Don't Come Back

I'm in La Quinta, CA where it's 93ºF at 9:45PM.  There is a well-known historic resort here where Art & Logic is having their annual conference.  This is my last day of work.  Tonight at the final dinner by the waterfall the president of the company approached me by the dessert buffet and said, "don't come back."

Working for Art & Logic is pretty much a dream job.  Developers work from home, share administrative and managerial duties, and are more or less treated like gods.  The client list is long and attractive, we have a great reputation, and the presidents behave like doting fathers.  I have never once experienced a moment when I felt that my common sense was being undermined.  At times, clients have a tendency to stretch their expectations too far, but the management team at A&L are experts at handling these issues and the development teams are thusly insulated from stupidity (usually).

Many have asked why I am leaving such a cool job to return to school and incur an enormous debt while I clearly posses the wherewithal to have a successful career as a software engineer.  The answer is simple: passion.  I have a passion for audio technology and I want to make it the focus of my career.  I have great ideas and I was to turn them into products.  I am mystified by the rigorous mathematics in DSP, and need to understand it.  That's exactly how Paul felt back in the dark ages.  He told me he is jealous because I have the opportunity start at the beginning, to pursue my passion, and to never lose sight of why I got into engineering the first place.  If he were to live vicariously through me, it would be his chance to do it all over.

So that's why he gave me some of the best advice I've ever received: "Don't come back."