As you may know, at the end of last month I interviewed with a Wilmington-based manufacturer for a Linux position. The interview went well: they are great people and the job scratched my technical itches. I went into it expecting nothing but instead got very drawn to it. The only problem is that it’s in Wilmington, a two hour drive away from the Triangle.
Of course, it being in Wilmington is also the attraction. I’ve often wondered what it would be like to live at the beach. My buddies and I have talked before about how cool it would be to start a software company there. And downtown Wilmington has some cool bars and cafes.
Still, I could not convince myself (or my wife) that it was time to pick up and move. Most of my family and friends are here in the Triangle. I’ve lived here eleven years. You just can’t drop everything and skip town, can you?
After a great interview, I had to offer my regrets at not being able to make the jump. I sincerely felt bad about not being their guy. I sent them a nicely-worded thank you note for spending the day talking to me.
I had closed the door on that job and set about finding others nearby. This morning, right on the edge of closing on my new position at Oculan, the phone rings. Out of the blue, the company CEO with whom I’d interviewed is pleading with me, telling me I’m the guy they want and asking me to come up with a salary that would convince me to move.
Gosh. I was speechless.
Nothing like that had ever happened to me. The CEO was sincere in his offer. In fact everyone I met was sincere. It didn’t seem like I was joining a company as much as joining a family.
Not knowing how to respond to his generous offer, I told him I would take it under consideration, knowing in my mind that I could not realistically accept it. When I first pitched the idea of moving to Kelly, it seemed from the job market that I had to consider any job, no matter where. Now I had one almost in the bag. Things looked a lot different.
It will actually hurt to tell him “no” again – they really are great people – but the days when I could pick up and move on a whim are far behind me. Perhaps that is the source of most of my pain.
I will miss my days as a “wildcatter,” and yet being in one place also has value. When you’re still you can see a lot more of what is around you.
If you know of anyone looking for a fantastic job in Wilmington, please send ’em my way. Good people deserve good treatment.