TopCoder Away!

[eljobe]

Well, gang, a scant 18 months after getting a job at one of my two "dream companies," I am leaving SAS. I have learned a lot about software development at one of the Goliaths in the industry, and now I am going to go for a stint with one of the Davids.

TopCoder is a very exciting company from my point of view. They have a very bright future and

Comments

[nd_eric_77]

Major congrats on your new job! Couple of thoughts on the 100% travel side: points, points, points. I recommend signing up for all the frequent flyer programs of airlines you will likely be flying; they are all free to join, and you can work your way to "free" award travel. After joining all the programs, I very highly recommend choosing a single airline to be your preferred airline (often, employers will have their own preferences which can influence your decision). Pick a second airline as a backup, and try to always book travel on either your preferred or backup airline. Most frequent flyer programs have similar elite levels and perks, so the actual choice of airline is not so important as sticking with that airline (The only exception is Southwest, as their policies are very different). It may not seem like it at first, but these programs pay off big in the longrun. As an example, my preferred airline is Delta / its Skyteam partners (which include Continental, Northwest, and several foreign carriers). My backup airline is Southwest.

Advice number 2: sign up for the frequent hotel programs at all the hotel chains where you are likely to stay. Then choose a first and second preference, same as above. My preferred hotel chain is Marriott (including Courtyard, Residence Inn, et al). My backup is the Hilton group.

Advice number 3: Avis Preferred, Hertz #1 Gold Club, etc. I actually just have the Avis Preferred. AFAIK, car programs are the only frequent traveller programs which charge an annual fee, BUT every company I have worked for has had a program where Avis (my preference) waives the fees.

Best of luck to you, and have a great birthday!

[eljobe]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I was really hoping that you would be interested in helping out a newbie. I will take as much of this kind of advice as you can possibly give me. I know absolutely nothing about consulting and am really planning on asking tons of questions here for the next several months.

[nd_eric_77]

A great place to go for all sorts of info is the forums at flyertalk.com. Its an exciting time, and I am more than happy to provide info wherever I can.