Adobe Fever

A couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, one of Brian's old co-workers invited him to have lunch with him and a few people from his team at Adobe. Though Brian wasn't looking to change jobs, he decided to go check it out. He came home more excited about anything work wise than I'd seen him in a while. The very next week--not even a full 7 days after the lunch--Brian met with them for an official interview, complete with a technical interview. I was invited to tour the campus. It was all very, very exciting. Adobe has been on Brian's list for a long time of a place he was interested in working for, and all of a sudden, we had an amazing job offer sitting in our laps! We were both reeling--especially Brian.

But, we were torn. His job at AC had treated us very well over the last four years, and they immediately offered to match what Adobe was offering. Brian had lots of friends there, lots of responsibility that he felt bad about walking away from, lots of recognition, and lots of excitement with a rumored acquisition coming up that could mean potential for much, much more. He also had an office--and the move would mean going to very crowded cubicles. Yet, Adobe was a dream job of sorts, and he was going to get to basically keep his work title of software architect (but have it at a much bigger, more recognizable company).  It seemed like a career no-brainer. But we had a lot of loyalty to AC, and we were basically making a decision based on two unknowns. So, what do you do when the pros and cons lists seem to be even? Ask the One who knows what is best, who sees the bigger picture.

We prayed and felt really good about going to Adobe. We decided that we wouldn't haggle over salaries and signing bonuses; we knew it was the right thing to do, and it felt nice to not have it be about money.

In the weeks following that decision, we felt incredibly blessed. Things at Brian's company started looking really, really scary. The rumored acquisition didn't pan out, and the day after Brian officially announced that he was leaving the company (around the 2nd of December), 25 or more people were laid off. In the months since then, more and more key people have left. The company has completely changed since Brian left, and we feel so grateful that the Lord opened up this opportunity for Brian. Whenever we stop and think about it all, we are completely humbled by His goodness, and we wonder why He blesses us so much.

Meanwhile, Brian absolutely loves working at Adobe. He comes home everyday so excited about everything going on there. He talks my ear off every night at dinner, and I love having him so enthusiastic about work again. He really needed a change, and I'm glad that he got one that didn't require us to move. Adobe is all about keeping their employees happy. They have a room filled with computers used strictly for GAMING! Yup, that's right, video games. So, if Brian is stuck with a problem he can't figure out, he heads down to play a game and clear his head. They also have music rooms--at least one with a grand piano and guitars. I'm not sure what all they have. I could go on.

It's been a little rocky on my end adjusting to his new job. He's closer to home, but usually gets home about the same time because of traffic. New insurance cards. New benefits. Different ways of doing things. But, we're finally getting into a good groove, and I realized the other day that this job change is a huge event in our life that needed to be documented. Hence this post. We're both so grateful for Brian's old co-worker---now renewed co-worker/boss for recruiting Brian and giving him Adobe Fever.