From: Peter Knight <>
Date: Tuesday, November 28, 2000
Subject: Heads up!
Hey there,
Hope things are going well for you. Things are going well here-really busy though. Elizabeth is pulling late hours at school and with her clinical rounds. She is also a part-time tutor at school. Myself, work is winding down and I'm looking forward to more sleep and catching up with some missed video games.
Work wise-the new site, voted the Internet's number one most *stickiest* financial site, is up and running and somewhat stable so far. If you wish to take a peek, go on ahead and give a click to http://www.cnbc.com. As for my contribution, click on "My Portfolio," and you can track your stocks, mutual funds, etc.., Enjoy! Can you believe this? I have a new record as for the amount of hours that went into a project. This was apparent after filling in timesheets that stated that I worked double time. It seemed like a consistent theme throughout the project.
It was a Saturday night, November 4th-my birthday. Most of us joined at work, including Elizabeth, earnestly watched as while the old site was projected on a makeshift screen made form oak tag paper, witch over to the new site in all its glory. Suddenly, we were live on the net. Many of us cheered. Others of us grunted as we noticed that the database and quote servers weren't holding up. After a week of tweaking this and tweaking that, the site is up and running…and stable.
The commercials will air this coming month along with a bunch of other promotions; such as a $100,000 portfolio giveaway. But just remember, you heard from me first.
Anyhow, after many of us caught up on some sleep, the insecurity set in for many of the consultants wondering what the next steps were-if CNBC will need us for this or that, or maybe not need us at all. Rumors fly about money running out. People get nervous. There's talk in the hallways about *did you hear about this?* There's no mention about new work in the pipeline. This is the dark side about consulting; the unknown. This is when one starts to ponder if they would be able to provide for their families and question their self worth in turn.
Well, I would be lying if I said that I did not worry. But, I would be also lying if I said that I wanted to stay and loiter too. I think that I'm making great progress in this area. Times like this enable me to notice, to actually see this. I'm not saying that I do not get nervous and vent, I do. But, the duration of venting is a lot shorter along with the frozen activity of just doing nothing about it. This is the point <giggle>.
Back a few years, I was nervous about getting the axe. Well, I
did not have much in savings, and I was also in debt with auto payments, etc.., Stories flew about this guy, who had to take in a roommate, moving himself out to the couch, and becoming a pizza delivery man, just to make ends meet. That could have easily been me and I knew this. Not only did I know this, I terminally obsessed about this. I would continually question coworkers about rumors. I would have to say that the better part of the day was spent pondering this topic. It actually got to a point where my boss annoyingly asked me, *So what if you get laid off? What's the worst that could happen to you? * Ouch…yeah ouch.
I really think that everyone has to go through this one time or the other. I think it was Murphy who say that their jobs are threatened at least once in their lifetime, and that one will undergo three career changes. Maybe it's just something to learn about-kind of like the getting dumped for the first time situation. I don't know about anyone else, but I am pretty sensitive about these things. There comes a time when the more often this happens, the more I get used to it. And being a consultant, I know that I have to take the bad along with the good. I know. I don't like this, but I know.
Back to the present-I hit a couple of job websites and inside of a week or two, I was already talking to some potential clients. I was actually well received and that did my ego good; at least my level of self worth. I really feel like I have to count my blessings for this profession is hot right now. I actually got to the point where I rejected an assignment during the interview and declined another interview for I just did not have any time yet-*maybe later* I said. Imagine that-me, saying that. <giggle>
To make a long story short-I am the first techie consultant to leave CNBC. Last Tuesday night, I sat in a neato restaurant down in Tribeca called Flor De Sol signing the official contract for a more relaxed, less intense, assignment that will only hold me out to about mid-February. I'll just figure out what to do when the time comes. A weird part of me is looking forward to that.
Anyhow, give a holler when you get the chance.
-Peter
PS-The neat part is that new assignment will involve working with Esgee again. :)
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original pics from www.hd.org, viewimages.lycos.com, and www.cnbc.com
