Saying goodbye to VMS, on the job at least, temporarily at least

[Galen Tackett]

You may have seen me mention this on c.o.v but it looks like I will soon be moving to some yet to be found position elsewhere in Booz Allen which will almost certainly not involve VMS. This after roughly 25 years knowing and appreciating VMS (though I was away from it for a couple years in there).

I do have a DS10 VMS V8.3 hobbyist system at home (plus simH and PersonalAlpha) so I'm not saying goodbye completely to VMS.

And if the program I'm with gets re-funded later this year, as expected, I may have a good shot at coming back before TOO long.

In any case I expect to be present here (ITRC) and at comp.os.vms for the long term. Plus my not so active VMS blog at http://galens-vms.blogspot.com/

I have seen some prospects for work with VMS but all outside the company and most requiring relocation. Booz Allen's reputation for being a great place to work and a great place to advance one's career is very well earned, so it's hard to want to leave here. And I don't want to move the family if it can be avoided.

Of course, there's the old rule that can't be ignored:

Some income in is better than no income.

Galen

[Since the subject here is more personal than technical II will award just 1 point to anyone's initial response here. UNLESS you offer me a job :-)

[Jan van den Ende]

Galen,

good luck while away, and I hope we will be able to welcome you back before too long.

Then again, your reason is preferable to mine: a Dotter treatment & getting a stent are also very capable of keeping one off site. (and off of ANY site at that!

Let's make it a little competiton who returns to VMS the earlier, OK?

In the mean time:

Proost.

Have one on me.

jpe

[Galen Tackett]

Jan,

Thanks for your thoughts. Likewise I send my hopes of a speedy recovery to you.

Galen

P.S. to others: I know, I said "one point" but I gave Jan an extra one because 1) He was the first, and 2) He's recuperating. :-)

[Paul Beaudoin]

Galen (and others)

A recent encouraging (and on topic) story:

A friend of mine left the VMS world maybe 5 years ago and pursued something outside IT. Last year he contacted me about any available VMS jobs. I felt the need to advise him to look to Linux or some other more mainstream OS to increase his chances of landing a job. I think I used the phrase 'uphill struggle'. Recently he landed a plumb VMS job in a big company and moved to Switzerland. I was very happy to be wrong this time.
Paul

[Wim Van den Wyngaert]

I'll be next by the end of 2009.

Wim