Home Sweet Home - Boise

Last week I signed a letter of acceptance for an offer of employment with a small, privately held company here in Boise. I will assume a position there as a Senior Software Engineer upon my severance from Micron and will help in the development of their core software products which are marketed to law enforcement and national defense agencies. Yes, I'm avoiding the mention of the company's name because I'm not sure they would prefer to have it appear on my blog if a customer were to do a Google search on it.

This job has been an answer to prayer for Sharon and I. In fact, the entire arrangement has God's fingerprints all over it. I first got the lead on this job last summer when the first talks of outsourcing began and before I knew that I would be selected. The lead came through some of Sharon's youth leaders who were friends with one of the company's owners. They were looking for a good C++ developer in the future during their company's next growth phase. When I learned last October that I would be outsourced, I contacted them and began the process that ultimately ended in the offer of employment.

With the possible exception of my first job out of college, I don't think I ever been so excited about a new job. Everyone I have met at this company has been a top-notch individual. It is obvious to me that they truly care about their employees and their customers which is something I haven't experienced in a long while. So how do I know they're top-notch? Well… Ask me in person and I'll be happy to share the details.

I've been very blessed to have secured employment here in Boise given how many people are looking for jobs and how few are available. Sharon and I were concerned that we might be compelled to leave the area in order for me to find suitable employment but just couldn't see how this could be God's plan for us given the ministry opportunities he had lead us into. We are overjoyed to have an answer to our prayers and amazed by how God has taken a set of grim circumstances and brought to a much better place than we were before.

Thank you Lord. I am very humbled by your care for us. Please help me to be a blessing to my new employer.

The Adventure Begins

The picture I have associated with this blog entry shows a map of the country of India. Why is India on my mind? I'm glad you asked. India is on my mind because some fortunate person there will have my job this time next year if all goes according to my company's plans. Yesterday I received notice that my job was being outsourced effective September, 16th 2008.

Now, please don't get me wrong. I bear no ill will toward anyone in India. While I am certainly troubled by the loss of my job and the loss of many American jobs, I am glad that people in a poverty stricken country like India are able to find lucrative employment in the high-tech sector. Good for them.


So, where do I go from here? I'm glad you asked. The truth is, I don't know. Depending on how things work out this could be either one of the most difficult challenges I've had to deal with or one of the greatest blessings. No matter the outcome though, I know that God will take care of me and my family.


So far it has felt like a blessing. Yesterday I received calls from my family and my good friends who wanted me to know that they loved me and were praying for me. Their compassion and encouragement has lifted my spirits. It's going to be a difficult year of transition no matter what the outcome a year from now and I need the love and support of my friends and family.


Thanks for listening.

The Pruning Axe

The axe fell yesterday at my company (Micron Technology, Inc.). Although a lot of good people lost their jobs, it looks like I will be able to retain mine for now. I felt like I needed to say something in my blog since I mentioned that I was struggling with this issue. Now that I am on the other side I am not sure what to say. There are a lot of thoughts and emotions behind them.

I was very relieved that it was not me that was laid off but I was saddened for those who were. They were people like me with families, financial obligations, and future plans. Some of them I have worked with for years. The company will be poorer without them.

The future of the industry and Micron are uncertain. It is obvious that Micron cannot continue with “business as usual” and will have to make significant changes in order to compete against companies in foreign markets with lower labor costs, litigation costs, etc. The handwriting on the wall would seem to suggest that a lot of jobs will be outsourced to lower cost providers both domestic and foreign. My personal speculation is that the future for operational jobs is grim. It just doesn’t seem likely that Micron will invest the dollars necessary to upgrade the Boise fabs to make them cost competitive. Eventually the fabs will become too costly to operate, resulting in more lost jobs which would really hurt the local economy. Boise is just too small to easily absorb such a significant loss of jobs.

One thing that I have learned from this is the necessity of embracing change. Like companies, people need to be able to adapt to change. When we don’t we lose our effectiveness. To personalize it: I need to embrace change. I’ve always felt very secure in my profession but now I realize more than ever that nothing is certain. In fact, it is very uncertain and I must make changes to adapt to a shifting market.

More importantly, I’ve been reminded that I must depend more on God and less on myself. As with Job, I recognize that all I own and depend on for my security can be suddenly swept away. Only my relationship with God is lasting and worthy of my dependence. I can trust in Him to supply all of my needs.