Few Days Past — Vacation Thoughts and Work

I bet you all have felt the tension and stress between doing the vacation thing and the work thing. I’m dedicated to the place I work and always feel like being there, doing the right and good things. But family wants vacation time as well. It came to a point for me over this next week. Its Easter Break and kidlets are free to irritate and hound us each day. We planned a trip to the snow and mountains to get them to a new place where they could make everyone miserable.

Then work came along for me. It came down to me stating to my boss, “give me more to do, this work on building out requirements and planning for new datacenter environments and I’ll do it justice”. I found it difficult to then qualify that and say “but not this week”. Perhaps its my own need to make a statement at work that I provided something of value and a service. I still have about 7 months left on my contract there and I want to stay around. Visa is an interesting place to work and the people seem to like me.

Its not a small company; but I did interview at one about a week ago after they requested it. Let me just say that I am not impressed and I won’t link to them because they don’t need that. Here are my rules for the road when interviewing going forward:

1. If you decide to hire me, great! I’ll be a resource and I’ll be there through thick and thin.
2. If you decide not to decide, great! How about calling me and letting me know? Perhaps its just me, but these techno-recruiters and talent people seem to have no real ethics and principles and we are all but meat on the shelf.
3. If you decide I am not your cup of tea, great! How about a call? Its common decency and its part of communication.

Its funny because I was asked what I thought leadership qualities were for a project manager. I’m used to this question after being asked it a doodlezillion times. We both agreed on the answers. Me and their big guy. But it comes down to communication. And what is communication? Its not one person speaking and the other listening folks. Each person has to have a vested interest in the dialogue. But after agreeing with this, it dawned on me that they have no qualms about violating what they feel is the necessity of a good manager. So, its not me for them. I won’t mention their name or linkage; but here’s a clue. If you get invited to work for an up and coming open source company, run to the hills folks. I’ve been there and done it for years. Its the path of eternal hell and damnation but it sounds so good that you anticipate the trip. Tip to the grand communicator there. Practice what you preach; bub.

I’ll go chew my gum and stick it on another bedpost, ok?