My pimp from the New York consulting company called last week wanting to whore me out on a new gig. The main office is based in Ireland, but they wanted remote workers. After listening to the job requirement, I asked the guy if he read my resume recently. I don’t have most of the qualifications need for the position, so I passed on the opportunity. At this point in my life I’m not interested in learning new skills. I’m enjoying retirement so I’m not taking a gig just to get a paycheck. A new gig will really need to be something I’m interested in.
Archive for the ‘work’ Category
My Pimp Called…
Posted in my life, work on January 27, 2023| 5 Comments »
A New Journey
Posted in my life, work on October 11, 2022| 6 Comments »
It was the perfect storm of corporate malfeasance. The company went from raking in hundreds of millions of dollars in pandemic revenue to needing to borrow $500 million only to later restate earnings resulting in lenders hiring forensic accountants before threating litigation. A fired CEO walked away with $40 million leaving a company in shambles. The new CEO cut product lines and laid off employees in an effort to cut $350 million in expenses.
I was informed three weeks before contract expired that is could not be renewed. Although I wanted to work one more year, I decided to retire. I had peers offer me leads on other contracts but I decided to take time off. My manager said he would keep me in mind if he can hire at some point in the future.
I’m on a new journey. I’m trying to figure out what to do with my life. I have determined I no longer need to get up at 5:30.
And Just Like That…
Posted in my life, work on September 30, 2022| 11 Comments »
I retired!
Now What?
Posted in my life, work on April 1, 2022| 6 Comments »
Retirement day 1. Now, what do I do?
She Got The Boot
Posted in my life, work on March 18, 2022| 4 Comments »
The VP I work under got the boot. She was only with the company two years. She had two HR complaints filed against her by women who reported directly to her. She made the announcement yesterday morning phrasing it in a way to make it sound like it was her decision. A quick chat with a friend who is the Executive Assistant to one of the SVPs confirmed she was being let go. While I think this woman is a great visionary, she often clashed with anyone who opposed her views and never seemed to be interested in the daily operations which make things happen. I’m not sad to see her leave. Of course, this makes the chances of my contract being renewed even slimmer.
Not A Good Sign
Posted in my life, work on March 15, 2022| 2 Comments »
The company I’m under contract with has started laying off employees due to lower than expected quarterly revenue. That’s not a good sign. I highly doubt my contract will get renewed. Looks like retirement will be starting in a few weeks.
Sooner Than Expected
Posted in my life, work on March 1, 2022| 8 Comments »
The company I’m working for reported less than desirable fiscal results for the last quarter. They have offered an early retirement package to management employees. Many seasoned professionals are taking the offer and heading for the exit. The company has also instituted a hiring freeze. The next step is usually layoffs. My contract expires this month. I don’t expect it to be renewed given the bad financials. Retirement may be coming sooner than expected. I had hoped to work until August of 2023. I just don’t have it in me to look for another gig. Given my age and my billing rate it will be a challenge to find a position I feel is a good fit. It looks like it may be time to apply for social security.
Work Update
Posted in my life, politics, work on February 11, 2022| 6 Comments »
I recently finished work on the last significant product launch of my career. The 8 month project almost came to a screeching halt four days before the go live date. It was discovered the product could not be sold in Russia due to regulatory issues. Oddly, this happened shortly after tensions increased between Russia and the United States. It a strange coincidence. Previous product launches never had any regulatory issues in Russia. The product was globally launched except in Russia. Two months later the product is still barred from sale in Russia.
I’ve moved on to a new cloud project with much less visibility, scope and importance. I also picked up a few small projects to help fill my time. I’m fine with this. I’ve made my mark and it’s time to wind down and gracefully exit my career. At the most, I have less than 18 months left to work.
Yesterday, I was asked by a company employee to cover up a major issue with one of the projects I’ve been working on. I’ve known and worked with this woman for almost 30 years. I was shocked and disappointed in her behavior and apparent loss of ethics.
The issue could only be kept secret for a limited time as data collected on the project would eventually expose the problem. The woman was hoping to have the issue fixed before anyone would notice.
I refused to go along with her scheme. Even though my career is nearing its end, I wasn’t going to participate in a cover up which would forever damage my reputation and provide probable cause for cancelling my contract. The woman was not happy.
The woman has refused to communicate with me today. Oddly, the issue is not the woman’s fault but does fall under the responsibility of her business unit. Its root cause is incorrectly written code by a third-party offshore software engineer. The engineer will eventually be blamed, but not the woman.
This is the first time in my long career I’ve been directly asked to participate in a scheme which clearly violates the code of business conduct. I find the woman’s behavior appalling and morally bankrupt. I’m also demoralized by the thought that this woman would actually think I would cooperate with her.
I can’t help but wonder if the destruction of the rule of law in the United States, along with the present day attitude that anyone can do whatever they want without penalization, has influenced this woman’s behavior. I’ve lost all respect for this woman. I know we hold opposing political views but I always respected her professional skills and abilities. That respect is forever lost.
The Daily Grind
Posted in my life, work on October 29, 2021| 2 Comments »
I received an email from an associate in Tokyo on Monday requesting action on an item. I forwarded the request to the associate’s VP in Singapore to verify he had approved the request. I received the VP’s concurrence on Tuesday morning. The request also needed to be approved by the Product Manager in Dusseldorf due to royalty and P&L considerations. The email was forwarded to her. I received her sign off on Wednesday morning. I forwarded the email to a team in Bangalore advising what actions I needed. On Thursday morning I received confirmation from the Bangalore team action had been taken. I advised the associate in Tokyo to proceed. I informed the Legal department and the Brand Protection team in New Jersey of the newly approved actions. Friday morning I received a thank you from the associate in Tokyo.
Four days to complete the task due to time zones and work hours. It’s the daily grind in a global corporation. Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat. Only the names and countries change.
The email traveled from Tokyo to Denver, Denver to Singapore, back to Denver, to Dusseldorf, back to Denver, to Bangalore, back to Denver, to Tokyo and to New Jersey. Five countries in four days.
A New Chief
Posted in my life, work on September 8, 2021| 10 Comments »
I now work under a new VP who was brought in to oversee the conversion from traditional on-prem offers to cloud, along with managing Brand Protection, Intellectual Property theft and post-M&A software collaboration. It’s an odd collection of responsibilities for one VP to handle. She offered me a permanent position which I had to turn down due to that pesky out of court settlement and NDA I signed. She agreed to renew my contract for another year, which, is a good thing.
The Corporate Slave 