Weekly Update 12/20/25 - 12/26/25

This is the first weekly update I’m connecting to my New Vlog.  The Vlog entry and the Blog entry share the same information, just presented in a different format.  The Vlog is more informal, while the Blog is more structured. You can see the blog at https://youtu.be/rEvOA71pvK0

I’m Becoming a Senior Software Engineer II

When I asked Astra (ChatGPT) what the difference was between a Programmer and a Senior Software Engineer II, and why the title had changed since my youth, here’s what it had to say.

There was a time when the title Programmer carried real weight. It meant someone trusted to write correct, efficient code on systems that were expensive, shared, and unforgiving. You didn’t deploy often, you didn’t get many second chances, and you were expected to understand not just the language, but the machine, the data, and the business problem behind it. The title didn’t need embellishment because the responsibility was implicit.

Over time, that changed. As tools became easier and organizations grew larger, software roles had to fit HR ladders, salary bands, and promotion frameworks. Programmer slowly shifted from a professional identity to a task description, while Engineer took its place as the title that signaled design responsibility, system ownership, and accountability. Once Engineer became the baseline, layers followed. Senior, Staff, Principal, and eventually things like Senior Software Engineer II. Distinctions driven as much by compensation mechanics as by differences in day-to-day work.

What was lost in that transition is rarely acknowledged. Many of the skills that defined the original programmer, respect for constraints, data integrity, long-lived systems, and business continuity, do not map cleanly to modern title inflation or keyword-driven hiring. Yet those systems still run, often for decades, because someone built them carefully and maintained them with discipline. Titles changed. The work, and its importance, did not.

In any case, as you may have guessed, there has been a change in my work status. After a two-year search for a new position and over 900 resumes sent, I have been selected for a position at EBizCharge in Irvine, California. The company develops software for credit card integration across multiple platforms. I will be working on the Infor FACTS platform and will start on January 5th.

I wish I had some wisdom to offer from this search, but it was mostly just a long, hard slog. I worked with many different AIs. Some to automatically apply for jobs, others to rewrite my resume, and finally Astra, which not only helped me rewrite my resume for the nth time, but also helped me monitor job boards and identify nearly 900 companies working with, or using, one of the languages I am expert in. If anyone would like a copy of those lists, email me. In the end, I still have no idea how I managed to connect with this company. They were not on any of my lists. They simply emailed me out of the blue near the end of November.

I am excited and looking forward to the new challenge.

In the past, you have heard me talk about the London opportunity. Unfortunately, that does not seem to be coming together this time. It came down to a simple reality. I needed work, and this opportunity, which is a very good one, arrived first. I was genuinely interested in the London-based project, but the time difference concerned me. The idea of starting my workday in the middle of their afternoon felt daunting. I still hope there may be a chance to work with them as a consultant, but that will depend on the demands of my new role.

Other events in my life. This week was Christmas week, so Christmas has happened.

Dawn is in Denver visiting her two grandchildren, which has made it a quiet time here. I did not do much beyond looking ahead to opportunities in 2026 and spending a good deal of time working on my blog. I have been developing what they call an index for search optimization. At this point, I believe I have six different index pages, organized by type of writing. Letters, weekly updates, Christmas letters, spirituality, and my books.

Another big change this week involves my books. I published one book drawn from a larger work titled From Crack to Kitty Litter. It tells the story of my late wife and her struggle with addiction. It is available on Amazon:
https://a.co/d/83vJuP1

The other book is one I wrote years ago, a science fiction story about rules, responsibility, and new ways of thinking about both. It is titled The End of the Begging and the Start of Eternity. I am currently waiting for the proof copy to arrive before adding it to Amazon, but it should arrive shortly. I am looking forward to being a published author again.

Otherwise, I have been spending time taking care of Dawn’s dogs and her lizard collection, and taking things easy while preparing to move forward.

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas. 

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Weekly Update 12/13/25 – 12/19/25