I will be changing jobs very soon. The next one has been lined up, the offer letter signed, the background checks are complete and my final step in getting the pre onboarding done was taken care of this afternoon. I start on May 1st, and I am off until then, enjoying a two week hiatus.
So what brought this about?
My previous employer was a great company to work for. There was definitely a family atmosphere there and I'm going to miss a lot of the people I worked with. But the Navy was our customer, and the Navy made the decision that another company was going to take over the contract.
I had a gut feeling that this was going to happen. The upstairs office (both literally and figuratively) started getting adversarial, for lack of a better term. Meanwhile we're based at the building of a defense contractor who was one of my former employers, and I figured that it might be in my interest to consider working for them again.
I wouldn't have had those kinds of thoughts as recently as two years ago, but back then they were bought out and new management took over. From my observations 85% of the people I knew had moved on to other companies. Their attrition rate, from what I heard, was 24% last year. Part of that has to be engineers retiring earlier than they had originally planned, and the other part was younger engineers being lured away to other companies.
Anyway, word was passed down to us on Monday, March 6, that we didn't get picked up for the contract renewal. In my case there was special paperwork filed on my behalf to approve me to work on another Navy contract that's shorthanded. That paperwork, to my knowledge, fell into the cracks, and it had to be resubmitted again. I was told last month that I was two to four weeks away from approval. I wasn't sure that was going to happen so I proceeded with plan B, to return to my former employer.
I was helped by a manager I've known for three years, back from when both of us were working together to try to get man back on the Moon. As you know I left over a year ago, but this manager was forced out earlier this year, and he landed in the same building.
He found an opening, asked for my resume, and recommended me for it. Within two days I got a text, please go online and formally apply for this job. So I did, and two days later they wanted to interview me. It was set up for Monday, the 27th of March. I took that day off since I wanted to mentally prepare for it, and plus, I wanted a day off. The interview took place that afternoon and it was one of the better interviews. Two days later I got the call from HR; you did really well in that interview and they want to make you an offer. The next day it came via email, and after careful review I signed.
I waited a few days for the background check to clear. I gave notice to my boss, but asked him to keep it quiet for a while. I had my reasons for wanting to play this card close to my vest. The company that won the contract kept begging me to talk to them, which I wouldn't for a reason that I will not make public. The Navy also "encouraged" me to talk to that new company and sign with them, And guess what, my paperwork for that project was approved! Yes, a day late and a dollar short.
I finally went public with my decision, and my last day was this past Wednesday. I am taking a half month off to recharge, catch up on things, enjoy my hobbies, and who knows, I might get some yardwork done too.
BecTech was a great employer, and my boss said they will try to get me back in six months. I figure I have to stay where I'm going to for longer than that, and eventually retire from them. If I were to guess what would happen after that, I would guess that when I retire I take a six week sabbatical, and then work as a contractor part time. Or I might decide on something else.
Meanwhile here's a thought that interesting. I have now had seven consecutive job interviews, each resulting in a job offer, and with each offer being accepted. Maybe it's time I stop pushing my luck. Or maybe what I have to bring to the table is something of value.
Regardless, I am a very blessed individual, and I think the Man Upstairs had a lot to do with my seven consecutive offers.
