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We have big news here at the Gunpowder Chronicle. Next Thursday, April 17, 2008, I begin a new job. I have been offered and have accepted at position at the University of Maryland, Baltimore in the Department of Pychiatry. I will be working as a web developer for KidNet, an online product produced as part of the Children's Outcomes Management Center.
The decision to move on wasn't easy, but it was one I am glad I made. For the last 30 months, I have worked for marketing agency in Maitland, FL from my home in Parkton. What I have learned has made me a better developer and a smarter business person.
Most importantly, I learned that telecommuting is not easy. Most have problems with the motivation to climb out of bed and actually be motivated. I (as usual) had the exact opposite problem: knowing when to stop and preventing work from invading my personal time. There is also a perception (many times) that since you are working from home, you should work longer hours. That certainly happened last year, when I booked over 6 weeks of unpaid overtime and had to change plans numerous times for holidays and days off.
I also learned that it is very difficult to influence an organization when you aren't there on a daily basis. There is a lot to be said for face time and the ability the make your arguments face-to-face. Even though I was working for people I had known for almost 12 years, many days were like banging my head against a steel bulkhead. Being 1000 miles away for all but a few weeks per year degraded my ability to influence issues like project management, planning, and architecting solutions for our clients that were forward thinking and made sound business sense.
Finally, I have decided that I am done with the small-business/entrepreneur/startup thing. Those can be really fun (and I have had fun several times doing them). But the benefits -- especially PTO -- cannot compare to established organizations. And given the fact that the Federal Government has seen fit to essentially leave professional workers out in the cold with the "Exempt" status of the Fair Labors Standards Act -- inviting wholesale abuse by either ignorant ignorant or duplicitous employers -- those kinds of things matter.
So, I am looking forward to the new job, and trying to wrap things up with the old.