A job!
Jan 19, 03:18 PM by Eric Allen
A little over a month ago I announced that I’m on track to graduate in May. Well, much has happened since then! A couple of weeks ago I signed on at Sauce Labs an awesome company in San Francisco doing automated web application testing. I am totally stoked to be starting there in June after I finish up at RPI. I’ll be doing some part-time work for them during the semester to get up to speed so I can hit the ground running in June. It’s an awesome team working on some really cool products that I feel lucky to be part of.
The next step is finding a place to live. I’ve done the commuter thing, even all the way from San Jose to San Francisco, a few times before, but this time I’m determined to live reasonably close to where I work. I’ve already started working out my personal budget, and mom is giving me a hand hunting for apartments. It’s too early to be signing leases, but I want to get an idea of the landscape. I’m thinking right now I’d prefer to live with at least one roommate, but my sister suggested getting a studio to myself. I’m still undecided, but I have a few months to think about it. I’m so excited to be living in San Francisco.
Between now and June I have a whirlwind of activity. First, I have to finish off the rest of the classes required for my degree. Then, there’s my independent study working on Computer.Build to satisfy the Computer Science I requirement. On top of that I’ll be doing RCOS for the third semester in a row. Somehow I’m finding a way to squeeze in part-time work for Sauce Labs, skiing, and time for my girlfriend in between everything else. Oh, and I’m taking Basic Drawing, too! It’s going to be a packed semester, but it’s worth it. I really feel like it’s time for me to move on from academic life and into the real world, and my path for the near future seems to be set. Onward!
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Surprise!
Dec 7, 01:17 PM by Eric Allen
I went to RubyConf this year. As it so happened, the conference fell on the weekend before Thanksgiving, and only a few miles from my parents’ house! With a page of paperwork, I was officially excused from classes for Thursday, Friday, Monday, and Tuesday, and I moved forward with my surprise. I didn’t tell my parents I’d be home for Thanksgiving, and I showed up on their doorstep on the evening of the 18th. Much to my surprise, though, they weren’t home!! Mom was at work, and dad was staying in San Francisco for an early class the following day. What a surprise for me! Anyway, I had a great time in California spending time with my family and friends and catching up with my network.
Speaking of surprises, I’ve got one for you: I’m graduating this May. For those of you who’ve been counting, yes, that’s only three years from when I started. I’m a bit leery of making an announcement prematurely, but it’s time for me to commit. I’m doing RPI in three years. Why? Well, mostly because I can, but if you want more details you can get in touch with me directly. I’ll be taking some classes in January over Winter Break, and I should be completely done with my undergraduate education by May 2010. That means I suddenly find myself job hunting! Here I was looking for an internship this summer, and suddenly I’m staring down the barrel of getting a Real Job. Of course, my roots are in the San Francisco Bay Area, and it’s unlikely I’ll land anywhere else. I’m coming home!
I never used to get sick!
Oct 19, 11:11 PM by Eric Allen
Over the last two weeks, I’ve had pneumonia back-to-back with one of the worst colds I’ve suffered in years. The only good news is that I don’t have swine flu! Yet… I never used to get sick like this! I don’t know if it’s the weather, the stress, the food, the lack of exercise, or what, but it’s really starting to get to me. It’s hard to plan things when there’s a good chance you’ll be bedridden at some point. What is happening to me?!
Busy yet again
Sep 26, 09:51 PM by Eric Allen
This semester was supposed to be a chill semester. What happened?? I thought I had everything I was going to work on all planned out ahead of time, but much like last Fall it’s been a whirlwind of trying things and moving on. I think I’ve finally settled down to a reasonable set of activities: RCOS, another Undergraduate Research Project working on a economics simulation game, blogging, UPAC Sound, and investing. I’m also working on several entries to RPI’s first elevator pitch competition, happening some time in October. My homework load is higher than ever, and it looks like I’ll be adding another (small) class as of next Wednesday: Tech Launch Pad, a class that came out of an 11-week intensive entrepreneurship program last summer. Oh, and I almost forgot: I’m re-kindling the Entrepreneurship Club at RPI with the help of a friend.
Even with all of those things going on, I still make time for my girlfriend and get good grades. School is short, and I want to get the most I can from it. I won’t sacrifice quality of life or my future just to maximize return on investment, though. You’ve gotta enjoy the journey.
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