I'm back, more or less

[Venger]

Greetings.

I am back online more or less.

A brief explanation is in order.
I worked at a small oilfield service company for 18 years, and helped to build the tech shop from doing roughly $1500 a month to doing $30k a month.

Over those years I developed their CCTV systems, but I never could seem to get to the next level of management with them.

To make a long and aggravating story short, I was kept under thumb by upper management, and constantly denied advancement, but always had a carrot dangling in front of me with the promise of "when things get better.. blah blah".

I had not had a raise since 2001, and for the last three years I had been asking for a raise since the company was doing VERY good, but would alwyas get the same "when things get better" excuse. (they thought I was going to be there forever)

Then several months ago, the vice president hired his son as salesman. Within a couple months, he advanced very quickly to sales manager(imagine that), and though a long time friend there I learned that he was making $3 more an hour than I was, and I was having to TRAIN him.

I blew a fuse, and I quit, without having any idea of my next move.
Over the next month, they called me back like 7 or 8 times and the VP said he was willing to give me a significant raise if I returned.
I politely told him No Thank you but in the back of my mind I felt like saying FiretrUCK YOU.
It felt like an insult after asking for a raise for three years and NOW he was willing to give it?!? WTF

So I was unemployed for a little over three months, and my budget was too tight to maintain webspace.

As luck would have it, I was contacted after my third month of unemployment by a friend whose husband had a a business proposition for me.
He wanted to expand his business and offered me a position as the Technical coordinator for their company designing the very same kind of systems I had designed for many years before.
A direct competitor of my old company. I jumped on it like white on rice!

They are financially sound, and are giving me free reign in the design process, which means no nickle and dime crap and backwards compatibility issues that I had to deal with before.

And I am respected and things are going very well for me now.
During the time I was unemployed I had limited internet access, mainly I was using a friend's internet connection to do email, visit Dundjinni, and collect mapping graphics and make occasional posts.
But I still had my workstation and the gaming continued and I improved my map making skills.

But now I have a new webspace account and will begin posting new maps that I have been drawing all during my "downtime".

Things are a little hectic and fast paced, but I will post them as I can.

Cya!

[Omnidon]

Welcome back!

Good to hear things worked out.

[Kepli]

Very cool Venger. Glad you are back on track again.

[Farland]

Nice work, Venger. It was a satisfying story to read because of the ending. Good for you!

[heruca]

Welcome back, Venger.

Good to hear you are back on track and have a good job again which you like and seems to have a promising future.