Well as many of you know, I have been jobless for about 3 months. I just got an offer letter for what I really think is my dream job (doing chemistry research - not playing TT :P ) !!

The unusual thing is that I didn't get fired or laid off from my last job. I didn't get any severance package or a pension plan. I simply resigned. I had worked at the same company for over 16 years. It was my first job out of school, and I rode it as far as I could. I am a researcher at heart. When you do research you take the long view and you take risks: what I do now may not have an impact at all or if it does it may be in 5 years from now. This kind of forward thinking began to disappear slowly from my last company. More and more focus on "hitting the numbers" (financially) each quarter. Less and less respect for the power and impact of its scientists. More and more managers who lacked scientific vision. Finally I couldn't take it anymore.

I always stuck to my ideals through all of this and I fought the hard fight until the bitter end. But I finally realized that there are some battles you just can't win. I am not a 'yes man' and the only choice left was to walk out the door. I was fully prepared to leave all my life's work behind. I was ready to start completely over. There are few good jobs in industry to do basic research. This is not the nineties anymore. I was lucky to be in the trenches during the biggest biotechnology boom of all time.

Once I was a free man, an amazing thing happened. Word traveled in the community that the X-meister hit the road. Only after a week or two I got a phone call from the director of a research institute who had heard I had left. Since then I have been interviewing with them and discussing the long-term vision. The amazing thing is that it is an unbelievable fit with what I want to do. I just got the offer letter and have accepted the position. WooZaH!!! I wouldn't have gotten this call if I stayed at my last job, as people generally assumed that I was happy there.

I now have a couple of weeks to reshape my brain to now jump back into the game.

It is interesting that I got into TT just about the time when my job started to become less than ideal. A time when investing any extra effort into my work was not rewarded. So I had more time and energy to invest in TT. I had always loved video games, but there was something different about TT. A community of cool people was behind the magic curtain! This has been a great place to hang out.

I am not planning on leaving, but there is no doubt that I will likely have less time and energy in the coming months to devote to this. Just wanted to let you know the latest news and also to thank the many many friends I have made here over the years for countless hours of great times!

-Reagent X

Congratulations RX.... Sometimes good things DO happen to good people.

Rx, I am SO glad you got it bud. I've been thinking a lot of you lately and your position you are in. What a relief!! I knew you'd get it. I can tell you are a devoted and loyal person through TT and emails even though I never have met you in person. :)

Hopefully this is a good sign for me as well. ;)

Great news, X! Congrats!

Congratulations Reagizzle! I hope that your new vocation is both rewarding and energizing. Peace.

Congrats RX!!

What field of chemistry do you research? Tell us more.... Or is it classified? %)

Congratulations to a great guy. It's just karma, bro. Hope you still make SOME time for us all.
I went thru a similar thing in 2004. I was totally bored with my previous position as IT Manager and felt trapped in dead end with a small company with no vision of the future, which is when I discovered TT and got hooked! I was actually looking for that old tank battle video arcade game I used to love (remember that one?) and found TT on shockwave. Anyway, I wound up quitting that job for the one I have now in January 2005 and love it more every day! It's a much bigger position with tons more responsibility with no time at all for TT during the day (but some time for PTT). I also made agreement with the wifey to only play late at night after the kiddies go to bed.

Good luck with the new job, X man.

Good for you! Didn't know of that.

Peptides? :)

Heh, you answered the tt comment yourself... I would have pointed out nearly same thing. Does this mean the end of modpack updating? ;)

I m really happy that you can do what you want, it is really good news that you will not spend so much time on TT too ;) (nah not true). I know Rx that we don't meet much in-game because of the time difference, but you certainly can know that I liked every single game. Except one, but I won't talk about that :P.

When I come to america one day, man I certainly want to meet you in person! You re one of the few who are on my list :)

Scythe

Great news RX, Congratulations, WOOZah, man you kick ass!

Ps when is the medical? I guess you did good to say I can't right now! ;)

Congrats Rx. Has Pharma emailed you yet?

Some good news indeed. Couldn't be happier for you Rx.

I hope you negotiated a good gaming 'puter with a fast connection for your lab :)

(Hey, a guy has to take a break sometime...)

Good Job Rx, Congrats. Can I have my resume back now? ;)

Wow... Sounds like a great job.

