Details

Well, I met with them. They seem like decent people. Its a consulting firm not entirely unlike the one I’m currently with. There IS, however, one major difference.

Once a customer contracts my services, I am hired by them full-time. This means after a project ends, I still get paid. This also means I am salaried, with benefits, insurance, and vacation. As opposed to now, where I’m hourly, without ANY benefits, and am subject to the whim of available contracts.

After meeting with them, I then had to meet with the customer. This was the final stretch, if I looked good here, I was in. The customer is this fitness club of sorts, owns gyms and the like. I don’t know if you’ve been in a new gym recently (I have for a network setup a couple of times), but let me tell you, cutting-edge technology abounds. Plasma televisions, brand new computers, rack-mount servers as freaking workstations. Where exists technology, so too exist people to keep it running. That’s where I (hopefully) come in.

So I drive fifteen miles out to their office. From home, my total commute would be about twenty-five miles (I drove form work this day). Its on US Rte 30, which is funny considering a few of my friends and my father live about fifty miles down that same road. This is also funny being as the Land of the Cursed Blue Vests is also down this same road.

The building was short and unmarked, although it had a very nice archetecture, a building that had about ten times as many corners as it should. How did I find it if it was unmarked? I was told to look for one feature. A moat. That’s right, a moat. The building is encircled by a moat of water, with a nice wooden bridge crossing to the front door. I wasn’t sure whether to be impressed or scared.

I then met with Judah, my interviewer. Judah is a year older than me, and dressed in jeans an a t-shirt. For those not in the know, this is a GOOD sign. He led me into the office the IT people worked in. I met two others, a programmer and a technical support specialist. Both wearing jeans and t-shirts. I knew right away what was going on, I was about to be interviewed by three nerds my age. This… is another good sign.

So, I spend an hour talking to the three. About the various aspects of the job, of my experience, and of how their company is run. We also talk about the LAN party they have Friday night, and what video games I like. Yeah… another good sign.

So today I am contacted by Sentinel. It seems they want to offer me a contract, and I’m going there tomorrow for lunch. It looks like I’m going to have myself a new job, providing the benefits package and salary meet my standards. Granted, they aren’t all that high sat this point, but I still have them.

The Details:

I will be mainly providing end-user support. Mostly over the phone and through remote desktop. Although some travelling to the users will be required. Both to troubleshoot and for occasional preventative maintenence.

I’m ‘on the clock’ from 9:30-5:00. The lunch is paid, like all good salaried jobs. But I can start getting tickets at 6:30am. These tickets I can take care of from home on the “awesome” (this is a quote) laptop they’ll give me. Commonly one or two tickets before work.

Some weekends I’ll be on call. Solving some tickets that arise. I’m told about five tickets per day. Comnversely, I’ll get one full three day weekend (Fri, Sat, Sun) completely off without being on call per month.

I get a cell phone and a blackberry to carry around with me, as well as a laptop (see above). I like gadgets, so this sat well with me.

I get unlimited free cell phone and internet service. Again, this sits well with me.

I get free lunch three days a week. Again, sits well with me this does.

I get to work among nerds. This sits very well with me. The stuffed-shirts in my current office are driving me batty.

All in all, I think I’ll really like it. Here’s hoping the contract negotiation goes well, then just maybe this endless week of nervous anticipation will come to an end.

I need to get home and kill some stuff in Warcraft… that’ll ease the tension.

Zel-kun out.