HecticArt Wonderful Architecture Work

It was a good time. First time I've been back since the renovation. It's done relatively well in terms of being respectful of the original. The new buildings around the park miss the mark.
 
HecticArt said:
It's still a work in progress. Hoping to work through a couple of details and set up a second interview.
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While we're all waiting for an update with baited breath, I (surprisingly) have my own story, which I'll also inappropriately post here. The last time I had an outside job interview, Bob Dole was running for president. That is, until last week.

Two weeks ago, my drummer/ software engineer friend brings to my attention an opening at the company he's been working at for 2 years. They're located 15 glorious minutes from my house, via winding country roads. I spend half a day updating my resume (which I started working on a year ago), and applied through him. The hiring manager then schedules an in-person interview with me.

Some background: I'm not particularly looking for a job. My employer of many decades is hiring like mad, and there's work up-the-wazoo. Also, I started working 2 to 3 days a week from home, which is awesome. But of course there are things I despise about my situation, and I could use some options for the next few years down the road. Also, having never hopped-around the job market, I've passed-up all those jumps in pay that go with that.

But back to the interview. The place is old; a post WWII industrial fortress. The stuff they make there is much more routine and "widget-like" than where I've been. The main guy conducting the tour and interview looks like this
1569262833156.webp

The guy feels compelled to show me all these rooms and areas I don't really need to see. Then I sit-down for a group interview in a conference room, where one of the guys starts shooting "college recruiting 101" questions at me: "Tell me about a time that you were faced with a technical hurdle, and how you dealt with it?" I did come up with something, but the whole time I was thinking "F-U asshole; who do you think you're talking to?". We finish the interview, and talk salary. He doesn't blink, I don't blink. But the place is sort-of pathetic, there's a room with cubicles, and that's the entire engineering staff. And that's within a giant 6 story building that once had a thousand production workers.

Two days later, we talk by phone. It was all exactly as I expected. They all liked me, I can have the position if I want, but they weren't looking particularly for someone at my level, so I'd have to take a pay-cut (wanted to hang-up right there). But there'll be other positions becoming available at the end of the year (possibly, or he said that to get me off the phone). But I'm glad I did the whole thing, instead of seeing the job openings and wondering if I should do something. And perhaps it will come back to me in the near future.

Ironically, I'm super-busy at my old job, and there's a bunch of new guys that they need me to help with. And working from home is great. Also, Mrs. Scotch has the pet-sitting business, and on any given day or week, we'll have a dog staying here, or getting dropped-off/ picked-up. So it's useful for me to be available every so often.
 
scotchandcigar said:
While we're all waiting for an update with baited breath, I (surprisingly) have my own story, which I'll also inappropriately post here. The last time I had an outside job interview, Bob Dole was running for president. That is, until last week.

Two weeks ago, my drummer/ software engineer friend brings to my attention an opening at the company he's been working at for 2 years. They're located 15 glorious minutes from my house, via winding country roads. I spend half a day updating my resume (which I started working on a year ago), and applied through him. The hiring manager then schedules an in-person interview with me.

Some background: I'm not particularly looking for a job. My employer of many decades is hiring like mad, and there's work up-the-wazoo. Also, I started working 2 to 3 days a week from home, which is awesome. But of course there are things I despise about my situation, and I could use some options for the next few years down the road. Also, having never hopped-around the job market, I've passed-up all those jumps in pay that go with that.

But back to the interview. The place is old; a post WWII industrial fortress. The stuff they make there is much more routine and "widget-like" than where I've been. The main guy conducting the tour and interview looks like this
View attachment 5638

The guy feels compelled to show me all these rooms and areas I don't really need to see. Then I sit-down for a group interview in a conference room, where one of the guys starts shooting "college recruiting 101" questions at me: "Tell me about a time that you were faced with a technical hurdle, and how you dealt with it?" I did come up with something, but the whole time I was thinking "F-U asshole; who do you think you're talking to?". We finish the interview, and talk salary. He doesn't blink, I don't blink. But the place is sort-of pathetic, there's a room with cubicles, and that's the entire engineering staff. And that's within a giant 6 story building that once had a thousand production workers.

Two days later, we talk by phone. It was all exactly as I expected. They all liked me, I can have the position if I want, but they weren't looking particularly for someone at my level, so I'd have to take a pay-cut (wanted to hang-up right there). But there'll be other positions becoming available at the end of the year (possibly, or he said that to get me off the phone). But I'm glad I did the whole thing, instead of seeing the job openings and wondering if I should do something. And perhaps it will come back to me in the near future.

