Moving on

There are moments in life where you face a definitive ending of one chapter and a beginning of something new. Sometimes these moments occur, and you don’t realize what they are until later, when viewed in retrospect or reflection. But sometimes, you know these moments when they arrive, and you may even have deliberately caused them to happen. I’m about to face such a moment in my own life as I close the door to my time working at Bentley Systems, and begin working for WP Engine.

Changing jobs is something that almost everyone will experience at some point in their life. Some people will have that decision forced on them by being fired, or if you’re using politically correct terms, “laid off”. I count myself fortunate that I am embarking on a new chapter of life under my own terms, fully of my own decision. I would even say that I count myself blessed to have the freedom to make that choice.

The story of how I came to be offered a position at WP Engine is a unique one for me, but time will tell whether it is a normal occurrence for WP Engine or not. To keep it short, after attending WordCamp Philly, I was invited to beta test the (absolutely awesome!) MixBoardPortalPanelPress by WP Engine. Part of this sweet tool is a plugin for WordPress. I noticed a problem that I knew how to correct in the code, so I emailed Jason Cohen, not realizing that he was actually one of the co-founders of WP Engine, not just a developer. That sparked a conversation that ultimately led to me interviewing and being offered a position with WP Engine.

As potentially risky as a job change can be, this was a decision that was relatively easy to make. WordPress is something that I’ve been working with and learning about for the past 2 years, and this will be an opportunity to work with it full time instead of only part time. It will also be an opportunity to work from home on a daily basis, as well as get the opportunity to attend more WordCamps as a representative of WP Engine. And it also seems like I’ll be working with some really cool people, although I’ve only interacted with most of them over the phone and email at this point.

If you think about your biggest regrets in life, are they the things that you never tried? Or are they the things that you tried and failed? For me, I always regret the things that I never tried more than the things that I try and fail at. That was one of the major eliminators of risk in making this decision, and it is why I’m confident that no matter what happens, I’ll be able to look back to this chapter in life and know that I made the right decision.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Jeremiah 29:11-13

I’d love to hear from anyone who’s reading this post. Feel free to tell me about the new chapters you’ve seen in your own life.