On Monday, I did something that I really didn’t know if I could do.
I gave my notice of resignation at Perceptive Software, the company where I’ve worked for the last six-and-a-half years.
For some clarity on how huge this is, read this post. It kind of sums it up, but I’ll go into a little more detail.
In the spring of 2000, I was just a young pup a couple months out of school who was getting married in July. I had graduated in December, but was really in no hurry to get a job at first. I didn’t do much through all of January. I kind of got things in order. I was living with my folks and driving up to Graceland to see Alli at least once-a-week.
February breezed by and I got an offer to be an editor at a bio-medical trade magazine which I passed on (why? 1. it was in Quality Hill, and 2. the pay was terrible). I thought to myself, Oh, I’ll just get a job at Sprint like everyone in Kansas City does. I’m not worried.
We got to March and I didn’t have anything. I started to get a little worried. I was 4 months away from being married and was yet to be gainfully employed. I got a little more vigorous at my resume-sending and a little more annoying at my networking. Still nothing.
In April, I did something stupid. I hired a company that was basically like a head hunter in reverse. I paid them (check that…my parents paid them) and exorbitant amount of money to help me access a “secret job market” as yet unseen by me. They retooled my resume, gave me a binder full of tips & tricks, mock interviewed me, and gave me a lot of other sage advice that I could have gotten at about 1/10th the cost by paying for the premium membership at monster or careerbuilder. The company has been subsequently sued by several states for their less-than-truthful practices. I’ve even heard of several people who sued them and got their money back.
Then I got a call from a company called Perceptive Vision, Inc.
At first, I thought it was some sort of Optometry conglomerate or perhaps an eye surgery center. Little did I know that it was an emerging document imaging and management software manufacturer, right smack dab in the middle of Shawnee, KS.
Since I’m a bit of a nerd, I fit in quickly. I have a decent understanding of technology, but nothing near what some of the people I was working with had. At first, it was a small company that had a lot of fun. There were initially about 20 employees there when I started (I was maybe #18 or so) and we used to play ping pong in the storage room to break up the days.
It wasn’t really busy initially. I was writing case studies and newsletters as a Marketing Communications Specialist. As the company grew, we needed someone to manage our trade show schedule, which, at the time, included about 80 trade shows annually. It was busy and it was at that time that I really ever first considered leaving the company.
I stuck it out though and moved into graphic design. I had been doing some of that all along, just not tons since I was self-taught and all that. I did a little of everything in design and eventually moved to a more interactive focus. I enjoyed working with Flash, but I wasn’t a huge fan of a really specific mindset. I’ve never been someone who wanted to specialize in one discipline. I’ve always considered myself kind of a Renaissance Man (not in the Danny DeVito sense).
But I love my job and I love the company that I work for, so the decision to go somewhere else wasn’t easy.
However, I think this opportunity represents a real step up for me. I wouldn’t say that I’ve gotten complacent, but I definitely believe that I’m ready for a change. I want more responsibility and I want to get back to writing, something that I’ve really only been able to do on this blog since I became a full-time designer. I miss it.
So off I go.
On the Monday following Turkey Day, I’ll be starting a new job at a financing company that specializes in heavy equipment. It’s a smaller company than Perceptive Software, but it’s growing and has the potential to be very successful. In my interviews, I met with some great, energetic people that I’ll be working with and they have lots of ideas as to how we can grow their business and I will be a major part of the marketing from strategy to execution, which is really exciting to me.
With that excitement comes melancholy. I have made (and brought) many friends at Perceptive Software and I will miss working with all of them. I have the utmost amount of respect for the members of the Marketing and Creative teams and I wish them and the rest of the company nothing but success.
One thing is for certain. There is no way that I could have made it through this process without Alli’s incredible support. She has been more than patient with me during this stressful time and she has always made it clear that the thing that is most important is that I am happy in my job and feel fulfilled. Thanks, honey.
It’s a new beginning for me…wish me luck.
