personality interview I had and was really hoping that would've worked out. I'm not sure if that guy just B.S.'d me when he said he could see me working there in a creative role, but I really liked hearing it. Telephone interviews just scream "business."

It wasn't totally the case today. We discussed what he'd seen of my work and what his concerns with that work were (it's true and although bashing the ego, there's not much left to do damage). He also wanted to get into what intrigued him about me and my previous work experience. From there, we discussed the company's initial goals (it's newly founded and a great opportunity to move up in the beginning), what his vision of the company is, and what role he could see me filling in his company. We finished over an hour later with me feeling really good and an appointed time to meet over coffee later this week.

This could be it. I'm praying it is!

The One About the Desperate Interview

I caved and took an interview for a downtown job that guaranteed if I got it I'd be broke within a month. I drove in on Friday to their office and interviewed for the position. I knew going in that part of my job would include driving around, which also ensured that I'd need to drive to work every day, thus eating up even more costs in fuel.

What I didn't even think about... walking into the interview... was that the "career advisors" had sent my resume and reel in to the company. I hadn't even looked at the job posting!

INTERVIEWER

"Well, you've seen the job posting and everything that it entails.

How do you feel about it?"

ME

"Oh... I'm fine with it."

INTERVIEWER

"Well, there's a lot of different things on there and you could find yourself doing industry research first thing in the morning and laundry right before lunch."

ME

"Oh, I understand. In fact, I've had a job like that before. I'd start the morning off by updating the schedules and calendars on the website, coordinate my subordinate's tasks for the day, start some laundry, then have to run to a first aid emergency."

INTERVIEWER

"Was there anything in the job description you didn't like?"

ME

"To be honest, NO."