I have gone back and forth on what to title this blog post on for a couple of days now and I think that this is the most fitting, though it is pretty much just an inside joke, some folks might recognize this type of reference from various TV shows that used it as a means to describe how a character just up and disappeared one day.
Jeremy and I used to say it to one another whenever some problem came up that just was so frustrating (particularly because the problem at hand shouldn’t be difficult or flat out just shouldn’t exist), one of us would look over and say “I’m going for cigarettes.” and the other might reply with “Bring me back some gum.” or maybe “Your coming back right?”
Well, on Monday (5/10/2010) I gave my two weeks notice. Throughout the following days I spoke with various coworkers, some of them are surprised, some of them saw it coming, all of them have congratulated me.
I have to say that I am looking forward to working at Unwired Nation, I have known the founders there for quite a while. I believe we were first introduced back in 2005. I ran into them on a couple of occasions at developer conferences and from time-to-time down at the Austin Tech Happy Hour.
The details of my tenure and subsequent departure require many beers to try and follow the overall time-line, but I have been near NetworkIP (my now former employer) for almost 12 years, yes TWELVE years, working directly for 7 years).
I originally set out from Michigan to work for a company known as Simplified Telesys, a software vendor to NetworkIP. I spent the first two weeks of working for Simplified at NetworkIP’s offices in Longview, TX.
I believe that I only missed one NetworkIP x-mas party since 1998 (Simplified was a very close vendor, so NetIP was kind enough to allows us attend their parties).
I joined NetworkIP as an employee in November of 2003 and have worked on various projects and for the PrivateTel and Jaduka subsidiaries. There is a part of me that will miss this place, but I am definitely looking forward to new challenges.
With that abridged version of history, leaving NetworkIP is sort of like leaving my first career job, as many of the folks that I met and worked with 12 years ago are the same folks that I have been working with the last few months, the titles and responsibilities have changed, but the same folks nevertheless.
My last day at NetworkIP will be Friday, May 21st. I have been trying to figure out where my going away lunch should be, I am leaning towards burgers and bowling at Highland lanes.
I start with Unwired Nation on Monday, May 24th.
In the meantime, I have to get back to the grind.
Laterz