Ironically, I'm super-busy at my old job, and there's a bunch of new guys that they need me to help with. And working from home is great. Also, Mrs. Scotch has the pet-sitting business, and on any given day or week, we'll have a dog staying here, or getting dropped-off/ picked-up. So it's useful for me to be available every so often.
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Second interview is tomorrow night.
We already talked money. He sent me the retirement, and benefits stuff while I was at my conference. The benefits aren’t as plush as they are at the university, but they rarely are in comparison to private offices. It’s not too bad of a deal.

The potential for building the practice up is pretty good, and the certainty of getting away from the the unhealthy environment I’m in now, makes it all worthwhile. If everything goes reasonably well, it should be a good career move. I can worry about the extras later.
 
I'm going to take the job.
We talked for 2 hours again tonight. We get along really well, and probably could have covered everything in about an hour.

I'm excited and nervous at the same time. Super happy that I'm leaving my current job since it's become so toxic over the last year or so, and I'm going to miss some of the perks that come with working for a university. I'm going to miss some of the people and most of my clients.

For the most part, I'll sort of be like the second in command. It's a pretty small office, so they don't have an org chart or a lot of titles for people.
We did talk about the potential for me to become a partner if things go well, but that will be a conversation for farther down the road. It's going to take me a while to get back into the swing of being in an office again, but I'm looking forward to it.

Unfortunately, I have to give a 30 day notice before I can quit, so it's going to take forever.
 
HecticArt said:
I'm going to take the job.
We talked for 2 hours again tonight. We get along really well, and probably could have covered everything in about an hour.

I'm excited and nervous at the same time. Super happy that I'm leaving my current job since it's become so toxic over the last year or so, and I'm going to miss some of the perks that come with working for a university. I'm going to miss some of the people and most of my clients.

For the most part, I'll sort of be like the second in command. It's a pretty small office, so they don't have an org chart or a lot of titles for people.
We did talk about the potential for me to become a partner if things go well, but that will be a conversation for farther down the road. It's going to take me a while to get back into the swing of being in an office again, but I'm looking forward to it.

Unfortunately, I have to give a 30 day notice before I can quit, so it's going to take forever.
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Or you can just not show up for work. What will they do? Fire you? How much notice do they have to give you then?
 
IdRatherBeSkiing said:
Or you can just not show up for work. What will they do? Fire you? How much notice do they have to give you then?
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That would be satisfying. Almost as satisfying as telling some people to go eff themselves.
I've been there long enough that they have to pay me for 3 months if they let me go.
Unless it's for cause, which would be for doing something like telling people to go eff themselves.

Even though it would be satisfying to just walk, it's too small of a professional community to burn bridges. People move around a lot, and taking the high road (while not as much fun) really is the best thing to do.
 
Congrats on getting the offer, and making the move. Sounds like a promising direction for your career.

When you get around to it, you should fill us in on the shitty stuff that your current employer has put you through.
 
Speaking of employers, this was just on the news last night. I worked with the guy in the story back 25 years ago. We were in the same department. Several of my coworkers are now recounting some crazy behavior of his.
www.wcvb.com

Officials ID body found near explosive devices after Fitchburg condo fire

The man found dead in a Fitchburg condominium that was gutted by fire and explosions Sunday night was located with unexploded devices near his body, 5 Investigates reports.
www.wcvb.com www.wcvb.com
 
scotchandcigar said:
Congrats on getting the offer, and making the move. Sounds like a promising direction for your career.

When you get around to it, you should fill us in on the shitty stuff that your current employer has put you through.
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Thanks! Lots of potential, and a fair amount of risk too.
It doesn't take much going wrong in a small office to turn the tides.
I think I had said before that we have a steady stream of boring little projects. but they appear to be paying the bills to allow us to try to get some more of the fun ones.

It's probably best to avoid the description of all of the BS. Things were pretty good for the first few years. My boss died. New boss is a farking douche tool. It's good incentive to get back into an office where I belong. I'm hoping to turn in my resignation tomorrow or Friday.
 
scotchandcigar said:
Speaking of employers, this was just on the news last night. I worked with the guy in the story back 25 years ago. We were in the same department. Several of my coworkers are now recounting some crazy behavior of his.
www.wcvb.com

Officials ID body found near explosive devices after Fitchburg condo fire

The man found dead in a Fitchburg condominium that was gutted by fire and explosions Sunday night was located with unexploded devices near his body, 5 Investigates reports.
www.wcvb.com www.wcvb.com
Click to expand...
Was he an astronaut?
 
Architects Greg Hall, Phil Freelon, Kevin Roche, I.M. Pei, César Pelli, Peter Van Dijk, Stanley Tigerman and Roger Taillabert have all died in 2019. Mister Hectic, maybe you should consider taking a job that isn't so dangerous. You could be a SWAT team member or a bronco buster or a B-17 pilot or.......
 
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