Return to Work

In my last post I informed you all that I was no longer employed. Not being too worried about the situation I called it my 'Trial Retirement'. I also told you about three prospects that I had been pursuing. Not too long after that post I was informed that an offer was in the works. Even better was it from the company that I had applied for outside of a recruitment agency! I came close to getting an offer from the number 2 prospect, Cisco, but I was informed that they had rehired a former member of their team.

Apparently though, there was some administrative confusion and an official offer was delayed. But that was a good thing. Still a little unsure, I was able to enjoy the holidays and a few weeks just relaxing and not worrying about searching for a new position since I figured I had one almost in hand. Then, about mid-January I did receive a formal offer for the position. After a background check I was cleared to start. My 'Trial Retirement' officially ended January 28th.

Where did I end up you ask? I'm a Senior System Engineer at EchoStar / Sling Media here in Foster City. That's right, Foster City. My commute is now about two and a half miles. But it's not just the commute I like. As I felt that in the past couple years my talents were wasting away at Northrop Grumman, the work at EchoStar is challenging and engaging. I will have opportunities to learn and utilize new technologies that were the domain of a different team in a different data center at Northrop Grumman. While at the same time, utilizing skills and experience from my past for other duties.

At this point, I am really glad that I didn't accept the first offer that came along just because it was an offer in hand. I also cannot help myself from pointing out that Romans 8:28 comes to mind. I posted that passage on Twitter and Facebook not long after I was laid off from Northrop Grumman. In the end, all things have worked together for good. But I have to say, I was getting used to not using an alarm clock...

Until next time my friends.

Trial Retirement

When I first got the news I was being laid off, I jokingly referred to my unplanned sabbatical as my "trial retirement". One thing I didn't mention in the post "All Things Must Pass", was that I have saved a bit of cash over the years, so I wasn't in a panic about finding something else right away. As a matter of fact, I could probably skate for close to two years without breaking a sweat.

So I first thought that I'd relax for a few weeks, enjoy the time off. There was the long weekend in Las Vegas to help celebrate my sister's birthday, followed by a week in Florida visiting with my dad for Thanksgiving that were coming up. Funny though. On one hand I knew I could relax and not worry. But on the other hand there's that feeling of urgency and that I if I'm not looking for a new job I may miss a really cool opportunity.

I updated my resume and posted it to Dice, Monster, and CareerBuilder. Almost immediately my phone and email were blowing up. On some days, fielding and responding to inquiries was more of a full time job than work ever was! I think it is because it is so interrupt driven. And some recruiters, what a pain in the neck. One particular recruitment agency seemed to be focused on jobs from one particular company. Seems this company had a bunch of similar positions open. But I would get calls and emails from different people at this one agency for these positions. Each time I would be asked to answer the same pre-screening questionnaire, supply the same references, send the same current copy of my resume. Yet, after 10 or 12 times, never even resulted in at least a telephone screening with the company looking to hire. Talk about a waste of time...

The three leads that did go anywhere had nothing to do with that agency. One resulted in a job offer that was withdrawn because they didn't want to wait a few days while I had final interviews with two other companies. The second one is through a recruiter that is definitely much more professional than the one previously mentioned. There was a face to face interview last week, and I am waiting for the final word. Hopefully tomorrow. Monday December 17. The third is a result of me applying for a job online. I have a final interview scheduled there on Tuesday. I would prefer the last because it is a full time gig, but I would be happy with a job offer from either of these last two.

If I don't get a job offer, I think I will take a few weeks off and enjoy my "trial retirement". Send a resume here and there, and respond to inquiries about opportunities that really excite me. At least that's what I want to do. I probably wouldn't feel as burnt out or overwhelmed if not for the recruitment agency that overloaded me with calls and emails for positions at one company that went nowhere. More than one person has told me that when they were in a similar position, they regretted not taking the opportunity to enjoy the time off.

All in all, life is good. I still have money in the bank, a roof over my head, food in my belly, and a couple of toys in the garage. Maybe, I need to finally put my passport to use to really call it a trial retirement.

Tithe and Retirement

Biblical scholars, believers, and theologians; tax time has made me think of something related to tithes and offerings. I would be interested in other points of view and thoughts about the subject at hand.

From the time I began to faithfully tithe on a regular basis, I decided that I would base my tithe on gross salary and not net. This relieves me of having to worry about additional tithes if I receive a tax refund, or perhaps reducing my tithe if I had to pay additional taxes. Since I pay my tithes according to my gross salary, I have already tithed against any amount of a tax refund. I may choose to offer more with a tax refund, but my conscience is clear if I do not.

That is all fine for now, but I have started thinking about retirement. If most of my retirement is self-funded, is it the same as my tax refunds? I realize I will have to account for interest, dividends, and amounts matched by employers. But will I have clear conscience in not offering a full tithe in my retirement years? Something to ponder as retirement starts getting closer.