I Will Dayjob No More Forever
Yesterday was my last day at the insurance company for which I’ve worked in a digital imaging and archiving capacity over the last three and a half years. As of right now, I am a full-time employee at Metafilter.
No more top-down bureaucracy to muddle through. No more corporate structure. No more trying to make the best of limited resources and unreasonable demands.
No more arguing with nannyfilter software about what internet content I can, as a full-grown adult, handle looking at. No more blocks on ssh connections; no more scuttled IM access; no more reloading youtube videos a dozen times hoping that this refresh is the one that won’t be borked by the local proxy cache system.
No more dresscode. No more dull, cycling fleet of slacks and button-down shirts that have been mandatory wardrobe for last few dozen months. Greetings, beloved jeans, cherished t-shirts: your weekday has come at last.
No more cubicles. I work from home. I have my own office. The office has windows, and a stereo in the next room, and a pool table downstairs, and scotch in the cupboard.
The job I’m leaving behind was not a bad one, and there are folks I will miss seeing every day. The transition will probably feel weird for the next few days. That is the sum total of my complaints.
It’s a wonderful, pants-optional world, and I am deeply grateful to have found may way to it. Thanks, Matt, for making this possible.
Carl Caputo Said,
November 8, 2008 @ 8:24 am
Best wishes, Josh. This is truly excellent, excellent (Bill and Ted-style) news.
pineapple Said,
November 8, 2008 @ 8:26 am
Well done! Enjoy it. For the right person, the opportunity to work from home is the greatest gig ever, imo.
Dan Bruno Said,
November 8, 2008 @ 9:27 am
That sounds great. Congrats!
Christopher L. Jorgensen Said,
November 8, 2008 @ 9:42 am
Congratulations.
The admins over there do a great job. Just don’t let yourself start putting in 20 hour days!
Nice little essay.
It’s stupid corporate policies like the ones you write about that drive away the best and the brightest. The dull and dumb have to stick around (in this market especially), so it’s easy for companies to enact draconian policies when they know the employees just have to take it.
Glad to see you didn’t have to.
Chris Mear Said,
November 8, 2008 @ 10:22 am
Holy crap.
language hat Said,
November 8, 2008 @ 12:05 pm
Excellent! I can assure you, from the height of four years without a day job, that it just keeps getting better.
Plutor Said,
November 9, 2008 @ 7:15 am
Almost 24 hours on, and this hasn’t been posted to MeTa yet? Shocking. Guess the Cult of Cortex still has a ways to catch up to Mathowie’s Gate. (Maybe they don’t want to break the 42-hour-long MeTa silence.)
Congrats, Josh! I hope this is a reflection of an imminent expansion of MeFi, and not of an otherwise-unwelcome growing workload on the admins.
Josh Millard Said,
November 9, 2008 @ 10:29 am
I prefer to think of it another way:
The site got together and got me a metatalk-free November 8th to celebrate.
Jofus Said,
November 10, 2008 @ 11:51 am
Well this is huge. Congratulations!
Mister_A Said,
November 10, 2008 @ 11:53 am
Congratulations! I think this internet thing is really going to take off, man.
EMRJKC94 Said,
November 10, 2008 @ 12:16 pm
You’re a creative genius, so more free time is good news for everyone.
shmegegge Said,
November 10, 2008 @ 12:46 pm
correction: you are now a full time employee at Metafilter and BBQ.
congratulations!
Pope Guilty Said,
November 10, 2008 @ 12:48 pm
Grats!
Lynsey Said,
November 10, 2008 @ 1:05 pm
Suwheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!
juv3nal Said,
November 10, 2008 @ 2:56 pm
congratz!
buriednexttoyou Said,
November 10, 2008 @ 4:29 pm
No pants… Livin’ the dream!
I suppose this will also allow for more music creation time. I look forward to it!
stavrosthewonderchicken Said,
November 10, 2008 @ 4:39 pm
Awesome. I AM SO ENVIOUS.
Meatbomb Said,
November 10, 2008 @ 4:44 pm
It is excellent, brother, welcome to the team.
goshling Said,
November 10, 2008 @ 4:47 pm
HUZZAH!
Less time needed for commuting = more time available for X-Files!
madamjujujive Said,
November 10, 2008 @ 4:51 pm
what, there weren’t enough lulz from the actuarial crowd? their loss is our gain!
Stewriffic Said,
November 10, 2008 @ 5:28 pm
Congrats, dear!
DAD Said,
November 10, 2008 @ 5:32 pm
YOU LOST YOUR JOB ???
No movin back home ya hear.
Really.. Congratutlations, I am full of envy as one of those wage drudges with the button down collars.
? The pants optional part… I do hope it’s a nice bathrobe.
Do get out …How about thanksgiving this year ?
Talk to ya soon.
Love,
Dad
Phil Jern Said,
November 10, 2008 @ 6:29 pm
Congrats, Josh. See ya on the Blue!
deborah Said,
November 10, 2008 @ 6:49 pm
w00t!
PS to Josh’s Dad: At least you know what you can get him for [insert your winter holiday here]!
dg Said,
November 11, 2008 @ 1:54 pm
Not jealous at all here, sitting reading this half-way through my hour-long train commute to work.
Not jealous, nope, not a bit.
*remains unconvinced*
david Said,
November 12, 2008 @ 9:30 am
woohoo! kudos to you – livin’ the dream! i’d be jealous, but i quit my “corporate” gig a few months ago, too, and now am doing my dream job (which involves webby goodness, no filters, etc), too!
Good on ya, dude!
(davidmsc #4123)
J. Nathan Matias Said,
November 24, 2008 @ 5:24 pm
Just saw the news. Best wishes, Cortex!
Paul Said,
January 9, 2009 @ 10:41 pm
Josh – I have to say I miss having you around and dropping by to go grab an afternoon latte. A shame folks have to bash a place they do not know, though.
BTW – I just got every other Monday off – catch a latte?
Josh Millard Said,
January 10, 2009 @ 9:08 am
The ritual Abstract Bashing Of The Compatriot’s Former Employer is a standard part of the process, I figure. And yeah, drop me a line, we’ll figure something out.