I was let go yesterday. Many thought that it was another one of my pranks...which was funny. Following are my lessons learned from my time there:
1. Get express written permission about what you can (if anything) and cannot blog about.
2. Not everyone is your friend.
3. Not everyone will like you...just because.
4. Some people will not hesitate to throw you under the bus.
5. Big companies might not be the place for me.
6. Big companies are full of many motivated and talented people.
I learned a great deal in the year and a half. My family and I moved from Gainesville to Tampa and it was the best decision we've made so far.
I was exposed to data warehousing which was a challenge to say the least. To spend a week trying to figure out the best way to move data was an interesting exercise.
I was exposed to big company politics which was fun.
Overall my experience there was positive. I learned a great deal both personally and professionally. I met and hope to retain many good friends and I will miss all of them dearly.
You've got my sympathies.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with find a new role
Wow, you appear to be taking this well. I applaud your level-headedness in what could have been a flame post.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you can take a page from Mark Jen's book. He seems to have rebounded nicely.
http://news.cnet.com/Google-blogger-I-was-terminated/2100-1038_3-5572936.html
Best wishes. I hope you'll keep blogging and still be aggregated by Eddie.
Thanks Gary.
ReplyDeleteJake,
Don't think I didn't consider it! ;) But I'd like to maintain some amount of class (do I even have any?).
I'll definitely keep blogging, I'll just make sure I'm more careful next time.
chet
Jake,
ReplyDeleteExcellent article. Thanks for sharing.
I certainly don't blame them. I don't necessarily agree, but I do not blame them. It's the company's job, not mine. They can do with it as they see fit.
Perhaps I've been reading 37signals for too long? I enjoy the openness of their site...I guess I've tried to model my site after theirs, showing both success and failures.
I noticed that you edited the original post to remove the company name--smart move :).
ReplyDeleteGood luck in your next venture--sounds like you've learned a lot, the hard way this time. Thanks for informing the rest of us.
I think it's strange that some places fire employees over what they blog or that they have a blog. I'm much more likely to hire a candidate if they do have an active blog. Different strokes, I guess.
Dan,
ReplyDeleteDefinitely the hard way. I seem to be prone to that type of thing, I guess I'm a bit naive (ignorant?) in many ways.
My wife is now editing for me. I have to run everything by her. I thought it was safe, but she told me to get rid of it. I will happily oblige.
Different strokes indeed. I would agree with you...but I guess it is still sort of new, the whole "instant communication" thing. I can understand the companies view, but I think you should embrace it. It doesn't mean posting confidential information or trade secrets of course...
I hope you find a new challenge quickly and that your blog will help with that.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on any new ventures, I'm sure you'll find a job that is much more conducive to how you want to work and share, and be appreciated for it.
ReplyDeleteThanks Carl!
ReplyDeleteAlthough you have removed the company name from the post, it is still in the URL, and the link from today's blog post.
ReplyDelete@anonymous
ReplyDeleteYup. When I originally created it I had WellCare in the name and only after posting it did I decide to remove it. Blogger creates the URL using the title of the post. Nothing I'm ashamed of at this point.
chet