Quit my job today - free!

factorPlayer · April 30, 2011, 12:31:46 AM

Cut the cord w/ Apple after 8 years. I had been talking about this for awhile (which someone will no doubt point out) and was shooting for June but couldn't hold out any longer. I'm glad I did (and have enough cash to not worry about another job immediately) but still there are some mixed feelings... it is kinda like breaking up almost, if your ex comped vacation. I wanted to feel joyous but in truth I got a bit wistful.

Then I saw this week's South Park, which I had heard nothing of to that point. I feel a lot better about it now

IZ · April 30, 2011, 12:41:57 AM

You bought that new Multistrada first though, right?!

sugarcrook · April 30, 2011, 12:43:01 AM

Congrats!

So... we're hiring. Downtown San Jose and motorcycle parking.

factorPlayer · April 30, 2011, 04:07:38 AM

Quote from: sugarcrook on April 30, 2011, 12:43:01 AM
So... we're hiring. Downtown San Jose and motorcycle parking.

pregnant dogin! I've always wanted to live in Cali.

The Bacon Junkie · May 03, 2011, 06:37:43 PM

You can come to DIMBY West now...

Congrats on your new endeavors!

akmnstr · May 04, 2011, 06:20:36 AM

My son-in-law just interviewed with Apple so I'm curious about your feelings and impressions of the Company. Was it the management or the Apple culture that caused you to want to leave? Oh, and congratulations on making the big move!!

Jarvicious · May 04, 2011, 10:44:16 AM

I'm curious why you left as well. A buddy of mine is a tech at an Apple store and he's been pretty thrilled with how they treat him. I guess their stock is doing pretty well also, which doesn't hurt

factorPlayer · May 04, 2011, 06:58:39 PM

Quote from: akmnstr on May 04, 2011, 06:20:36 AM
My son-in-law just interviewed with Apple so I'm curious about your feelings and impressions of the Company. Was it the management or the Apple culture that caused you to want to leave? Oh, and congratulations on making the big move!!

A lot of it obviously depends on what part of the company you are with. I worked for Applecare doing tech support and just got sick of that even after moving up several tiers. There was also nowhere else for me to go in the company unless I wanted my boss' job - no way - or move to San Jose area which I was not interested in, and even then I don't know that there's another position I could get. So i just got burned out. AppleCare is almost 100% reactionary and to me it felt like the ass end of the company, there was nothing groundbreaking or innovative to do at all, just wait for new products to come out. And frankly with Apple's wider success as of late comes a wider cross-section of customers that are more representative of the general public (which sucks), whereas 6-7 years ago it was mainly creative professionals, students, and people with money. But I've come to realize in the last few years I really don't want to have a corporate gig at all. It's just not me.

Other than that, working for Apple isn't bad at all. They are a bit chincy with pay but the benefits are no joke and are on par with any other major companies/employers. There were periodic beer/bbq bashes and an unending stream of various shwag. Ducati North America's offices are right down the road from Apple in Cupertino, and when I had a warranty issue with my S2R a few years ago I wrote a friendly email to them from my work email and man did I get a response (and my bike fixed right) pronto. So there are certainly a lot of perks, and if you happen to have a job with them that you actually like, you're set. But if you don't, they are just fluff.

and thanks for the congrats - I am very relieved to be moving on.

akmnstr · May 05, 2011, 05:40:31 AM

Thanks for the detailed reply. My son-in-law is a very bright kid, a programmer. If he gets the job he would move from Boston to the silicon valley. The kid is a work-a-holic. I'd like to see him lighten up a bit. But it beats the alternative of my daughter being married to a dead beat bum. He described the culture of the company, as he understood it, and it seemed a little intrusive, but your message has eased my concern about that.

factorPlayer · May 05, 2011, 09:19:47 AM

Day 6. Getting pretty bored now

akmnstr · May 05, 2011, 10:56:56 AM

go for a ride, go fishing, or both (moto fishing is big fun)

Jarvicious · May 06, 2011, 03:15:47 PM

Day 6 and you're bored? Ooooh boy do you have another thing coming

Good luck with the job hunt.

r_ciao · May 06, 2011, 05:11:01 PM

My "to-do" list for things around the house is always long. 6 days of not "working" means I just barely checking off some of those to-do items. There's always some crap on TV to watch if you are really bored.

DanTheMan · May 06, 2011, 10:40:09 PM

Quote from: factorPlayer on May 05, 2011, 09:19:47 AM
Day 6. Getting pretty bored now

Pack a bag and go travel. Asia or south america where living is cheap.

DoubleEagle · May 07, 2011, 12:11:56 AM

Congrats on your ability to cut the " cord. "

When I retired after 27 years of owning, operating, and finally selling my own " GIG, " I thought I would be on top of the world.

I found only too soon that there was an emptiness , I was so used to a daily routine , all the people I interacted with, all the responsibility , just the constant mind speak of ideas and all the decision making , problem solving, a feeling of worth that seemed to be tied to my work was no longer there.

I defined myself by my Business and what I did each day , my accomplishments, those people I helped with the Services that we provided in many different areas .

I didn't realize just how much a " Job " can define a person.

I only took 4 weeks vacation in 27 years of my work.

I won't say I was a workaholic, but the nature of the Business didn't lend itself to me being away .

I did have some Hobbies , like Golf which I could rationalize being away from work since often it was with clients.

I also got involved in Body Building for 12 years but that was after work in the evenings.

That helped me too get the Stress of the work day out with the weights.

Look around your home , if you don't have someone taking care of your property , then you can get involved in that .

Gardening is very soul satisfying , plant Flowers , Shrubs , or Trees to beautify your property .

If you don't have a crew that takes care of the exterior of your home , then you may want to do something depending on the size of your home , like some painting, since I am guessing you are in the States it will be Summer soon so painting would be good if needed.

Landscaping is very satisfying since it requires using your imagination to come up with what you want your Landscape project to look like when it's finished .

There are Professionals to turn to , but you have the time and you can save yourself a good deal of money with some basic knowledge of Landscaping and doing it yourself. Plenty of information on the Web.

Even if you just do plantings of Annual and Perennial Flowers , that will take some time and give you satisfaction in the way it adds beauty to your home.

There's something very cathartic about getting your hands in freshly turned soil.

It doesn't have to cost a lot of money. $500 will buy a good amount of Flowers.

Ride the bike at least 2 times a week.

Try and ride somewhere that you haven't been before.

Go to your local Library and get a Library card so you can checkout DVDs of interesting things. i.e. Movies, Music Concerts , Opera, the Geographical Section for Travel DVDs etc.

Those are just some ideas, I'm sure others will pass along more.

Good luck in whatever you choose to do.

Dolph

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Quit my job today - free!