Saturday, August 6, 2011

It’s that time of the year… a new post on my blog.

For the past 12 months I have worked as a web developer. The idea of me doing this for money never crossed my mind, let alone doing it as my primary form of income. All those “wasted” hours coding seemed to have paid off. If I could tell younger generations anything, it would be that you need an education and a Plan B. Whatever that Plan B may be, it also looks good to have a degree in your resume. It’s the only reason why I believe I stood out and got hired each time I interviewed for a job.

That’s not to say life has been perfect in terms of work. At my first job as a web developer I lasted only a week. I was miserable. I was asked to work in a Windows environment in a cramped space. But I could not quit. On my last day there, I was told to take a couple of days off. I later found out that they were going to give another person a shot, and I sought an easy way out. I was paid for my time there and moved on.

A couple of weeks later I was being interviewed for another web development job. This time I stipulated that I would only work in a Mac environment… that I would bring my own equipment if needed be. I was called back a couple of days later and imagine my surprise on my first day of work when I saw a 27″ iMac on what was to become my desk. One of the worst experiences in my life had led me to one of my best experiences. On top of that, I would be earning three dollars more per hour, with a shorter commute, and in a much more casual environment. It was Friday, August 6, 2010. I would continue to be a happy employee for several months, until I received some bad news on Monday, March 28 — our boss was no longer in the need for an “internet” department and was letting five of us go. He would pay us for the rest of the week, but we were advised to find a job, and we were given permission to look for one during working hours.

It must have been 2 or 3 in the morning of the following day when I woke up and was unable to fall back asleep. Less than twelve hours had passed since hearing the bad news, so lack of sleep was expected. I answered an ad for a web developer, explaining that I had just been laid off and touched each of the ad’s requirements, explaining why I would be a great candidate for the job. Less than 48 hours after finding out that I was being laid off I found myself seated next to two younger men, and their boss sat across from us. I had been nervous in the hours leading to the interview, but once I was seated in front of them they may have never met a more confident man. The job was mine.

I’ve come a long way as a web developer in the past 12 months. I spent many hours trying to fix broken things. I still stumble every now and then, but that sort of thing is inherent to what I do. I’ve come to the point that I could actually thrive in my new field of work. I have adapted well to a shoddy economy. I wish everyone was as fortunate as I have been. I suppose that bad experiences help us appreciate good experiences. What doesn’t kill us make us stronger, right?

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