Moving right along…

Wow. It’s been over seven years since I last wrote a post like this one. I have resigned from Wotif (almost three weeks ago now) and am taking up the carefree life of the independent contractor. Should be a blast. In between, I’m enjoying some downtime and recharging.

I’ve got a lot of mixed feelings from my time at Wotif. Hardly surprising, really – seven years is too long to be at one place to not develop some negative feelings. Overall, though, I got to say it was a pretty decent place to work. I worked with some great people and some truly memorable folk, and I learnt lessons from them that I’ll take with me forever. Nowhere else have I had the opportunity to work on the one suite of products for so long, to see it grow and evolve and to be a major contributor to that. It was a unique set of challenges that will never be replicated.

I’m moving on because it’s time. The baggage builds up, and it gets harder to be objective about things – that’s just an aspect of life. Wotif changed a lot while I was there; the development team of seven, working together in the one space, grew to eight teams of about fifty scattered across four offices in two countries, the company went public, there were multiple acquisitions, large scale integrations, obstacles, and hurdles. And at the end, those changes wore me down. So – time to make a big change to sweep the little changes aside. 🙂

Wotif was and is a good place to work with some very smart people. If that sounds like your bag, and you’re interested, they are hiring – drop them a line and see if they’ll suit you.

As for me – I’m looking forward to contracting for a while. Got my first job lined up, and can’t wait to start – it’s a chance to meet a whole new group of great people and memorable folks. And if you think you’d like to have me work with you, drop me a line.

Author: Robert Watkins

My name is Robert Watkins. I am a software developer and have been for over 18 years now. I currently work for people, but my opinions here are in no way endorsed by them (which is cool; their opinions aren’t endorsed by me either). My main professional interests are in Java development, using Agile methods, with a historical focus on building web based applications. I’m also a Mac-fan and love my iPhone, which I’m currently learning how to code for. I live and work in Brisbane, Australia, but I grew up in the Northern Territory, and still find Brisbane too cold (after 16 years here). I’m married, with two children and one cat. My politics are socialist in tendency, my religious affiliation is atheist (aka “none of the above”), my attitude is condescending and my moral standing is lying down. View all posts by Robert Watkins