Leaving A Job You Like Sucks

Looks like my time at Sun Microsystems is up. I start at Intuit next week.

I really did enjoy working at Sun. The technology is great, the issues are interesting, and the people are terrific. At the end there are a few bumps, as management is upset that I'm leaving, but this is understandable.

Why am I leaving? Go do your homework as to how Sun is doing in it's core markets, and all the new areas it's trying to enter. Look at the stock price over the last 4-5 years.

You only have so much time on this mortal coil. What do you want to invest your life in?

In the end, I want to be a part of something that's growing.

My previous company, OMM was a microcosm of what I'm talking about. I was there for three years. During the times OMM was growing, there was a constant buzz of excitement, and you came to work with a passion to be part of something that was going places. The last year at OMM was increasingly difficult, in terms of morale. The issues and people were still great, but the company wasn't going anywhere, and although I still enjoyed going to work, at the end of the day there I had to ask myself "What am I doing"?

No, Sun is not going out of business. It has the money, client base, technology and brainpower to prevent that quite easily.

My hope is that Sun comes roaring back, but I'm not going to keep investing my time there. If I've learned anything about investing, it's that you can't stick with an investment based upon hope, as there are better things you could be doing with your resources.

So...farewell, Sun. You'll always have a place in my heart.