It sure has been some time since I’ve posted and figure it is time I do so.

Last time I posted I was talking about some documents I’ve been reading. Well since then I’ve made a number of changes.

With the closing of IGT Corvallis at the end of June, I’ve decided that instead of moving to Reno for IGT, that I would interview around and see what I can find. In the few months I applied I was able to get three confirmed offers. Two in Reno and one in Portland. I almost had one in Corvallis, however they failed to get permission to seek a new candidate before they began interviewing candidates…silly companies.

Though one of the offers in Reno was great, I decided to stay in Oregon and accept a position in Portland with a company called Coaxis. They deal mainly with their software called Viewpoint Construction Software which I hear is quite popular with construction companies; which is a good thing for me that I get into a business that is still growing. It is quite exciting and I will be able to contribute quite a lot. The great thing about going to Coaxis is that I get to work with a couple of co-workers from IGT that are already there.

Moving to Portland will also be quite fun and exciting. I’ve been interested in getting up in the Portland area so I am happy to have the chance to move up closer to friends I don’t get to see as often as I would like. Though this means I’ll be farther from friends, girlfriend included, in the Albany/Corvallis area, it just means that I’ll have to make lots of visits to the area.

Lucky for me, I really like to drive my car and really enjoy spending time with friends that it’ll be a great time.

With this whole move and starting a new company it means the end to a current one. I am leaving IGT for the right reasons (for me), and because of this I do not think it will be difficult to go. I will definitely miss working with all the great people I have gotten to know over the couple years I have been there, but the work itself I feel satisfied with. I was able to see my work running in a casino, and the current projects I was developing passed off into good hands. Hopefully I hear from the folks working on the project I spent so much time on and how successful it will turn out for them.

IGT was a great starting company after graduating and I will always remember the experiences with such great people. I look forward though to my next adventures which are starting quite soon.

This Friday (April 9th) will be my last day with IGT, I am then taking the next 9 days to just relax and move up to Portland. I then start day one at Coaxis on April 19th (a day after my birthday).

Here is to exciting and wonderful new changes. And here is to hoping that the people I meet at Coaxis will be as wonderful as those I met at IGT.

Jason

Yesterday, I finished reading one of Chris Guillebeau’s manifestos, A Brief Guide to World Domination.  Let me first start out by telling you that you can read this for yourself, free!

Second, this guide is geared for those who want to do more than they currently are doing, to become someone more than they are, and help others in the process.  If that is you, then get reading (less than 30 pages).

It is a great read, and definitely gets you thinking. So go out there, and get your hands on the guide today.

Jason

If you haven’t tried out Boxee for your media pc software, then I recommend you get going and try it out. Boxee is fantastic with very easy to use software.  I installed this great piece of work onto my main pc and my home theater pc and it just rocks.  It is able to grab your tv shows and movie files on your computer (or another computer on your network) and actually find out what show it ties to, what episode it is, what season it is for, and also if available online, an image about the show, and a description with a possible rating.  It does this for TV shows and also pulls the box art for movies as well.

Don’t have any shows on your computer…that is just fine, it’ll also list shows online and tell you which link it recommends (whether Hulu, ABC, NBC, etc.).  If you have an episode on your machine however, it’ll recommend that first, then show other locations for the episode available online.  It is also great to watch YouTube videos and others.

I really recommend this software for Windows, Unix, Macs, etc.

Jason

Thursday I had the fantastic opportunity to meet-up with Chris Guillebeau, author of blog “The Art of Non-Conformity” and creator of Unconventional Guides (.com).  It was great to be able to meet with someone who is doing so much and has such extravagant goals. Chris, resident of Portland, traveler of the globe, is doing what he wants to do in life (without the 9-5 job).  His goal of traveling the globe and visiting every country enlightens me so much.

Being able to meet with Chris and ask him how he got his start makes me realize that with the right amount of effort, I could do something similar.  Chris gave me some great advice and was kind enough to also point me to some other blogs and helpful books.  What a genuinely nice individual.  If you haven’t clicked on the links above yet, then get on it.  He has some amazing posts (1, 2, 3) that will really get you thinking.  He also has some great guides that are really worth the money and pay off multiple times over (I’ve already earned 100,000 miles off of his Frequent Flyer Master guide).

I am so excited to begin traveling more and seeing the world, and though I am not ready to rid my life of my career in Software Engineering (cause I actually enjoy it), I do realize that life is more than just working. There is so much to see and do in the world, and it just isn’t possible to view it all on just a few weeks of vacation a year. Thankfully I enjoy what I do and am willing to continue working away, growing my career, saving up money and paying off debt.  However this won’t be my mindset forever.  🙂

Here’s to my next journey,

Jason

It’s quite a funny term to use – however it really is a screen of death.  Thankfully I was able to save myself.  Here is what I did.

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