The Interview

It was a good interview. It wasn't the slam-dunk I had been hoping for, and the role itself is a bit more than I had been initially led to believe, but it was a good interview nonetheless.

I met with the two main IT guys from Kansas City whom I'd spoken with on the phone interview two weeks ago and the two principal architects from this office.

I did okay on the technical questions. When asked about something I had no experience with, I was honest and told them as much, which they seemed to appreciate—and something I learned from my initial interview at ADOT was always preferred over some lame attempt to bullshit your way through it.

I got the sense they're looking for someone with more networking and experience with VMs than I possess, but at the same time they made a point of saying they're not fully up to speed either on running the number of VMs they're attempting, and are willing to train as we go along. This reminded me when I initially interviewed at the hospital back in 2004 and was asked if I had any AD experience. I truthfully answered I did not, and was told, "None of us really do yet. We're all learning."

Overall, this role sounds a lot more like what I was doing at my first job in Denver than just a straightforward desktop support position. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about that. On the one hand, that situation forced me to learn a lot of new things that go on "behind the wall" that I otherwise might not have been exposed to. On the other, it was extremely stressful at times, with management often expecting me to just know things that I didn't.

I also don't know how I feel about returning to a 24/7 operation. They told me after-hours calls or late nights didn't occur that often, but they did happen now and then when something goes down.

They are looking for someone with a passion about learning new things and thinking outside the box. You know, the kind of things that were actively discouraged at my last position. I made it a point of highlighting not only my passion with the Mac, but also the fact I garnered a lot of my tech knowledge through plain old curiosity.

The positives that stand out about this gig are it's an architectural office. Just walking in and smelling that distinctive odor was like an aphrodisiac. You could almost feel the creativity pulsing within the space. (And what a beautiful, open, funky, warehouse space it is!) There are only 40 users at this particular location, half of whom are on Macs. The total number on the payroll is about 250 spread across five offices. It's a full time, permanent position with full benefits. The money is good; not as much as the gig that was cancelled on me at the last minute a couple months ago, but more than I've earned since we left Phoenix and moved to Denver. The commute doesn't seem like it will be horrible. I would be the only onsite IT guy and on my own for most of the time, but backup would only be an IM away.

In short, as I'm writing this, I'm realizing this is almost exactly what I asked the Universe for three weeks ago.