Degrees of Separation

This whole contract renewal thing has shaken things up around here. I was talking to Mrs. Dirpus at dinner the other night and she said that 2006 has been closer to worse and sickness than better and health. It seems I haven't done a good job of leaving the stress of this contract renewal thing at the office. This came up because I am still trying to decide whether to incorporate and work for myself or continue working for someone else. She is afraid if I work for myself, I will be in a constant state of "will I have a job next month". I can see her point. I don't do well with change.

It's looking more and more like the company that bid against us (let's call them "The Empire" and us "The Rebel Alliance") is going to get the contract to do our jobs for the next three years. Our big boss has said not to worry, there will be something for everyone. I don't see it. This project has been the only new contract we've gotten in the last five years. I think I would have to travel a lot for whatever they find for me. I also think I might be one of the lucky ones, because I may have the most seniority of anyone in our local office. I've been there about eight years and with the company almost ten years. From the company's perspective, I'm good to have around because I can do almost anything and I have one of the lower salaries. Those last two things seem to have the opposite relationship from what I would expect. More and more, I'm feeling taken advantage of. I have accepted it because of some semblance of stability and because I am the sole wage earner in our family.

In the last year, my senior project manager left the company and started his own business and I got a new senior project manager that has HER own business. I've talked with both of them quite a bit about, well about everything. I think I'm starting to get a better idea of what I am actually worth to a business and think it's more than what I'm getting. Mrs. Dirpus has been telling me this for years, but I've always been afraid to do anything about it. Circumstances may have forced me to reflect and take action.

So yesterday, I had a meeting with Darth Vader (gratuitous Star Wars reference). He is one of the senior people at the company that bid against us. I recognized his name and it turns out he used to work at one of the local military bases at the same time as me. I actually knew him back then. He flew the jets I programmed (although he was retired from flying by then). We talked about jets, people we used to work with, the Australian Air Force (RAAF), and other non relevant things. The RAAF is the only country still flying those jets. He told me they recently won a bombing competition with those old jets, beating all the USAF's new whiz bang planes. HA! Serves the US right for getting rid of them.

But, I digress.

It seems his company has other opportunities in this area besides the contract they just beat us in winning. It sounds like they have a growing operation locally where I think ours is dying. I told him I was looking to get a significant increase in salary and he thought that was reasonable. We just talked in generalities with no commitments made by anyone because we both have to wait to see how this whole contract thing plays out. We each respected the ethics of the other. It's that old military attitude of avoiding "the appearance of impropriety".

I may have to make a decision as to whom I work for, myself or someone else, fairly soon.

So, the title of this rambling has to do with the fact that I keep running in to people I worked with at the Air Force base twenty years ago. It's funny how that happens. The moral is to be nice to everyone. You may see them again and want them to give you a job.

Does the flow of the Star Wars references make me Luke Skywalker?