Old Job Blues

[preserver3.livejournal.com]

So, I left my old job as a Senior Developer/Senior Admin/Architect type guy almost 3 months ago and I get a call from old boss.

Old Boss: Hey, how's it going, do you remember how to deploy to production?
Me: Yeah, I wrote it down as handouts for everyone, put it in the Wiki and trained OtherEmployee1 and OtherEmployee2 how to do it in a big training session my last week.
OB: Can you send it real quick.
Me: Sure, I remember it, it's like 5 steps, including checking out the code, building with the scripts I left and deploying with same. As long as you're QAing on the QA boxes first should be fine.
OB: Thanks this is a big help
Me: You mean there's been no releases since I left?
OB: >>>long pause>>>> No.
Me: what about OtherEmployee1 and OtherEmployee2? What about the notes? What have all of the other programmers been doing? What happened?
OB: We haven't been getting much done since you left.



The biggest head desk for me is that it means I fundamentally failed as an architect. I didn't make a system that would run without me. The next head desk is that I still remembered the stupid names of all of the servers in the process.

There is no escape from old projects except new phone numbers.

Comments

[kizayaen.livejournal.com]

Oh man. I woulda been talking about crippling consulting fees after having heard that they haven't had a single release since you left and were that desperate.

[jecook]

+ eleventy bazillion.

one place that fired me had the balls to ask me about two-three week later if I knew the password for this one lady's computer.

The first line out of my mouth was "would you like to hear my consultancy fees?"

They eventually got a thing out of me that the customer herself should know what the admin password is- She was the one who set it.

[kizayaen.livejournal.com]

I have gotten, in particular, boned by trying to be helpful after conclusion of my period-of-hire. After my last day people were calling me at my new job (on my cell, naturally, not my office line) asking for passwords and procedures and file locations.

When I brought up the possibility of some manner of recompensation for nearly a week of phone support, the VP of IT emailed back that perhaps we could have worked something out ahead of time but of course everyone knows I was just doing the "honorable" thing. I was never aware that "honorable" equals "free". And then, when they accidentally overpaid me on my final paycheck, they debited the ENTIRE PAYCHECK automatically from my bank account with some vague promise to resubmit a revised paycheck later.

I discovered this when all of a sudden my debit card stopped working while I was vacationing in Las Vegas, due to funds which I had just verified a day or two, suddenly not being present anymore. Ended up costing me close to $250 in NSF fees.

[misfit4leaf.livejournal.com]

I'd be $uing their asses off.

[jecook]

Yep. I didn't want to be a *total* ass, but I was not my usual kind and helpful self.

[kizayaen.livejournal.com]

Not even remotely close to worth it. Small claims get filed under the jurisdiction of the defendant, which means I'd have to travel from Georgia to Pennsylvania to file and then again for any court appearance that came up. Lawyer fees, filing fees, etc. etc. Sure you'd be able to include the costs in any penalties you then asked for, but in the meantime they come out of your pocket.

Not worth $250.

[donnaidh-sidhe.livejournal.com]

Wow. I assume they did the "honourable" thing and paid you back including the fees.

[kizayaen.livejournal.com]

Nope. Honour is a one way street and only employees should be honourable.

[attackgypsy.livejournal.com]

First words out of my mouth would be "My consultant fees are $5000.00 US, non-negotiable, paid up front, and when its in my account, then I will release it. Our conversation is now concluded. Thank you, and have a nice day."

[misfit4leaf.livejournal.com]

Yeah well, that's true. I'd still give them a strong talking to.

[sethb.livejournal.com]

The Department of Labor ought to be interested in the fact that they didn't pay you.

Of course, once they mention "honor", you state your billing rates of $250/hour, 1 hour minimum billing, and that any phone call from a company employee asking about anything on their system counts as acceptance of that rate.

Or just demand payment in advance.

[ghostdandp.livejournal.com]

I charge $120/hour for consulting to any previous jobs. I mention this during my exit interview.

There have been weeks I've made more money consulting then I did working for the companies.

[mouser.livejournal.com]

In my case I let them know my replacement and my exboss (who I like - not his call to let me go) could call me "for a reasonable amount of time."


I knew they wouldn't call because they were VERY afraid of me when they let me go. Odd, since I didn't care enough about them to do other then let the screw themselves over.

(I still got calls from the "Can you help me with my home computer?" until they find out I'm now four states over...)

[http://users.livejournal.com/hub_/]

As the other said. Quote for consulting first.

I don't think you fail. They did fail. You did what you could including writing a documentation. If they are unable to even use them, it is their fault.

Just out of curiosity, did they let you go or did you leave by yourself? Because in the first case, ahem, no comment.... (what I'd think about them).

[preserver3.livejournal.com]

A better job found me, and recruited me out of it. I worked notice with a significant amount of uncompensated overtime to make sure the holes were filled in, and left on good terms. IT is a small, small world and you'd be surprised at the number of resumes I've reviewed of people who left positions where they were my co-workers and did not give a notice, that I simply toss into the shredder.

I like to feel confident that with one or two notable exceptions, I "could" go back to old jobs and work again.

[major-error.livejournal.com]

Hey, you did your job by training replacements and leaving documentation! Not your fault they have problems now...
And now some appropriate quotes:

Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning. --Richard Cook

The mind is like the stomach. It not how much you put into it, but how much it digests. --Albert Jay Nock

There is a great difference between knowledge and intelligence.

Knowledge has never been known to enter the head via an open mouth.