So since leaving WhitePages.com a few months ago, I’ve talked to literally hundreds of people – bigcos, smallcos, nocos – searching for what I wanted to do next. Sometimes these searches can be very directed – when I went to WhitePages, I was aiming for something specific (executive leadership at a mid-sized company with a strong business). This search has been a bit less focused – more of a What Should I Do With My Life(TM) sort of search – and so it’s taken a good deal longer. (Also, global financial crisis, maybe you’ve heard of it.)
The process has of course been interesting, but after a planning conference call for Velocity 2009 last week where “for example, if you’re unemployed like Scott,…” was (kindly) used three times, I decided it was time to get a damned job.
But I didn’t really want a “job” – in particular, I didn’t want a job where I was unambiguously working for someone else, and I didn’t want a career ladder that I felt obligated to climb (one of my favorite things about being at WhitePages). I’ll write more about this, and the job search, in a post in the coming days, including some tips.
So after coffee with Matt K (where he really pushed me on what I wanted to do), some well-placed phone calls, and a sign or two, I’ve decided to dust off the occasional-sometimes-consulting business and make it my real business.
I have a first contract (which I’ll write more about in a few weeks) that can feed my family and a bit more. I’m looking for one-two smaller advisory-type contracts. (<weak_pitch> See “contact me” on the right if you’re looking for some help on technology/program management/product strategy, app prototyping, lead generation, etc.</weak_pitch>) I’m also taking what I’ve done for free for years – pairing up great jobs and great people – and turning that into a sometimes-for-pay-service.
I was talking to Todd Sawicki about caused him to stop consulting and go full-time with Lookery. He said that he went full-time when he realized that he wanted to join something more permanently and be more part of something. I liked that answer, because it was as natural as the decision to _not_ do that – it makes you think about moving between consulting and full-time employment as more of a continuum and less of a straight path.
So, I’m on “my own” (still working for people, but in different ways) for a while – not the least-scary decision in the world, but one of the easiest, once I finally saw it clearly.
I still have a personal project or two to improve, so those will be out soon. In the meantime – on on!
Congrats, Scott — of course, when you’ve arrived at the point where Sawickipedia is giving sane advice, you may want to start looking for the number for that truck driving school…
Welcome to the ranks of the gainfully unemployed.