I'm back early!
If you can believe it, I was laid off from a summer internship. My colleague (and fellow Austinite) Will Leverett wrote up the situation, and I think most of us would agree with his assessment. The product was seriously flawed, and the transatlantic offices were almost inevitably suspicious of one another, but by and large, we all liked the people we directly worked with.
The last days at the office, after the layoff bomb had been dropped, were somewhat cathartic. People had stressed for weeks or months over the future of their jobs. But now, at least, they knew the deal, and could move forward. Spirits were surprisingly raised. Former employees back in Colorado are still meeting up for margaritas at lunch and spending afternoons on LinkedIn collecting contacts and recommendations.
I, for one, was able to come back to California, a place I missed more than I thought. During my eight weeks in Boulder, I learned that I took a hell of a lot of things for granted here, including the weather, the location, the local culture, a whole lot of food, and the people. The California atmosphere in general, if you will. Boulder's a beautiful place - and I should take a second to thank my generous Colorado hosts - but I felt in my heart that I wouldn't be happy there long-term. The drive across western Colorado, however, finally sold me on the state, and I'm looking forward to the day when I can spend Christmas snowboarding in Vail.
I've been back for five days now, and it just feels right. I've gotten to go running at the park, I've laid by the pool, I've slept in my own bed, cooked in my own kitchen, seen a few awesome people, gone out in LA's Little Tokyo, and of course, eaten at Tajima. Things here are just as I've made them over the last year, and that's intensely satisfying.
You may notice I don't sound too distressed about losing my job. I'm not. For an internship, I did what I came to do: get in the door and establish some solid contacts. Financially, it's not too much worse to be unemployed. I was paid decently in Colorado, but I was paying rent at two places and eating out every day, so I may as well be dipping into savings from a beach here. Emotionally, there's no pain at all. It's just not the kind of thing I would take personally. That's a necessary attitude for the games industry, given how entrepreneurial it is.
I had a quick talk with my boss on the way out of town. He asked if, after this experience, I'd stay in the games industry. My answer: "Hell yes."