A Three Month Contract

A few weeks ago I got a call from a tech recruiter. Usually I hear this:

"Um, hi this is Fred Dude from Blahblow Technology Agency and we have a great position for you. Javascript with Ruby on Rails overlaid on an API of CMS and HTML and Indesign. It's in East Jesus Massachusetts, a short commute from where you live."

"Uh, no thanks."  East Jesus Massachusetts is 3 hours from my house.

Or, I get an email from Arupa Rashmanajeria "Oh hello Miss Christine I have a six month Flash coding position in Anaheim California. Please respond to this email immediately so we can place you in this position."

"Dear Arupa, I do not live anywhere near Anaheim, and the commute would be rough. Thanks anyway."

This call was for a three month contract, cutting and pasting corrected HTML into a CMS. It is about 15-20 minutes from my house. The pay is slightly insulting. But it is 15-20 minutes from my house.

I decided to take the position after talking it over with Doug. For a few reasons. The commute, for one. Like I said it is 15-20 minutes. The amount of gas I'm feeding my car working part time will be GREATLY diminished and I'll end up making more money in the end.

It is only a 3 month contract. So I can go back to feeding my car a lot of money after the contract is over and head back to the kitchens. Unless by some crazy chance they offer me a job after I am there for three months and I blow them all away with my tremendous awesomeness.

I struggled with taking this position, struggled really hard. I am and have been intensely happy working at my part time job at "awesome" as we do call it. I wish it was closer. I wish it was right down the street. I wish I wish I wish.

Having this vein thing happen to my leg one might decide that planets aligned, though. My doctor is right up the street. I have to have my blood tested a few times a week. And my doctor told me that it will most likely will take about three months... to clear this clot situation.

Three months. The length of the contract.

So I Doug and I talked about it and I pitched it to Jo. My big fear, and I told her this, is she'll replace me with someone that she loves and wants to have in the office more than me. The concept makes me sad. But I will be very happy to go back if this contract doesn't result in a real full time job.

I know there have been a lot of people praying for me, continually, pretty much for almost two years. It's nice to have an opportunity, a chance, a possibility of a full time job. Close to home.

But I've been incredibly happy working for Jo. And incredibly reluctant to leave the safety of the nest, as it were. I don't think there is a single person I work with that I do not honestly love and appreciate. When was the last time I worked at a place where I loved EVERYONE? Sometimes just being happy is a lot more important than anything else.

I am afraid I'll go to this three month contract and be an utter failure at it and get told after a week or so that I sucked all the smart out of the room and made everyone in the building brain dead. I mean, I'm sure it will be okay. And it is nice to FINALLY have a tech recruiter call me for a job that I can do, and it isn't in Mogadishu or something.

Wish me luck, in the job and the heartache of leaving my Awesome.