Taking a Break

04 Nov 2013

There are, I’m sure, people wondering why on earth I would leave a job like the one I’ve had for 18 months at thoughtbot. For a little while I thought the same thing.

Smart people around me every day. Good salary. Security. Opportunities around every corner. Perks to being a “thoughtbotter” (there are plenty).

Those barely scratch the surface as there are more. I’m going to miss working there – a lot.

But why leave? The answer is the most logical and straightfoward - the right opportunity came along to work with a smart and ambitious group of people that will allow me the privilege of making a huge contribution to a product I want to not only see built, but I want to use.

For the first time in 14 years I won’t be in the services business, which will be strange for sure. I’ve been working with clients so long and had gotten to the point where I was really starting to get it and hone that part of my craft. The fact that it had taken me so long to consciously and actively wrap my head around that part could be argued as a “smell”.

“Why did it take you so long?”

It’s a great question. I hope to dig into my brain and tease out the reasons why soon. I have some thoughts on the matter.

The next 4-8 weeks will be spent taking the opportunity to play dendrochronologist and examine the rings in the cross-section of my career, and my adult life. What are the motivations and behavior that have gotten me here?

We’ll see! Perhaps together.