If you want to see my happy side

[venta]

A few days after I handed in my masters' thesis and blinked uncertainly at the real world, I accidentally fell into a job in Reading. Within a few weeks I'd decided that the real world wasn't too bad after all; the work seemed interesting, I liked my colleagues, and the atmosphere wasn't that different from university anyway.

In fact, the only real downside was the commute - two hours of my life every day sacrificed to the A4074. Living in Reading didn't appeal, but leaving and getting another job appealed even less. I've trotted backwards and forwards every day for nearly eight years.

Since the beginning of March, the company's future has looked a bit uncertain.
There was the will-they-won't-they of investment to deal with - a situation we've been in before, and only just escaped albeit with massive damage - and the ever-present risk of not being paid. Around the time I went up to Whitby for the goth weekend, time seemed to be running out. In the end, I spent an hour and a half on the way back in a layby near Ferrybridge on a conference call finding out about our future. For a while it seemed that the day had been saved, everything would be ok, and people relaxed a little.

However, some things didn't get signed, other things didn't quite work out, deals were on then off then on again. On Friday I got The Call from a member of management to tell me that the company was closing down. (OK, technically I spent most of Friday waiting for The Call. I finally got The Call much later than expected while I was out of signal in an obscure corner of the Lake District. I came back into signal, and got a message. I then had to phone from the world's filthiest phone box, because my mobile battery was flat. By filthy I mean completely covered with cobwebs, grass cuttings and mud. It was not filthy in the style of a Soho phone box.)

The company has a product which people want to buy - there was a deal with a major player on the table, just awaiting a signature. There was another guy with money, who wanted to fund the company. It seemed like everything should have come together, but in the end we were deliberately run into the ground by some venture capitalists with motives far too impenetrable for us to understand.

Today I went into work to sign the forms to claim statutory redundancy pay. The fat lady is in the dressing room, taking off her make up.

So, anyone want a programmer ? Seven years experience writing/maintaining an embedded RTOS kernel in pseudo-assembler, six months writing mobile applications in C++, three months MOT and tax. GSOH, housetrained, all own teeth. One careful owner.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Oh Dear, Sorry, and best of luck finding a job in Oxford!

[hendybear.livejournal.com]

Ooops, that was me of course!

[beckyc.livejournal.com]

Oh dear, sorry to hear that :-(

I don't imagine you'd be looking to Cambridge, but my company is hiring test engineers and a software engineer (and various other roles as well, but I'm not sure how relevant they'd be to you). Let me know if you'd like more details sending your way (if so, what address?)

[snow-leopard.livejournal.com]

Oh No : (
Hopefully you will fall into something else you enjoy as much.

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

Interesting times! Good luck* finding something wonderful and convenient. I have a blind faith in your extreme employability.

The nice thing about staying in your first job for quite a while is that whatever new job you go to will almost certainly seem rather exciting, just because it's different.

---

* And to everyone else affected.

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

Aw bum. Still, you have escaped the commute.

[lanfykins.livejournal.com]

Hmm.

You don't have C#, .NET or databases, but I'm fairly sure you could do the other bits of our current developer spec ;)

[ajntornj.livejournal.com]

Ah, bummer :(

Have you considered Rebellion? Speak to Edling - I'm sure they'd snap you up...

[casilda.livejournal.com]

If you mean "mobile" as in phones, email surje, as there are quite a few new postions at his company at the moment (London and Cambridge office)

[shrydar.livejournal.com]

Bugger.

Good luck hunting for your next opportunity -you've certainly got the skills to do something interesting :)

There are probably some places over here, but the commute's even longer..

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

Gah - bummer!

Still, let's hope great and exciting things come of it.

[phlebas.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear - didn't realise things were quite that bad. Hope you find something soon!

[boyofbadgers.livejournal.com]

You have my sympathies. It's horrid when this happens, especially when it feels like something could have come of it were it not for VC weirdness.

I don't suppose you'd be interested in working in London?

[al-fruitbat.livejournal.com]

O_O

Wild horses couldn't drag me back there. If you do go there, I suggest making sure you get the salary you want at the very beginning. In all the years I worked there, no-one ever got a decent rise. It was years ago, but I don't imagine the K's have changed their minds much.

[keris.livejournal.com]

Bah :( :( :(
I second Casilda's suggestion!!!

[venta.livejournal.com]

I don't suppose you'd be interested in working in London?

Currently I'm interested in almost anything which might potentially allow me to do an interesting job in return for money. London's certainly an option.

I seem to remember trying to tempt you to my ex-company a year or so back, so be glad you didn't take it ;)

[edling.livejournal.com]

(@al_fruitbat)They have impoved since I've been here (what era were you here btw?).
(@venta)I suspect it still wouldn't be an ideal place for you though. We're looking for people, but the skillset mismatch'd mean you'd probably start on a fairly lowly programmer's salary, and deadlines and things can still get really silly (which is why I moved to the comfortable world of IT admining). Might be something to consider if finding something else is tricky though- if all else fails I think you can leave with very little notice in your first three months, so it'd tide you over for a while.

[venta.livejournal.com]

They weren't last time you were listening to us whinge!

Nice new icon :)

[venta.livejournal.com]

Have you considered Rebellion?

Indeed, armed or otherwise.

I have to say that most of the ex-employees of Rebellion whom I know (yourself included ;) didn't make it sound like a great place to work. Though it seems Edling's suggesting it's improved. Don't think games programming is my first choice, though it's an idea if nothing else comes up.

Mind you, I was tempted by Media Molecule because they seem completely barking, but Guildford's a long way from everywhere.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Thanks, but I think Cambridge is quite far from the top of the list of places I'd choose to move to. I've been complaining for ages that Oxford is too flat, so moving to Cam ain't gonna help :)

If I don't manage to find something though I might get back to you.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Who and where are you (if you'll pardon the question?) If you have an appointments page, could you point me at it ?

[al-fruitbat.livejournal.com]

I remember both the offices above Po Na Na and the move to Brewer St. Several years in both, for my sins.

[lathany.livejournal.com]

but in the end we were deliberately run into the ground by some venture capitalists with motives far too impenetrable for us to understand.

That's a real shame.

Sorry it's ended that way. Or, indeed, at all.

[venta.livejournal.com]

I do, so I will :) Thanks.

[ao-lai.livejournal.com]

Come and apply to Sophos! They pay us and everything!

It's also a much shorter commute... :)