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I am not available for work anywhere except Tampa, Florida.
I don't care how many people said they would never relocate
and are now happy they did: This is non-negotiable.
My wife still lives in the same ZIP code she was born
in. She is going to stay here, and so am I.
However, this is 2008, and if your company is sending any work overseas,
then you can certainly accomodate me here in Tampa.
I have Linux, Solaris, FreeBSD, MacOS X
(and Windows in a VM), in addition to video conferencing equipment,
VOIP and cellular telephones.
Be consistent!
I can do occasionally travel (as in 5 weeks/year or less).
I can meet with clients, be on-site for various project milestones
(kickoff, user requirements, deployment, installations, trade shows),
but my family comes first (and so should yours).
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I don't do Microsoft Windows.
If you really can't imagine why,
then I am not a good fit for your organization.
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Make sure the position matches me on more than one keyword!
Example: Yes, it says Tandem Non-Stop/Guardian and SQL/MP and SQL/MX on my resumé.
I have indeed written non-trivial programs on that platform and they run in
production to this day. That does not mean I want to be a Tandem developer to
exclusion of everything else. Consider the entire skill set, please!
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What I have over my competition
Since age 11 (1981), I have lived and breathed software development,
before it became 'hot' or well-paid, and before there was
a graphical metaphor for anything. Back then, using a computer at all
implied that you also wrote programs for it. I have therefore worked within
all the computing paradigm shifts that have existed since then, and I have remained
current throughout. All this means that it is burned into my brain in a
way that cannot be duplicated in a person who saw their first
computer at a university, or in a person who consciously chose software development
based on some advice or a perceived trend.
Very few people have a comparable degree of understanding of software development..
I give everything I have to my work; all of my
years of amassed knowledge and experience, in
addition to most of my waking thoughts
(and indeed, some of my dreaming thoughts too).
These are some of the things I do to keep myself current.
- I listen, read, and learn, and keep up-to-date through
the best development communities, their
blogs, podcasts, forums, wikis, presentations, papers and videos.
- I share knowledge with colleagues, particularly through
drawing analogies and making connections to other fields of knowledge.
- I get other people excited about the technology we're working with.
This not only makes it fun, but it also motivates others to do
their best work also.
When I don't know something, I DO say so, loud and clear!
There's no benefit to anyone in trying to fake it.
I find software creation the most
stimulating mental activity I have ever found.
Even if I live to be 120 years old, I will not have
enough time to explore and do everything I want in this field.
Resist the temptation to cut corners.
All these fresh young faces lined up around the corner
do not provide the same value proposition as I do.
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