I mentioned previously that I was looking to get back into the job market after a break lasting a few months. I had no idea that it was going to go so well, but particularly with the start of the new year, there's a lot out there. I have one formal offer, one informal and possibly another tomorrow. It's so crazy.
There are a couple of reasons the jobs are coming to me. The first is that there is a serious shortage of qualified .NET developers in the Cleveland and Akron market. I don't know why that is, but part of the going theory is that Progressive (the auto insurer) is hoarding most of them. Seeing as how I used to be one of them, and with nothing to even do at the time, I think that's certainly possible. They pay a ton too, and kind of set what the market will accept in terms of compensation.
The other thing is that when I got laid-off in 2001, I made the decision to seriously buy into Microsoft's vision of using the .NET Framework as the next big thing. It was only beta at that point, but it seemed interesting and I had lots of time on my hands. As it turns out, that was a good decision. By getting into it so early, I acquired something you can't fake... time. No one can say they have more experience in terms of time because it didn't exist any earlier than the time I got involved. It also gave me more time to make the leap to the OO platform, which for former script monkeys isn't easy, me included.
The architect I talked to today was like, "Isn't it great to be in demand?" Yes, it is nice, but I honestly find myself feeling a little guilty about the whole thing. While a lot of my situation can be attributed to my own actions, some of it is luck too. A lot of people can't afford to take months off of work, and struggle to find a job. I'm very, very thankful that I've had this opportunity, and I don't take it for granted at all.
I hope I make the right decision.