New Job

Well, the good thing about being a techie is you're never unemployed for long.

One of the guys I used to work with who got laid-off at the same time as I started working for this consulting company and gave me a line on them. I applied Monday and the following happened:

The Recruiter called me first thing Tuesday, she had an SQL test she wanted to send my way, would I please take it and send it back to her as quickly as possible.

I logged on, checked my email and took the test. It was painfully simple. I felt myself getting dumber as I answered inane question after inane question. No big deal. I finished up and flipped it back over to her. She called me back almost immediately, would I be willing to go in for an interview that day at 1 o'clock. Sure thing. I dressed up and went down there -- ironically enough, it's just down the street from BigNameCompany. I interviewed with the CEO (I did say it was a small place, didn't I?) who offered me the job at the end of the interview. He said he would have Recruiter call me back and make me an offer.

She called me back an hour or so later and asked what I had been making at BigNameCompany. I gave her the figure and she almost died! "Wow," she said, "they were paying you very generously for an entry-level position! We can't match that. The best we can do is offer you ." This lovely figure ended up being 12% less than what I was making at BigNameCompany. Now, in my world, that's quite a drop! She asked how I felt about that and I explained that I wasn't willing to take that kind of a pay cut, sorry. She asked if we could work out something like a raise after a few weeks, or something. I said that would help, and could I think it over and get back to her the next day. Certainly.

I thought it over, and had decided that a job was better than no job at all. Actually, I called Mumsy and Dad and my sister and ExOfNote and they all said, Do what feels right. Fat lot of help that is. I decided to take the job and went to bed.

At 7:15 Wednesday morning my phone rang. It was someone from a security company who I had applied with. To be quite fair, this job would really be more up my alley. They gave me a phone screening and asked if I would be willing to relocate to Santa Monica. I hate LA, but for this job, I just might do it. He thanked me for my time and said someone would get back to me after the holiday.

I put off calling the consulting shop back.

Recruiter finally called me and asked my feelings on the whole deal. I told her that I was going to have to keep my options open, and I was sorry, but I didn't think it would work out. She asked if the money was the issue and I said, yes. If she could offer me more I might consider it. Then she mentioned that she had talked to the CEO and he was willing to offer me a pay jump after 8 weeks. I told her I didn't think that would work for me, and I was sorry. She said she'd get back to me after the holiday.

She ended up calling me at 4:45 that same day. She said she had a meeting with the CEO and wanted to know if she could get him to agree to only a 6% pay cut would I start Monday? I said yes, I would.

She called back at 5:15. He had agreed to it. Thus, I start Monday. Tragically, this job is just a job. I have every intentions of continuing to look for work somewhere else. Sad. I wish this were my dream job, but it just isn't. Wish me luck with the continued search.