I had my last day at Linpro last Tuesday (October 1st), and my first day at Systek last Wednesday.
Leaving Linpro was not an easy decision. On the one hand, I had some pretty good times at Linpro over the (almost) four years I worked there. On the other hand, almost all the people I joined Linpro to work with in the first place are long gone.
When you work on-site like I do, you don’t get to meet your coworkers (or should I say co-employees) very often. You show up at a social function and find out that half the people there are complete strangers—and half the people who were there the last time have left—well… it gives you pause. Suddenly, switching employers doesn’t seem like such a big change after all: you’re surrounded by strangers either way.
So you go for the option that gives you more freedom and more responsibility (the inseparable twins). You go for the option where you won’t have to suffer through the growing pains of a company that has doubled or tripled in size (you’ve lost track) since you started. You go for the option that puts you near the bottom, with a lot to learn, rather than near the top, with a lot to teach.
And you get ready to work your shiny metal ass off to climb back up that ladder.
I read something recently about a four-year cycle at the end of which you and your employer both have learned as much from each other as you ever will; I would be most grateful to anyone who can dig up a reference, as I can’t find it.
I think there’s definitely such a cycle; mine has previously been three years in length, although I’m currently one month over that limit. Time will tell… :)
your blogger profile still say you work at Linpro.
Found it at last—it was a Worse Than Failure article about what the author calls the IT turnover crisis. See also the Dead Sea effect.