Well, I did it. After a lot of deep thought and sincerely mixed feeling I have given my two weeks notice at Citi. It was one of those things where there was no specific pressing need to leave, nor was I looking for another opportunity. However, as seems common in this industry an apparently good opportunity presented itself to me unsolicited.

I’ll be honest, at first I was going to hand on the opportunity to another member of my team. I wasn’t ready to leave yet as far as I was concerned, despite the problems we’ve had at Citi in the last few months. However, there’s an old phrase that money talks… and when the person on the other end of the phone gave me a number I appreciated, all of a sudden the negotiations were on.

So I submitted an updated resume and hoped for the best… while at the same time somewhat fearing it. I got a call quickly to come in for an interview. It seemed they wanted to move quickly on this one, so I agreed. I enjoy doing interviews; it keeps my interviewing skills sharp and allows me a networking opportunity I rarely get elsewhere. So I went for the 45 minute interview.

I’ll not bore you with the details, but the 45 minute interview turned into a 2 hour interview as I felt I really connected with the members of the team during the interview process. I felt good about what was being talked about, and I felt extremely positive about it as I left. However, that positive feeling was tempered with a certain amount of trepidation. I had a feeling I’d be offered the job, and with my current job feeling uncertain, and the pay just not really cutting it these days I felt it would be inappropriate for me not to take it.

This had all been a on a Thursday. Didn’t hear anything Friday. I knew they had one other interviewee, but I didn’t know when the interview was taking place. So I sat and waited. Well, that’s not true; I continued to do my job to the best of my ability and prepare myself for news either way. I was still employed, that was a positive thing at the end of the day, so I didn’t really NEED the job. However, I did find myself over that weekend wondering what if.

Monday I still heard nothing. I realized I had gotten my hopes up a little, and now it felt a little like I had missed a good opportunity. Hell, the pay raise alone was significant enough that I felt it would get me “back on track” with the 5 year plan I had written for myself in 2000. At the very least it would get me to the financial position I felt I should have been in around 2005, or damned close enough.

On Tuesday I got the word. I had been offered the job, and though it was slightly less than they had been talking about before, at the end of the day the amount of difference was only in the range of about 3% or thereabouts. So long as decent raises are given (something they say they are), then I’ll make that up relatively quickly.

So where am I going? To be honest; Charter Communications. Yes, the Cable Company / ISP. OK, I’ll be the first to admit that their financial position in terms of stock price is a little shaky, but I have to say that I like what they’re doing from an IT infrastructure perspective. They’ve hired me for my knowledge of certain key technologies that they intend to implement… and of course I can’t say much more lest the competition get wind of it 🙂

So what now? Well, stay tuned for another update. Got more to tell ya…