Although we haven't played TT together, your work here has been a benefit for me.

Hope we cross paths, and congrats.

Congrats, one private sector scientist to another!

Hope they give you lots of shiny new toys!

Congrats RX!

Meet your new assistant.

Can Alien Mind Control stop him before he creates the ultimate ThinkTanks Brain?

My dad is teching the same school. The same class room. For 19 years.

Way to go Rx, I hope its everything you want.

Congrats x!

Rx, I forgot to say Yeeehaw!! Can you make some Hi Tech moonshine in the lab? %) I'm sure Pharm will come out of hiding when he hears the news. Congrats again Rx! XD
Napalm, Brainz, KBC, 44, Flea and the rest... Too funny!! :P

...and your new boss.

Are you relocating or is this in the same vicinity? Who will now be the public figure for Lucky Charms? Will there be any new marshmallow shapes?

Good for you RX. That's nice to hear. I had the opposite happen to me. I left my career to become a real estate broker, to free myself up for the family, and then a year and a half later my dream job opened up. I got offered to be the Creative Director for the National Association of Saltwater Fisherman. I was and still am a little to entrenched in my current life and business to make such a move and I bitch about it every week.

Last edited: Wednesday, February 08, 2006 at 10:16:05 AM

Congratulations Reagent X !
I am glad you found what you wanted to do for a living.
Work is never work as long as you love doing it. B)

Woot woot!
Congrats on your new job! XD
Hope to still see you in TT though...

Good for you!

Congratulations RX! I hope the job turns out to be all you are hoping for.

Ah it is great to see you get a new job! It seems you have quite a reputation in the chemistry field hehe. Well congratulations RX! Hope you are getting some extra benefits, like a paid vacation if you didn't already have it! XD

-AO

Rx, It is nice to see that the phrase good things come to those who deserve it still has meaning. I am so proud of you for taking such large steps to find what you have dreamed of. You are an inspiration. I wish you so much luck and happiness in your new position. You da man....

Thanks all for the comments! Another cool thing - they use Macs!! :) At my old job, the company decided it would be cheaper to outsource all computer services to IBM. Then one day shortly thereafter they came through everyone's office and took away our Macs and gave us PC's. XO I, of course, did not let them take away my Mac. For about 5 or 6 years I was one of the only people who continued to use a Mac there. It will be an incredible feeling at my new job to have them get me a Mac and not feel like I am some sort of freak!

_{EDIT: Of course you all know that I truly am a freak, but they don't need to know that! ;)}

Last edited: Wednesday, February 08, 2006 at 7:26:21 PM

Congrats man!!!! Hope this will be a great job for you.

-pdiddy~ XD

Excellent news, RX!! Congratulations!

Onward and upward bro!

W00tness Rx! Glad to see you got a Job that you wanted,
Make us a powder for our tanks that gives invisibility in your free time at the lab will ya? :P
Glad you got what you wanted Buddy...

Didn't you recently post about an interview on the East coast? Are you relocating? How did you manage to talk the wife into that? She has a career too, so I couldn't have been an easy decision.

Then again, my wife has been telling me to relocate for years.

...and to send her a card when I get there.

Congrats Rx,

Sometimes you just need to take a risk to find something better.

In order to get my current job my wife and I had to pack up and moved from Minnesota to California. When we decided to leave we didn't have any jobs, or a place to live. I did a marathon driving session 2300 miles in two days to come accross and find a job and an apartment three weeks before we made moved. I worked at a couple fill in jobs for a while and continued to apply to my dream jobs. I finally got the one I'm in now and suddenly I no longer work, I just play.

I hope this one works out for you too.

^^ bad dum ching! "Don't forget to tip your waitress..."

Congrats Rx!! If you hit it off with your new co-workers, would you say you have good chemistry with them? Eh? Eh?

_{Sorry, I'll go back to my corner now.}

^I boo that joke. Boooo. Hissssss.

:)

@KBC: Actually this job is closer to my house. I used to commute about 10 miles, and this one is about 6 miles! No need to move. In fact I think I am going to try and bike to work when the weather is good.

How sweet is that?! :)
Less time, less gas, and on the those nice sunny days you can get some fresh air.

Maybe even get a few games in on the way to work.

Happy for ya Rx ! Don't even think leaving us !

Congrat RX glad to know there's still a place for mad scientist types ;)