New Career

Last week I resigned from the Washington Post so that I can join the local consulting firm Definitive Logic as a Systems Architect. The new job opens up a lot of new opportunities for me including doing data analysis, data mining, and Six Sigma consulting. I'm very excited about it but it's sad to leave.

I enjoyed my five years at the Post as a developer, manager, Celebritology contributor, and sports contests developer but it was time to move on. I'm not moving far though. Definitive Logic is located across the street from the Post. My first project will be for FEMA in Crystal City, which is very close to our house. My 5 mile commute to the Post will be cut in half! I can even dust off my bike and ride into work some days.

I'll miss the fun times I had at the Post but I certainly won't miss being on-call. It'll be nice to not get woken up at 3am or interrupted when we're enjoying a night out. Nancy's happy about that too. I also won't miss the never-ending sense of urgency that comes with working for a major 24/7 news site. My new schedule will be a lot more regular (i.e. 9-5) which will be nice, especially as Katie gets older. I'm just not sure I'll be able to wake up so early every day though!

I realized I was getting older (and wiser) when I had an extended discussion with Definitive Logic over their health benefits. I wanted to know exactly what they were, who they were with, how much it cost, etc...etc... That's a far cry from my first job when I blindly signed up with the cheapest HMO option without giving it a second thought.

My last day at the Post is Friday and then we pack up the car and head for Cape Cod! We'll stop for the night at the Butler B&B in Naugatuck and then arrive at the Cape on Saturday. We'll get back in DC the following Sunday. It's going to be very busy when we get back. I have a hockey game on Sunday night (a few hours after we return), then my first day at work on Monday, and then another hockey game on Monday night. I'll need another vacation by Tuesday!

Unfortunately, we can't take Rusty with us to the Cape but he'll get an exciting week at the farm with his cousins, Chloe and Clyde, and his Uncle John. But Nancy's sisters, her mom, and her nephews are all going to the Cape so it should be a lot of fun. I need to quickly try to get in shape this week to keep up with the nephews.

I probably won't have internet access while we're away but I'll post all the photos and videos when we return. Ciao!