So, I got a job. It wasn’t the plan, but it happened. More on that in a few, but the TL;DR version is that I now work at Emerson in the Test & Measurement Group, which some of you might recognize as “NI” or “National Instruments.” Don’t worry, I’m not responsible for any of the hardware, nor am I an SRE; I’m back in community management.
Usual disclaimer: this is my personal “blahg,” so everything here is my own opinion and not the official word of Emerson or NI. If it were official, it’d have a lot fewer emoticons 😉
As with most plans, they change. Originally, I was going to take the rest of the year off and not even start looking until December at the earliest (knowing the actual start date wouldn’t be until 2027Q1). I was also seriously considering going back into game development.
But when I wrote about leaving my last job on LinkedIn, some former colleagues from various points in my career reached out. Some even reached out with the classic “I know you’re not looking now, but…” Some of the opportunities were pretty interesting, especially since they were coming from recommendations from people I worked with and liked working with.
I did some video calls, coffees, lunches, etc., which is so much easier when you have your whole day free. I won’t lie, the opportunity I took was not originally high on my list (for starters, it wasn’t in game development). But it came from someone I worked with at Spiceworks years ago who I enjoyed working with, and then I found out another SpiceWorker veteran was there as well. So I wanted to at least hear them out (note: the hiring manager was not a prior SpiceWorker, just to be clear).
I walked away from our first call a lot more excited than I thought I would be. Honestly, probably more excited than some of the other calls. I started doing my homework to learn more about NI. I’ve lived in Austin for a while now, so I’m familiar with National Instruments, but I can’t say I’ve been keeping up with the changes they’ve been going through over the years. I didn’t even know Emerson acquired them until this opportunity came up.
The more I learned, the more I liked it. There are definitely some challenges… but that is a bonus for me, as I like to solve issues. The NI community is different than my previous ones, but not too different. It’s a technical community, but it also has some personality. For example, one of NI’s high-level user ranks is the “Knights of NI,” but as Ben said, “no shrubberies here.” And I am a fan of Monty Python, especially Monty Python and the Holy Grail (movie, if you’re unfamiliar with it).
Anyway, the more I learned about the community and the people who work there, the more interested I became. And it was really the latter part that hooked me. Working with good people on a project that gets the support it deserves is really more of where I am in my career right now. Would I love to make a billion dollars? Of course, but I seem to have missed anyone actually offering me that much 😉 So if I’m looking at similar salaries, finding a place that has a good culture, interesting challenges, and good (and fun) people to work with… well, that’s why I accepted it.
Today is the end of my first work week (I started on Monday, October 5th). I am working in an office again (not a home office, although we do get some WFH days), and I have to say, I enjoy it. I don’t mind WFH, but I do like working with people when I can. I also have fewer distractions in an office, hehe.
The campus is nice and in a familiar area, as it’s right across from the Domain, where I worked with BioWare. Speaking of which, the campus reminds me of BioWare’s, though honestly it’s closer to EARS (EA Redwood Shores), minus all the gaming statues (maybe I’ll plop one down by my desk). It’s also helped me get those steps in as I work on one of the upper floors, and I try to use the stairs when I can.
The commute is not bad at all, either. It takes me about 15 to 20 minutes to get to and from the office. Enough time to unwind and listen to a little metal, but not so much that I feel like I’m stuck on the 405 (California traffic) and need to grab a book to start reading while I wait for the car in front of me to move 10 inches.
Part of me considered passing or seeing if they’d wait, and really sticking with the “not till next year” plan. But I’m in a good place; I’ve stuck with my get-back-in-shape routine, and I’m closing in on my 10K steps a day. I start and get off at normal hours, so I have plenty of time to do things other than work every day (and not working on the weekends is nice, too).
And to be honest, there are not a lot of great opportunities always open. Good, yes. Crappy ones, also yes. But great, those are a bit more rare.
So far, it’s been a lot of training, onboarding, and meet-and-greets. It is very much the honeymoon phase, but I’ve really liked everyone I’ve met, and almost everyone has the same definition/concept of community… It’s about the people.
More later, but I wanted to update my LinkedIn, so I figured I’d write up more details to point to.