It’s funny how life works sometimes.  You search high and low to try to accomplish something or complete a specific task, and yet it somehow eludes you.  So close – but just out of reach.

If you’ve followed my blog over the years, you know that my employment background has been less than stable over the past three years.  As a quick refresher, I was unceremoniously exited from the world of IT in 2016, my position with IBM being off-shored to Brazil.  Little did I know at the time that the “next” IT job in my career would become elusive, like trying to spot a black bear on a local hiking trail or finding a four-leaf clover.  Oh, I sent out plenty of resumes, but for whatever reason – no one responded.  It looked like my twenty-four year stint in the world of Information Technology was over.

Since I had a family, a house, and bills to take care of, I had to find a job somewhere, which is how I ended up as a Customer Service Associate (and eventually in the Receiving Area) at my local home improvement store.  At the time, I thought it would be just a short foray into the world of retail.  Surely, another IT job was just around the corner.  That “temporary” arrangement; however, turned into a two-year stint, which was then followed by my most recent move into the world of manufacturing, where I currently serve as a “Master Data Coordinator” for a well-known maker of household products.

In both instances, I ended up in roles that are what I would consider “pseudo” IT.  In retail, I worked on a computer system processing returns for the company, and in manufacturing, I’ve been working in a large software database system, setting up quality assurance data and inspection plans for the whole plant.  So, while these roles are certainly IT related, it still wasn’t what I would consider “real” IT – the kind of stuff I went to college for and received a degree in.  There’s no programming involved, no support of the hardware or software, or no network engagement.  Don’t get me wrong – it’s honest work that takes skill to execute well, but it’s not the kind of duties where my years of experience and knowledge are really being leveraged to their fullest potential.

Still, I’m a patient man.  One of these days – the right opportunity will present itself and I’ll be ready.

That day has finally come.

I’ve been offered and accepted a job as the Information Technology Manager for the City of Hagerstown, MD.  I’ll be overseeing all aspects of technology (hardware, software, network, etc.) for the city, with a staff of five technicians to direct, assess, and work with.  It really will be a continuation of everything I’ve done previously in my IT career, and I can’t wait to get started.

After a three year hiatus, I’m back in the game.  I hadn’t realized how much I really missed it.

The coming months will be busy as I learn the layout and pitfalls of serving a municipality, but I’m anxious to discover all that awaits me.  As long as the city doesn’t fold up and go bankrupt, maybe this will be the position that takes me into retirement.

Let’s hope. 

I’ll keep you posted.