New job (or Why I'm crazy)

So, there are certainly a lot of people out there who know this, but perhaps some who don't.  When I was in college at Gonzaga University, I not only got a degree in Computer Engineering with a minor in CS, I also went through the Hogan Entrepreneurial Leadership Program.  The Hogan Program is a four-year program that focuses on teaching entrepreneurship to a select group of students.  While there were certain areas of the program that can be improved upon, the lessons I learned from the program have been essential to my current path in life.

The reason I enrolled into the program in the first place is because I've wanted to start my own business for a long time.  My dad did it when I was young, and that experience never left me.  Being around that left me with a sense of determination that most people never get.  Even today, I still fully intend to start a company that develops video games (and this website is somewhat critical to that effort).

Anyway, the time since college hasn't really helped in a lot of ways.  The economy certainly had an effect since by the time I tried to get a good job in my field, most companies were playing it safe.  I had an initial intention of starting a company with my dad, but by the time I had graduated and was ready to get going on it, I had lost all motivation to pursue it.  The thing about startups is that if you don't really love the idea, it will never happen.  So I ended up getting a part-time testing video games before I managed to get my current job at Boeing.

After being here for a year, it has become painfully obvious that big companies are just not for me at all.  I thought I could endure it for a few years, wait for the economy to bounce back, then move into a smaller company like I had originally intended.  But no, at the start of the year I was already starting a search for another job.

And last week, the stars aligned for me.

There is a new startup in the area called Ivycorp, which "employs" several people I've worked with in the past.  I say "employ" because there is no real money in it yet, most people are working for stock.  After talking to them, I have agreed to also join, with the intention of becoming a full-time employee after they acquire funding.

So for the present, I will be working for them, for no pay, on the weekends when I'm not doing my paying job.  The first thing I'll be working on will be in mobile phone apps, so that's an exciting new area for me to dive into.

Why am I crazy to do this?  Well, with the time I'll be committing to Ivycorp, the hours I'll be working for the next few weeks will be upwards of 70 hours per week.  Sacrifices will have to be made, but I'm hoping that the time invested will be well worth it.  The company has very strong potential (I'm not at liberty to talk about the details), so I'm hoping that it will be a place I get to spend a good amount of time at.  More than anything, this opportunity is several steps toward my ultimate goals, and I'm ready to take the risk necessary to get on the path.