Taking up a new position
Alas, with the way things are in Dublin these days, the unthinkable has happened. I’ve joined a US-based multinational IT company. I know, I know. What can I say? Yes, it’s a total 180 degree turn for me, and I’ve no doubt it will mean a lot of hard work, but I guess it’s just unavoidable. It’s not as bad as it could be though, as the number of Pacific-coast timezone meetings really is kept to a minimum. There is the potential for travel; as ever, the usual US destinations, but also other regional IT hubs, like Sri Lanka.
The application process was gruelling, with rigourous peer evaluation and feedback at each stage. Strong input from the teams I’ll be working with was, of course, prioritised. Challenge after challenge, test after test, and some of the toughest technical problems I have faced in my career. And that was just the screening process. The real emphasis was on how I behaved as a person, how I interact with the team, could I join in in the community, would I fit in? The usual story these days. I guess no company wants to be lumbered with bad apples.
Naturally I’ve always held a very strong interest in the company. I’ve been using their products as long as they’ve been around, and I’ve helped them out on a freelance basis here and there for the last 4 years. I even had a very small part to play in a project they later aquired, such is the nature of the market these days.
It’s yet another non-profit, so the benefits are pretty terrible and the salary is even worse, but the possibilities and prospects are pretty great. It’s an amazingly exciting opportunity for me. I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that some of most gifted people in the field are all working here.
Of course, it does come as a great pity that it happens just a few weeks before getting my new HEAnet business cards, but I’ll be equally proud of my new card and my new title:
Update: Despite the “humour” tag, it appears I may have taken the satire ever so slightly over the edge and managed to confuse quite a few people with this post. To be clear; I am still, and will continue to be, gainfully employed by HEAnet, but am now a member proper of the Apache Software Foundation.
18 Replies to "Taking up a new position"
Conor Winkle on June 17, 2006
Wow, congratulations (:
Brett Porter on June 17, 2006
LOL – great post. Congratulations and Welcome!
Antonio Gallardo on June 17, 2006
It’s great! Congratulations and welcome aboard :-)
Kae Verens on June 17, 2006
Wow! Colaiste Chillian’s previous claim to fame was to have some person win a swimming contest. Now, it has produced someone who is working on the most wide-spread and influential project in the world.
Well done, that man!
Conor on June 17, 2006
Well done Colm, congrats!
Seán on June 17, 2006
*blinks*…*reads post again*…What?!?
Congrats dude
Johnny K on June 17, 2006
Congrats Colm.
Gregor J. Rothfuss on June 18, 2006
congrats, well-deserved. love your httpd performance work.
Mark Boyle on June 19, 2006
Wow…. impressive stuff, congratulations!
Rach on June 19, 2006
confused!!
Is it in humour for a reason?;)
Yoav Shapira on June 19, 2006
Welcome to the brotha’hood ;)
Murf on June 19, 2006
“Despite the “humour” tag, it appears I may have taken the satire ever so slightly over the edge and managed to confuse quite a few people with this post.”
Well, the tag didn’t appear in my feed reader (akregator), so I suspect that could explain things a bit. :)
jmason on June 19, 2006
hahaha — nicely done; you had me confused for a few seconds there ;)
Duff on June 23, 2006
reading that i thought you were joining google!
Tony on March 13, 2007
Bad news
Paul Querna on June 17, 2006
Congratulations!