Well, I received some horrid news today.
As of December 31st, my contract with Mandriva will be terminated and I will no longer be working for Mandriva. We’ve got a new CEO now, and he’s determined there is to be no remote contractors, and as a result I’ve been booted from the camp, so to speak. Over the last 8.5 years, I’ve seen CEOs come and go, restructures, other remote contractors get the boot, I’ve lived through the bankruptcy protection, been denied raises due to financial circumstances. Pre-bankruptcy protection I endured getting paid piecemeal as they could afford it… in short, I’ve literally put blood, sweat, and tears into my job for this company and have endured where others did not… I’ve stayed on when others left, and I’ve managed to avoid the axe when others got cut.
Well, that changed this morning. So I have one month of employment left during which time I also need to be finding a new job. The consulting I do on the side does not make me enough to cover my day-to-day expenses (mortgage, car payment, tuition for my daughter… food).
So I guess if anyone out there knows of a company that needs a security geek/consultant or a server administrator type, or even documentation, please let me know. I’ve got one month to fill this gap, and I’ve got 8.5 years of hands-on Linux development, security-related work (updates, testing, QA, research), and about a decade of systems administration under my belt. I refuse to turn this into a resume, but there’s the basics (resume is, of course, available upon request… as soon as I get it updated).
I’m a firm believer in “plans”, so I’m praying this is in God’s timing to help me find something better, but it’s difficult to be positive when you get this kind of news.
EDIT: Over the last 2 hours there has been a flurry of communication. Thank you so much to those folks who commented here and have sent me emails. It is very much appreciated. I am not, however, leaving. Apparently it was a mistake that my name was on the chopping block. So, for the time being at least, I am not going anywhere. The phone call from our new CEO ensures me that my contract is not being terminated.
But thank you guys so much for all the kind words. You have no idea how much that means to me.