January, 2010! Just three months shy of ten years in retirement for Dale Carringer. And, I’ve had a great 10 years! My wife of 43 years and I have traveled a lot. I did a lot of volunteer work. I took up woodworking. I played a lot of golf and most importantly, I slept late most every day (I’m a night owl). I should note here that I’m much better at making furniture than playing golf. But what I’m about to do now is likely to be the most challenging and exciting thing I’ve ever done. To say the least, I’m raising some eyebrows amongst my friends. Let me back up a little here and try to explain.
I started my career in Cleveland, OH as a second shift computer operator (trainee) in 1966. I got that job with the help of a placement firm. Just out of school I really had no idea how to go about finding a job. I saw their ad on a window and I went in. They sent me on but a single interview and I landed the job. Then, I discovered there was a fee and it was to be paid be me! But, what was I to do. I needed the work. I took the job, paid the fee and continued my employment with that first employer for six years, during which my career advanced to Programmer, Programmer Analyst, Systems Analyst and Computer Operations Manager. It was a typically large “big blue” operation.
Then the lure of the homeland brought me back to Atlanta, GA where with the aid of another recruiting agency, I got a job with a company owned by Eastern Airlines. It was a startup company with a big budget and an even bigger business plan. We were going to build a bunch of warehouses around the US and sell warehousing and freight distribution services. I joined a design and development team whose commitment to deliver the supporting software/hardware solution was exemplary. But, alas, the big budget proved not big enough to outlast the recession that had ensued.
With the help of another placement agency I landed a job as the Systems Manager for a manufacturer and retailer of ladies hosiery. That was great job and I worked with some wonderful and talented people. That is, all accept for one. As it happened I had been hired by a manager who lived in another state. His organizational peer was the Data Center Manager in their Atlanta office and these two gentlemen didn’t care too much for each other. (My staff and I were tenants in his data center). About three years later there was an organizational restructuring which removed my boss from the power structure. You’ve probably figured it out already. Yes, the Data Center Manager was promoted; making him my manager and he just didn’t like me very much either! So I was fired! Wow. That was a shock. I’d never been fired before. I had the unfortunate experience of having to terminate others in my career, but I had never been fired! My prevailing thought, “what do I do now?”
Fortunately, I was working in a good marketplace with a good economy. I called a recruiter in an agency which I had used previously to help me hire several IT people. He didn’t have anything for me immediately, but he did have a short term “contracting” assignment with a major bank. It was basically a clerical job of populating a Data Element Dictionary. Hey, it helped keep the mortgage paid so I eagerly took the assignment. It was one of those assignments that the bank’s own employees didn’t want to do so they “contracted” it out. That little assignment was a “no brainer”, requiring very little skill, but a lot of time. They never told me, nor did I have the good sense to ask when I was supposed to have the assignment completed. So, I just worked hard till I finished. As it happens, the Bank client was ecstatic. Turns out that little job was supposed to take me about six months to finish and I had managed to complete it in less than three.
I found out something about this job of “contracting” – I liked it! I really did. Just do your work. “Stack the wood” so to speak and get paid very well for it.
Then a recruiter called me one weekend while I was still on assignment to the bank. He wanted me to join his consulting company in Detroit, MI. I did not hesitate to accept the job. This privately held and rapidly growing consulting firm had a consulting engagement with an automotive client with whom they placed me. That assignment with the automotive firm was the beginning of a most challenging and rewarding career.
While I was thoroughly enjoying my consulting career, my well satisfied client and my equally satisfied employer were conspiring to elevate my duties to include those of Recruiter and Account Manager. I now had responsibilities for recruiting, personnel supervision and sales representation to this client. The personnel supervision and recruiting duties were quite familiar to me. However, this thing of Account Management (sales) was certainly a new wrinkle. Turns out I had a gift for it and what’s more, I loved it! From there my career in the IT consulting business took off. I was extracted from the front line consulting ranks and given direct sales responsibility.
After a few years of great success I was promoted to Atlanta Branch, then Southeast Regional management. It was that position in 2000 from which I retired at the age of 55. You see, that small private company had grown greatly and when we went public my employee stock options were suddenly worth a lot – enough for early retirement.
The idea of early retirement didn’t just come to me overnight. I always had the idea in the back of my head that the smart thing for one to do would be to retire early, travel around, spend a lot of time with the grandchildren then go back to work for the rest of their lives at around the age 65. The problem was, “what does one do at the age of 65 that an employer would seek to employ?” That was foremost among my questions.
Once again, I was in the right place at the right time. During the last six or seven years of my career (before retirement), I had a neighbor who was a “freelance recruiter” (a headhunter). He worked out of his home and his territory was worldwide. He did quite well and I always thought that his was the kind of career I should pursue should I ever choose to do something in my retirement years. Among the many benefits are: flexible work hours, little overhead, work from home if I prefer and there is no age limit ceiling. I like working with IT professionals, therefore, a career in recruiting IT management personnel seemed a logical choice in post-retirement careers. For me, much better than a career passing out shopping carts at Walmart.
So, there you have it. Four decades on the back of a napkin! I’m not quitting retirement, but I am embarking on a new career. As it turns out, once again I am most fortunate to be in the right place at the right time. Good friends of mine are well established in the online recruitment business. Check out Harry Joiner at ECommerceRecruiter.com. I am joining Harry’s organization to some extent. I won’t be working for Harry, but I will be taking advantage of facilities and services he has already developed, not the least of which is an excellent high-tech recruitment business model. You may have heard of him; THE Marketing Headhunter.
So if you look at my background, you can see I have gained a broad exposure to IT management and the challenging it faces. I have worked with a lot of companies during my career and I have a pretty good understanding of the diversities in business cultures and the pressures under which the IT department finds itself today. Technology is advancing exponentially. Businesses are placing greater demands on their IT departments to help place them in the best competitive position possible. And, do all this with less people and in much less time.
So, there you have it! I’m changing my retirement plan to include a whole new career. Perhaps you’ll want to bookmark the AtlantaRecruiters.com website and watch how I do. I’m really excited about my new career.
