As Good Charlotte says…

After 4.5 years, I finally quit a lifestyle as a Software Engineer for Orbitz.com. Why? Simply because I desired a new lifestyle. Funny thing… it wasn’t the ‘job’ that necessarily drove me to the breaking point. It was more about the terrain. I’m tired of flying out West for 1-2 weeks at a time, 1-3 times a year to enjoy the outdoors. It’s time to follow my heart and have the ocean on the left and mountains on the right — all within a few hour driving radius. I miss camping and look forward to biking, trail running, snowboarding, hiking, kayaking, inline hockey, and surfing!

Leaving the office was a bittersweet moment. On the one hand, I was glad to know I was moving on to solve different technical problems. But on the other hand, I was leaving a family behind… in some cases, people who I’ve been working and playing with for over 4 years. I was instantly embraced by the group and felt a connection during my entire stay. It was wonderful. Though, I’ve learned from others’ experiences, that you don’t have to work under the same roof to keep the friendship connection strong. Realizing that, and believing in it, helped me make the ultimate decision.

So… Amy and I are moving out West to the Silicon Valley area, most likely Mountain View or Santa Clara. We have a couple of months to locate a place to stay. In the meantime, I am preparing for my new job, buying a car, renting my downtown Chicago condo, spending time with Amy and family, and trying to do things like read fiction and play video games — things I haven’t done in quite some time.

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 12th, 2006 at 2:40 pm and is filed under .plan.