Near the end of my contract with Datascan earlier this year, I posted my resume on several job sites. Among the numerous emails I received, I got one from an internal recruiter asking if I’d like to work in Savannah and do Configuration Management. I immediately replied back that I’m not interested. I have no desire to live in Savannah and CM doesn’t pay much. Then she said it would be a remote position. But, I declined again. Then she asked if I’d just be willing to give the manager a call. I agreed to a phone interview. I asked the manager why he was interested in me since I’m a Java programmer with CM experience rather than a Configuration Engineer with Java experience. He said that’s what he wanted. So, we then agreed to an on-site interview. We travelled to Savannah and the interview went well. I got back home and filled out an extensive application form. And after doing a thorough background check on me, they offered me a full-time position.
So, now I’m working for Verisign doing Configuration Engineering and doing it all from home. I must say this is best job I’ve ever had. The pay is not as good as being a Java developer, but there is little pressure and I have the freedom of working from home. And actually, I was getting burned out from J2EE development. It is just way too cumbersome and slow to develop web apps with it. During my J2EE days, I always seem to be in projects that had ridiculously short deadlines. So there was always the constant pressure from management to build more bricks without giving more straw. Now, I just build and deploy code and my work is done. I’m so grateful to have a full-time job working from home that has little pressure and pays enough to cover our bills.
It’s also a bit interesting about how I became qualified for the CM position. During my contract with Datascan, the full-time CM quit. And it was during the busiest time right before the first release for the client. And they asked me if I was willing to step in temporarily. I was very hesitant cause they were doing builds every night and meant staying at the office until late at night. But, since they had nobody else that was willing, I said I’d do it. And the tools that Datascan used was exactly the same as what Verisign is using. So, if I didn’t volunteer to step in and help out, I doubt I’d be able to land the job I have now.