Weblog

Well, I have my first project! I am definitely excited about it, as it was quite the ordeal finding it. Originally, I had interviewed for a position with a group in Denver, working for Xcel. That is where my dad works, so we could have carpooled. However, during the second interview, it was mentioned how everybody is there around 6:00 AM. Normally, I would be fine with working that early. I actually did come in that early to my Ball Aerospace internship two summers ago. However, I currently live about an hour and ten minutes away from downtown Denver, which meant I would have had to get up at around 4:00 AM every morning. Ugg.

Fortunately, however, my resource deployment manager (RDM) was able to find another opportunity for me. The project is in Tucson, Arizona. I actually ended up starting on the project only one day later than I was supposed to start at Xcel, which was very good. I interviewed with the group this past Monday, and I flew out the next morning! I just got back home last night, and I will be flying back tomorrow evening. I was told that normally only every third week will be on-site, but since this is the beginning of the development cycle, the project manager wanted everybody to be there next week as well.

So, I will be down in Arizona quite a bit over the next few months. Last week it was over 100 degrees every day, though it's not too bad when you work in air conditioning. So far, I am enjoying the area very much, and the project as well. The team seems to be a very good one, and I am looking forward to the coming months with them.

As you are probably aware, I landed a job at IBM while I was in school last year. Well, about a week after I got back from Australia and New Zealand, it was time for me to start. In a company of nearly 300,000 people, or roughly the population of Iceland, there is obviously a tremendous hierarchy. To provide some perspective, I am in the Global Services business unit, which now makes up over half of IBM. Within that unit, I am in Application Services, in the Portals, Content, and e-Commerce practice area. My job falls under the e-commerce piece of that practice area. My primary job role is Java development, specifically in the e-commerce realm, though it is likely that my first project or two will not be e-commerce.

Anyway, my first week on the job was spent in D.C. (well, actually a suburb in Virginia) for onboarding and new-hire training. I had never been to D.C. before, so it was fun. I did get to go into town one afternoon and see all of the monuments. And, of course, I did bring my camera, and though I have a bunch of pictures, I have not gotten around to posting them yet (nor the Australia and New Zealand pictures). After a week of training, I finally got to go home. Unfortunately, I was only there for a day, as that following Sunday I made my way back to the east coast - this time to Philadelphia. I was in Philly for a total ten days. The first day I was exhausted from traveling, so I mostly just hung around in the hotel. The next five days were dedicated to new college hire training. During that time, we learned more about some of the IBM tools and methods, as well as general consulting topics. As I had a free weekend in Philly, I did roam around the city quite a bit. I had been to Philly before, though just for a day when I went on my road trip to NYC earlier in the summer. At any rate, in my tour of the city I did manage to catch the new Simpsons movie, as well as meander through South Philly. The next two days were full of more training, and then I got to come home, where I shall remain until I can find my first project.

Well, seeing as how I haven't posted on here in nearly a month, it's probably time for an update. First of all, I have accepted a job with IBM Global Services. I will be starting next July. I had two other offers on the table as well, and deciding between them wasn't easy. But, I think that I made a good decision, and I am happy with it, and it feels good to know that I have somewhere to go when I graduate.

And what will I be doing between graduation on May 5th and July, you ask? Well, I have already been asked to be in two weddings - Tracy's and Matthew's. Congrats to both of you! Second, I am planning on going on a nice little vacation in June. The current possibilities include Australia/New Zealand and Brazil, though I am leaning towards the first. After all, it will be a long time before I will be able to take that much vacation. Plus, I think that after five years of college, including going straight for a year, a summer, and another year, I deserve a break.

And after my little jaunt, I'll be starting my job (based in Denver), which will require me to travel around the country. In Global Services, as an "IT Specialist," I will be working with client organizations to develop IT-oriented business solutions. In other words, I'll be writing software for them. So, I'll be flown out to them every week, get a hotel and a rental car, and see the country in the process. My plan is to take my camera with me; I should get plenty of night photos.