A couple months ago I announced my departure from Commerce Bank.  I left my job as their lead developer of online banking, and joined RiverPoint Group as a contractor.

I'm not going to blog bile (see #5 on that list).  I'll just say this:  I don't think contracting is a good fit for me.  I wasn't as effective as I'm used to being, and it really hurt me to go from feeling like a leader, in control of my project and caring about its outcome as a reflection on me, to being a detached mercenary, without a whole lot of say in anything.  I also wasn't prepared to put in the time the client required of me, especially in light of my family life;  I just didn't have any time with my wife, Michelle, or our two awesome little boys, Connor and Cade.  That was the hardest thing for me to deal with:  Seeing my boys in the morning when I left for work, only to return home after they were in bed.

Be sure you understand me when I say I'm not blogging bile.  RiverPoint is a great company, and if you want to be a contractor, I think they're a great company to work for.  Our client, who has asked me not to disclose their name on this blog, is one of the best companies in the country to work for, and they deserve that reputation.  I just did not fully anticipate what my new role was and how it was going to affect me on a personal and professional level.

So I was talking with some friends of mine at Corillian (now a part of CheckFree), and I asked them if they thought I'd be a good fit there.  My friends gave me a good recommendation, then I went through a series of intense interviews, and now I've been hired.  On September 17, after taking a week off to relax, I will be joining Corillian/CheckFree as a Sr. Software Engineer/Technical Lead in their Professional Services division.  What this means is I will be doing a job very similar to my old job at Commerce, but I will be doing it for other clients of Corillian Pro Services. 

Ready for the best part?  I'll be working remotely from my home office.  This is the Holy Grail for me;  A job that suits my talents, that I enjoy doing, in a company whose values align with my own, that I can do from home.  I'm thrilled that the time I used to spend commuting can now be spent with the kids, or on open source projects, or going to Lodge meetings, or .NET user groups.  As much as I hate to leave a new job so soon, there are no words to describe how much I am looking forward to this.