Monday, May 26, 2008

New Beginnings Again

Alrighty then, it has been quite some time since I have written in my blog as you can see. My life has taken another turn in a new direction. I just recently moved again from Topeka, Kansas to California. The decision to move started sometime early this year when my wife informed me that she had spoken with her Grandmother in California who informed her that she wanted us to move back California. Now I was surprised and excited at the same time, because I have wanted to get back to California for quite some time. I loved the California weather and beaches, so I was more than willing. My wife’s Grandmother is over 70 years of age, but manages pretty well that you wouldn’t even think she was a day over 50. But we all know that there is a time when that all starts to change and things slow down quite a bit and I think that time is nearing. Her health is pretty good, besides the health issues she may have that she doesn’t tell anyone about. But, my wife feels like she really needs to be there for her and I am not in disagreement, so back to Cali we go.

I began the process of job searching again to see what was available in the California market for my skill set and man was I presently surprised. I decided to place my resume on Dice and Monster to see what responses I would get and my cell phone wouldn’t stop ringing. Recruiters were calling left and right and wondering when I was going to be available for an interview. I had to explain that I was still located in Topeka and would be relocating to California. Now this was in February and I informed them that I would be coming out to California for good in April and was preparing for my transition. This news confused several recruiters because they had never dealt with this type of situation before and most needed someone available ASAP. My only requirement was to have a 2 week notice and 1 week relocation time period, which most were okay with.

Several recruiters had procedures that required them to meet with me face to face before they would send a candidate out to a client. I could understand that, but I wasn’t in a position to work with that option at this time. I have been a consultant for nearly 8 years now and have gone to work for several large organizations with nothing but a phone interview with the client. I was confident in my abilities and from my previous engagements; I knew I wouldn’t have any problems. About 4 out of the 20 or so recruiters were on top of there game. I had informed them that I would be making a trip out to California for 2 to 3 days and would be available to meet with clients for interviews. Things turned out great and I was able to get interviews with Myspace, Countrywide, Kaiser Permanente, and Spark Networks.

Now, the interviews were quite interesting. I don’t think I had ever gone through such grueling interviews in my life, or that I can remember. I was applying for Senior .NET Developer positions since those are the positions I have been working in so far. I was interviewed by Senior .NET Developers, .NET Architects, and Managers. Out of all the interviews, Myspace and Kaiser were my hardest. I faced a lot of questions which were geared for book smarts which I certainly wasn’t good at. I have never done well with test and I have acknowledged that but don’t let that hold me back. I pride myself in understanding what I am learning and if I can’t understand it, I have no shame in saying I don’t know. I am more than willing to learn what I don’t know, but it has to make sense for me to retain it. I am thankful when I have difficult interviews because I learn quite a bit about my weaknesses and areas that I need improvement. My interview with Myspace was done by 2 Senior .NET Developers who hit me with a lot of difficult questions, but the challenge was when they went to the white board and asked me to solve some complex issues. Talk about make your sweat! I was drenched and almost brain dead by the end of that interview.

Now, Kaiser was very interesting for the simple fact that I was interviewed by 7 .NET Architects. You can say, I was a little intimidated at first, but I did quite well. So, well, that they extended an offer to me the next day, but feel quite short on salary expectations, so I turned them down. Myspace came back and turned me down later. I never did hear back from Spark Networks and Countrywide is on hold because they are going through some financial issues.

My trip to California was a little expensive and I wasn’t successful in acquiring employment. A little discouraging at first, but I just kept plugging away. I had several conversations with different recruiters who wanted me to come in for some face to face interviews. At this time, I was not really feeling face to face interviews at my expense, so I pushed back for some phone interviews. A lot of opportunities went by me, but I don’t regret this decision. I had one very interesting conversation with a recruiter who was looking to fill a contracting position with LA County Public Health. The contract hadn’t been won yet because it was contingent on the candidate and she thought I was the perfect fit for the job. She informed me that should I be selected, a face to face interview would be required. I wasn’t too excited about this possibility and informed her that I may have to pass on this opportunity because I really can’t afford to keep flying back and forth for interviews. She understood my situation convinced me to at least give it a try and see if I am even selected, so I gave it a try.

I spoke with the wife about this and she agreed with me that this was too expensive right now and that I should keep looking. That night, the same recruiter contacted me asking if she could also submit me for another position for that same client. I gave her the green light with some reservations, but wanted to see what might happen. Two days later, I received a call from the same recruiter informing me that I had been selected for the second position that she had submitted me for. I was excited and disappointed at the same time, because I knew I couldn’t afford to do this right now. I informed the recruiter that I would have to pass on this opportunity and appreciated all her efforts. Surprisingly she refused to give up and insisted that I take the weekend to discuss it with my wife and think about it. I informed the wife and we both still agreed that it wasn’t worth it.

Monday morning, I called the recruiter and informed her that I would have to let this opportunity go. She immediately countered and made an offer to pay half the travel cost if I get the position. Not really an impressive offer, but worth considering I guess. I called the wife and passed this new information on to her and she wasn’t impressed either. She immediately asked me, “Do you really want to go for this?” I was straddling the fence because I thought this would be a great opportunity should I get the job and at the same time a huge waste of money should I not get the job. My wife and her great wisdom responded saying that I will really regret it if I didn’t at least try. So, I called the recruiter back and told her that I would do it.

The interview was setup for a Wednesday, so I flew out Tuesday night with an expected return flight of Wednesday evening. I interviewed with the Director of Applications Development and the interview was awesome. I don’t think I have ever met such a knowledgeable Director of Applications Development. He was an old school programmer with modern thinking capabilities. He was looking for someone with my exact skill sets with an eagerness to learn new technologies. I was the perfect fit. He informed me that I would be the Lead .NET Developer helping to manage up to 14 other .NET Developers. I would be heading up a new project that used the ASP.NET MVC Framework on Visual Studio 2008. I was blown away and felt like a child on Christmas day. I would have never thought in a million years that I would be in this position. Most places I work are always behind 1 to 2 versions of the .NET Framework and I would be venturing into a new territory with .NET 3.5 and MVC. Wow!!!

I flew back to Topeka, Kansas completely mind boggled and ready to go to California ASAP. I told the wife what happened and she was blown away too. The next day, the recruiter called me to inform me that I got the job and they wanted me to start ASAP. That was an exciting day and I am glad that I took the chance and went for the interview.

I have been on the job for about 5 weeks now and have learned a ton of things about ASP.NET and MVC. The project I am working on is orchestrated by a .NET Architect who is showing me how the MVC Framework operates and what can be done with it that wasn’t possible with standard ASP.NET. I am amazed to say the least and confused at the same time, because this is such a new technology that there aren’t any books on this yet. That in it self is exciting because I am really on the leading edge of technology and one of the first early adopters. The framework is still a CTP Beta version. By the time it reaches release candidate stage, I should be an expert which puts me light years ahead of everyone else. This makes me more marketable than I ever was before. Knowing ASP.NET alone is awesome, but adding MVC to your skill sets is even better. My aim is to perfect this framework to the point where I can do it in my sleep. My business is going to grow by leaps and bounds. This is exciting and I am going to enjoy this ride as much as I can.

Happy coding!!!