Dave Donaldson

As some of you may have heard by now, I've hooked up with Telligent and finally get rolling with them tomorrow. So before I get started I thought I'd write about why I left the independent consulting ranks and joined Telligent as a full-time employee.

Same Old Same Old
For the past 3 years as an indie, I've lead and been a part of some really fantastic teams. I've worked with some awesome people and was able to have a lot of fun in the process. But for all the cool and interesting things I've worked on, most of it has been the same sorts of things because all the work has mostly been around building line of business apps. Don't get me wrong, each LOB app has their differences, but other than the actual business domain, most everything else is pretty much the same (I'm not disrespecting the LOB apps, that's just the way it is). The same layered architecture is used, the same framework-type pieces are used, the same UI controls are used, the same builds are setup, etc, etc. Even when I thought some new problem would breathe new life into my way of thinking it was only ever temporary. The tried-and-true solutions would creep back in and take over, which was always the right thing to do, but contributed to me longing for something new.

Making the Break
I'm the type of person who can get bored quite easily. I need new problems to solve, new challenges; my mind is always working. One area I've been trying to break into for years is the product space, but to be honest I've never pursued it very hard nor has the right opportunity ever really presented itself. As my last consulting gig was a few weeks from ending I decided to finally make the break and go after it. Believe me, it's harder than it seems to not just take the next consulting gig or to extend the one you have. I'm lucky enough that I've never really had to search too hard for work; it usually found me and I've always been grateful for that. But each consulting gig meant pushing my real pursuit further back, and after much discussion with my wife I decided the time was right to break the cycle.

Different Challenges
Working on software products as opposed to LOB apps is going to be quite different and will certainly open up a whole new world of things for me to learn. It will also be interesting to be on the inside of a true software company as opposed to a company who only uses software to run their business. The driving forces of a software company are different from what I've experienced so far in my career, but I believe is something I've always had inside me anyway. It's exciting to think about transitioning myself as a person who uses a piece of software into someone who directly contributes to building that software for someone else to use. I'm really looking forward to being challenged into a new way of thinking.

How I Ended Up Here
So one night I erased everything on my whiteboard at home and wrote down two lists: What I Want To Do and Who I'd Work For. Telligent made the very short list of Who I'd Work For because I've followed them since their inception and have always thought they developed cool products with really smart people (and of course there was added incentive because Jayme just joined a couple months ago). I checked Telligent's job boards, saw some openings, and sent ScottW my resume. Scott put me in touch with who turned out to be my new boss, Jose, and he and I had a nice long chat. From there I went through a pretty grueling interview process: 4 hour-long back-back-back-back in-depth technical interviews with other members of the CS core product team. That was cool (in a perverse sort of way) because it had been awhile since I'd been on that end of the interview; usually I'm the one doing the grilling. But I knew right away I wanted to work with those guys even more because of how they interview, which is to say, just like me ;-). From there a couple weeks went by before I got an initial offer (I sweated a little bit), then we did a little negotiating (nothing major), worked out all the benefits stuff, set a start date, and finally got all the paperwork signed, sealed, and delivered.

Chillin Like a Villain
The last day at my consulting gig was Sept 20. Telligent and I agreed on a start date of Oct 1, mostly because I wanted a full week in between jobs to take some time off, clear my head, and just chill. I've never done that before when changing jobs or starting a new gig; I'd always ended on a Friday and started the next one the following Monday, but I'd always regret doing that. So this time I learned my lesson and decided to take some time off properly. And I must say it's been nice. I've barely thought of work, played a lot of Xbox, spent much needed time with the kids, and got my home office in order.

Did I Mention The Tattoos?
After I left work on Sept 20, my wife and I flew to Savannah, GA for the weekend. She scored tickets for a taping of Paula's Party on the Food Network, which was the next day. That was kind of cool, but reinforced the fact that all TV, even "cooking shows" are staged. But it was fun nonetheless. So as we're hanging out in Savannah, which is a very cool place, I decided to get a couple tattoos. That's right: two of 'em. I didn't have any tattoos until then, but I had been thinking about getting them for awhile. And it just seemed fitting that as I enter a new chapter in my life I should mark the occasion accordingly and what better way than to get some tattoos (hehe). Below left is the Ohio State logo tattooed on my left shoulder and below right is the Foo Fighters crest tattooed on my right shoulder. Both represent something I'm passionate about and they look awesome. Jimmy Butcher (yes, real name) of Alien Arts Tattoo did a heckuva job. It took just under two hours to do the Ohio State tattoo, then we went and got a bite to eat, and then came back for him to do the Foo tattoo, which took an hour (he had it all prepped while we were eating). If you click around the Alien Arts site and check out Jimmy's portfolio you'll eventually see my Ohio State tattoo on there.


Let's Get This Party Started
As much as I enjoyed the indie life, I don't think I'll have any regrets leaving it behind. I suppose if none of this works out I can always go back to it, but I doubt that's gonna happen. And I certainly won't miss the ridiculous taxes and healthcare costs that an indie has to worry about (I mean, seriously, how many times does someone have to bend over?). Anyway, I'm ready to get the Telligent ball rolling in just a few short hours. Peace out.