Today I'll be walking around
Today I'll be walking around saying "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!" Why? I had a couple days of interviews with Sapient, and I heard today that they decided not to offer me a position. :(
(Warning: rant ahead. These thoughts are fresh in my mind and I'm just putting them down as fast as I think them, if I sound like a bitter old crank, that's why)
They had two issues with me as a prospective employee. One was that they were unsure that I could concentrate on information architecture alone. Right now, I split my time about 60-40 between design and programming. Design is probably my main passion, but I like the variety. You never hear people walking around saying "specialization is the spice of life" do you? In addition to design and programming, I do database stuff, video, audio, write content, and deal with clients. I guess I can't see myself doing one tiny part of web development either, I'm a born multi-tasker. I also have a passion for learning, something I mentioned before, it's what keeps the internet interesting for me. Continued learning about a single topic isn't enough sometimes, and that's a problem for me. I work around that by trying technologies, or seeing how a new protocol can apply to what I do, things of that nature.
The second problem Sapient had with me was that I wasn't enthusiastic about the company. I had four interviews last week (over the course of a single day), and every interviewer asked me at some point "Why Sapient?" The truth was that they called me, I did some background checking on them and heard they were a large company with a good reputation, and that's exactly what I told them. I suppose they wanted me to talk about how impressed with them I am, and how much I hope they succeed, but the truth is from the outside, they're no more special than any other company, and until I worked there for a period of time, I'm not in a position to say whether or not they're doing things right, or doing things that impress me. They're a corporate services firm, which in the grand scheme of things is a real yawner. The one thing I like about my current employer is they're a non-profit doing important things to help people. This is not to say I hate businesses and or that I'm an anti-capitalist or something. What I'm saying is that if an employer requires that I get behind them and everything they do, they have to do something that makes the world a better place, something fulfilling, something that fosters the growth of the internet in a positive manner, something that encourages communication, sharing of ideas, something that helps out the human race. I honestly can't see Sapient doing that. They're a corporate services firm, and there's nothing too earth shattering or mind blowing. I'm sorry, but life is much too short to become blindly loyal to a corporation.