The year was 1988

I proudly graduated from Westmoreland County Community College (WCCC)

And started down a career path that has led me to today March 10, 2023

Thirty-five years

What a long twisting winding road it has been

From enrolling at WCCC in 1985 for a Certificate in Computer Science

To graduating in 1988 with not one, but two Associate Degrees

Computer Science and Business Management

With my diplomas in hand, I set out to find a job

I was told that I would not start out as a Programmer

That we’d all end up as data entry clerks

No way! That wasn’t my plan and wasn’t my path

The funny thing about paths is they often have unexpected twists and turns

I graduated near the top of my class

And I was the only one from my class to start out as a Programmer within a few months after graduation

A few years later, I returned to the classroom setting

Working full time and attending classes in the evenings

Obtaining a Bachelor Degree in Computer Science from Robert Morris University in 1994

Over the years the titles and responsibilities changed

Programmer, System Administrator, Network Administrator, Network Engineer, Team Lead, Manager of Delivery, National Sales Engineer, Solutions Architect, Presales Architect, and Presales Manager to name a few

And the technologies changed – too many and too fast to list them all

Certifications obtained, renewed and expired

Millions of dollars of services and goods sold and installed and managed

There were ups and downs along the way

Great jobs with great people who I’m still friends with

And jobs that felt like they drained the life out of me that I was happy to see in the rear view mirror

Long hours doing endless amounts of work

Long travel days and weeks away from home

Trying to always do the right thing for the company and the customer

But not necessarily doing the right thing for myself all the time

And the layoffs – today this count went up to five

The way they said it changed over the years, but the end result was the same

I no longer had a job, a source of income, a way to support myself

One day I’m killing myself for a paycheck and the next day I’m unemployed

Severance packages have whittled away down to one week of pay for every year you have been employed by the company

Healthcare benefits are provided through the end of the month you are laid off

And POOF – all of your logins and access are suddenly cut off

The critical things you did yesterday have been deemed unnecessary today

And please don’t take it personally – It’s just business after all

It has taken me thirty-five years to understand that happiness is not found in a paycheck

That there is no such thing as job security

And that life goes on with or without that corporate job we’ve all been told we need

So now I move forward with my head held high

I did the best I could with what I was given

I have no regrets

Tomorrow starts the next chapter of my life

Homesteading on the Cumberland Plateau

Goodbye Corporate World

Goodbye to stress, lack of control over my destiny and the very real everyday fear of getting the layoff call

Hello to nature, neighbors and peace