The Shrine

<div style='font: 14pt "Times New Roman"; text-align: left; '>I got a call today from a guy at a <a href="http://www.wostmann.com">consulting firm</a> in Juneau offering me an intern programming position. I'd be on probation for 6 months and be getting $14.50/hr, but asuuming I made it past that I'd be getting raises and be making well above the equivalent State levels. Apparently I'll be working a lot with Java and VB.NET, the latter being something I have zilch experience in. Lack of experience didn't seem to hurt me too badly though, because I found out about the position through a friend from college who's working there, and is probably the biggest reason I even had a chance to begin with. Anyhow, I've given myself a month here in Anchorage to get things settled with my roommates and get everything packed or put into storage, and then in October I'm taking off for Juneau.

It's kind of funny how that all worked out. Up until my friend told me about the opening, I had no reason to believe I was going to get anything in my field anytime soon (competition for IT jobs is just as bad in Alaska as anywhere else). But now, it looks like all that will change, and I'll finally be able to get my career off the ground. My plan now is to spend 5 years at the company, and by then I should have enough of a skillset so I can look for jobs outside the state if I wanted to.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt georgia; text-align: left; '>Huh, didnt know you were from Alaska...Id love to visit there sometime. Good luck on the new job :)</div>

<div style='font: 10pt Tahoma; text-align: left; '>You deserved it. You're a cool guy who needed a break in life and i'm glad to see it happen.

My friend in the IT field had a similar experience lately where he was in a job rut only to suddenly get a call from a company who had told him a few months earlier that they were in a hiring freeze and couldnt offer him a job. He thought that was a blow off kind of response, but they called him back and now hes making bucks in Chicago.

Anyways, again, CONGRATS!</div>

<div style='font: 11pt Dominion; text-align: left; '>Glad to hear you got the job man!</div>

<div style='font: 12pt Arial; text-align: left; '>Glad to hear it.</div>

<div style='font: 14pt "Sans Serif"; text-align: justify; padding: 0% 15% 0% 15%; '>Congratulations. It may just be me, but everytime you describe Alaska, it almost seems like you're describing another planet... ;)</div>

<div style='font: 14pt "Times New Roman"; text-align: left; '>Thanks a lot man, I appreciate it.</div>

<div style='font: 14pt "Times New Roman"; text-align: left; '>That's because it may as well *be* another planet compared to the States. ;-)</div>

<div style='font: 14pt "Times New Roman"; text-align: left; '>Yeah it's a nice place, not much on civilization but really big on scenery and such. And thank you.</div>

<div style='font: 14pt "Times New Roman"; text-align: left; '>Thanks.</div>

<div style='font: 14pt "Times New Roman"; text-align: left; '>Thank you, so am I. :-)</div>