xwave on a roll

I noticed my former employer xwave has been doing well lately. They've posted more jobs in the last two months than in the previous three years.

I've sometimes wondered about leaving xwave. I wonder how things would have turned out if I'd stayed there. It was a good place to work and I was well treated there. I didn't leave for any real good reason. It was kind of a strange time, around mid 2001. Like most IT companies, xwave went from high flying to struggling. They did their first round of layoffs in the former PRIOR office on Spring Garden Road. For myself though, I didn't have anything substantial to complain about. I just had it in my mind to make a change.

I've done well with my current employer. It's a good job and I'm happy with it. I'm not looking. The work is interesting and the cubicles are nice. They bring in free lunch and snacks often. Still, the jury is still out on if the xwave jump was really a good move. Perhaps it always will be out. Now if my employer's stock price would rise a few ticks and get those options nicely into the black then that might bring about a decisive verdict.

If you're thinking about leaving your job then I'd suggest to consider this

• Don't quit to make a lateral move. Don't go from programmer at company A to programmer at company B. Get ahead in more ways than salary.
• In general, don't quit a good job.

Where I work, I know of people who quit to go somewhere else, then asked to come back after things didn't work out as hoped with the new company. You can always keep your job and be unhappy, at least you're gaining seniority and accumulating benefits.