Getting On

Note: It actually hasn't been as long since my last post as the dates indicate. I posted a little over a month ago but due to the topic and the repercussions it could have on my employment I withdrew the post. It looks like Google's cache no longer has it either which is fortunate for me. For posterity's sake though, I saved a local copy. Mostly because I was quite proud of the humor. Mind you, there were no negative comments or incriminating information. Just a bit too much...liberty.

It's been seven months since I lost my job. Since then I've been doing things to keep myself busy and sane. For the most part, that means looking for another job. Initially, it seemed like that would be a simple matter. In the latter part of last year there were quite a few Linux admin roles to vie for. However, the recession has since hit the IT industry and opportunities have all but dried up.

In the meantime I've lowered my expectations. Considering I've been out of a datacenter for so long and books can only give one so much practice, my skills are beginning to dull. As a result, I'm no longer expectant of a job that pays the same as the last one. I'm still looking for a Linux admin role but not one that lands all of the responsibilities for the network on my shoulders. While I shudder at the thought of it, I'm even warming up to the idea of a job that includes some desktop support.

I'm currently waiting to hear back from one potential employer who wants to bring me in for an interview. He worries that I'll skip out in a month or two when something a bit higher-level is offered to me. I nearly flipped my lid when the recruiter told me this. I wasn't angry, just surprised considering the conversation I had with the individual doing the hiring. I thought I had diverted that notion during the interview.

He had asked me what my long-term goal was, say, two to three years down the road. I told him that for me that was short term and that I saw long term as being five to ten years off. For the near-term, I told him I was looking for a job more or less like he was describing the position as which would allow me to grow and learn so that later, in the long-term, I could progress and take a more engineering-type role.

Hopefully, my explanation to the recruiter and my vocal animation was enough to convince him that I was not looking for a stop-over on my way to a better job a month down the road. Yes, I do plan on moving up and if that requires another company in ten years, so be it. But, right now I just want to get back into the swing of things and learn more of what I need to succeed in this industry.