This is all I've known, this is the life in which I've grown
On June 18th, I joined in with an LJ meme where I wrote about my life ten years ago, five years ago, today, etc. My employer has had a somewhat chequered history, but as I wrote in the 'now' section, everything was on "a reasonably even keel" and had been for a while.
Then there was the sort of low, rattling sound that the gods make when they laugh at the hubris of mortals.
On June 19th, we were abruptly summoned to a meeting, and given some rather unwelcome news about the company's future. However, we were assured, things were all set to continue on their upward trajectory and all was well.
All was not well. In a variety of ways. In the following months the office became an increasingly unpleasant place to be, and work became less and less fun. Frictions between people with different ideas of how the company should move forwards became more marked, and relations less cordial. At the end of September, we were told that the management had taken the decision to wind the company up. As a developer of software that was about to be canned, I was dispatched home on gardening leave (which is brilliant, by the way. I highly recommend it as a lifestyle choice).
On Wednesday I went back to the office a last time to hand in my laptop, and the engineering department marked the passing of the company in the way that we have marked every important event, good or bad: we went to the pub[*]. It's interesting to note that the first time I encountered the beer Doom Bar was the day that the first incarnation of the company went under. That time, we all went to the pub and were delighted to find there a pump clip which said, in large letters, DOOM. The pub - a different pub - we repaired to on Wednesday was serving Doom Bar, so we saw out this company with the same, appropriately-named, beer.
Although I have legally worked for three different companies since university, they have all been fundamentally the same people. Having to find a new job was something of a shock to the system. Fortunately, the job market seems rather chirpier and I ended up with two attractive job offers[***]. So, a week on Monday I shall be taking myself into central London (the 90-minute-each-way commute to Reading is something I will not miss) where I shall once again be working with onebyone and zandev. Starting from scratch in a new office is still mildly terrifying, but somewhat mitigated by knowing several of my future colleagues already.
[*] In fact, the only winner from the sorry state of the company this summer has been the Maiden Over, in which we spent increasing amounts of time (and money)[**].
[**] Following the meeting in which we were all informed of our redundancy, we went to the pub. The chap in charge of the company, finding us all gone, was most surprised. Not surprised that we'd left, apparently, but surprised that a team that was being broken up after ~15 years might go to the pub together after such news. "But why?" he asked. This probably says a lot about why we didn't get on.
[***] The offer I declined was closer-to-home (I could have walked/cycled it) but would have involved working exclusively with someone I felt I didn't quite hit it off with in interview. It was also less money, and was clearly not as good a choice. However, it was writing control systems for robots. A large part of me is utterly disgusted that I appear to have chosen marketing over robots.
Then there was the sort of low, rattling sound that the gods make when they laugh at the hubris of mortals.
On June 19th, we were abruptly summoned to a meeting, and given some rather unwelcome news about the company's future. However, we were assured, things were all set to continue on their upward trajectory and all was well.
All was not well. In a variety of ways. In the following months the office became an increasingly unpleasant place to be, and work became less and less fun. Frictions between people with different ideas of how the company should move forwards became more marked, and relations less cordial. At the end of September, we were told that the management had taken the decision to wind the company up. As a developer of software that was about to be canned, I was dispatched home on gardening leave (which is brilliant, by the way. I highly recommend it as a lifestyle choice).
On Wednesday I went back to the office a last time to hand in my laptop, and the engineering department marked the passing of the company in the way that we have marked every important event, good or bad: we went to the pub[*]. It's interesting to note that the first time I encountered the beer Doom Bar was the day that the first incarnation of the company went under. That time, we all went to the pub and were delighted to find there a pump clip which said, in large letters, DOOM. The pub - a different pub - we repaired to on Wednesday was serving Doom Bar, so we saw out this company with the same, appropriately-named, beer.
Although I have legally worked for three different companies since university, they have all been fundamentally the same people. Having to find a new job was something of a shock to the system. Fortunately, the job market seems rather chirpier and I ended up with two attractive job offers[***]. So, a week on Monday I shall be taking myself into central London (the 90-minute-each-way commute to Reading is something I will not miss) where I shall once again be working with onebyone and zandev. Starting from scratch in a new office is still mildly terrifying, but somewhat mitigated by knowing several of my future colleagues already.
[*] In fact, the only winner from the sorry state of the company this summer has been the Maiden Over, in which we spent increasing amounts of time (and money)[**].
[**] Following the meeting in which we were all informed of our redundancy, we went to the pub. The chap in charge of the company, finding us all gone, was most surprised. Not surprised that we'd left, apparently, but surprised that a team that was being broken up after ~15 years might go to the pub together after such news. "But why?" he asked. This probably says a lot about why we didn't get on.
[***] The offer I declined was closer-to-home (I could have walked/cycled it) but would have involved working exclusively with someone I felt I didn't quite hit it off with in interview. It was also less money, and was clearly not as good a choice. However, it was writing control systems for robots. A large part of me is utterly disgusted that I appear to have chosen marketing over robots.