So, I'm a CIO now?

Well, I guess I am a CIO (Chief Information Officer) now…  The on-Campus interview seemed like it went well, and I got the official offer yesterday.  I start in a few weeks and have started clearing out my office…  The details leaving the University of Illinois are going to be difficult….  20+ years there and so a full career.  Need to make sure that I do it correctly of course and then starting a new job in Texas.   Starting at Midwest State University (https://msutexas.edu/), and so begins another interesting chapter in my career.

 

Packing a few things and I’ll be the “advanced party” as my wife and daughters stay up here for a bit…  I suspect that a cat or two will accompany me on my various trips down as we set up for the eventual final move.  The work itself looks interesting and it will be VERY different than what I’ve been doing here in Illinois…

 

Gaming?  Yeah…  I found a few game stores down there and EVENTUALLY I suspect that I’ll get in some games eventually…  Maybe?  I will have TTS I suppose.  But I suspect that time will be the thing I lack…

And now from Texas...

So, the day after...  LONG day flying here to Wichita Falls, Texas...  American Airlines, or at least the sub-contractor decided to pull the plane that was scheduled to be used for the Champaign/Dallas flight to go to Charlotte...  And so my 7:20 am flight became 10ish, then cancelled.  Moved over to the 3 pm flight and DID make that one.  Got to sit around DFW until the 8:50 flight from there to Wichita Falls, and thankfully that one was not cancelled, being the last flight for the day and all...  Though, even if it were, it would have just been a situation of rent a car and drive the 2 hours or so...  Getting to DFW was the big part....  So got to the hotel a bit after 10 pm...  MSU booked me in a REALLY nice hotel (Homewood Suites) who also for reasons unknown upgraded me to a "King Suite"...  Nice, but just me in the room, so kind of wasted on this old ex-GI.  Still, nicely done and a thanks there...

Walked over to Campus to scout it out and be sure I knew where I had to be at 8 am for my day of interviews...  LONG day where I met a LOT of people.  I am absolutely terrible with names, so it will be quite a long time before I get that...  Assuming it is relevant of course.  But overall the interviews I thought went quite well...  By the end of the day I was actually having a hard time speaking, and started to stutter a bit...  Never happened to me before, so that was disconcerting.  But then I've never spoken that much in any given day...  Ever.  I'm usually fairly quiet, preferring to observe and learn before speaking.  All of the people I did meet were quite nice, engaging and frankly seemed happy to see me there.  A bit surprised that I DID come during the pandemic and all and that I am a fairly simple man who just takes things in stride and does not complain...  My wife was far more stressed about this portion than I.  For my part, I just had to be myself and present that while selling them on the idea that I was the right person for the job and could help them along the way I have at UIUC.  I firmly believe that I can do this job and will see if I get an offer.

Whether or not I get the offer though, I am taking this as an absolute win.  I made it to the final cut on another VERY senior level position and they were willing to fly me down there to talk to me about it.  This is awesome...  Sure, actually getting the job and you know succeeding at it would be better, but...

So, sitting in the Airport jotting down some thoughts as I wait to board and fly back home...  But overall this has been an absolutely positive experience for me and I look forward to whatever happens next.

Off to Texas next week...

Well, heading to Texas…  For a few days at least.  I leave Sunday for my long on Campus visit/Interview on Monday and then fly back on Tuesday.  I have to admit this one feels right…  NOT the first time I made the final cut on this sort of thing, but the last time I went down to West Texas for one of these I was mostly in awe and if I’m honest shocked that I made the cut.  As I said at the time, it is a LONG way from SGT Chappell to VP Chappell, or in this case CIO Chappell.  In the interviews and my contact with the folks at this University it has all been quite good.  So, less worried about that aspect of the process.  As I see things, they are approximately where 8-10 years ago.  And that was when I was working on a lot of the things that became Campus/System wide over the years.  SCCM was the big one, I guess it has been renamed “Microsoft Endpoint Manager”.  Another big one being the transition to “Remote Learning/Blended Environment” from the fully in person instruction with the Covid-19 pandemic which I have direct experience with here…  So it just a whole convergence of factors that I feel like this job is a direct continuation of the path my career has taken over the years.  Shame nothing is happening locally, but Texas is in a much more stable position in the long run than Illinois, something to do with one of those States being run by "The Machine" for a LONG time and it shows...

 

Got the new suit out for another interview at yet another Texas University…  As I’ve lost a LOT of weight, my older really nice suit that I had for the beginning of this long job hunt simply does not fit.  Turns out an 80-pound drop means you need a new suit.  Not a bad thing overall, I think but trying to buy a new suit during a pandemic means of course buying it online…  Foolishly I followed the guide and took actual measurements for chest, neck, length, etc.…  Fortunately, easy enough to return and order the correct size as I could see the difference between the “listed” size vs actual sizes…  J  Correcting the initial Artillery shot and calling in the “Fire For Effect” …  But, yet another VP level interview down there.  So apparently I do fit the profile for that level somewhere, just not Illinois J…  And the suit itself fits really well…  So, yea?  Have it packed up and ready to go for the upcoming trip as I gear up for that particular adventure.

 

So, adventure…  In booking the flight I was completely unprepared for at least the first oddity.  Flying from Champaign to DFW (Dallas-Fort Worth) then on to the other small regional airport.  As an Engineer, it seemed obvious that taking a flight from point A to point B would be cheaper than the flight from point A to point B and then on to point C.  No.  J  So, I would have failed that particular math test had I not listened to the hiring committee chair who suggested that I look at the flight all the way instead of just the flight to the hub and renting a car for the drive up to Campus…  Not sure how this works economically, but there you go…  It is in fact much cheaper to take the connecting flight than just the flight to the hub, despite the flight to the hub being the exact same flight as the connecting one…  OK, so flight booked and hotel arranged.  Just the oh dark flight on Sunday, so that will be fun…

 

Gaming?  Not really much going on.  Diablo 3 season 21 started and playing that with my wife…  Been test flying a Scum 5 ship build waiting on the points update for X-Wing:

 

Scum 5 Ship 1 (200)

×

Serissu — M3-A Interceptor	41
Outmaneuver	6
Autoblasters	3
Ship Total: 50
Half Points: 25 Threshold: 2
Laetin A’shera — M3-A Interceptor	30
Snap Shot	7
Autoblasters	3
Ship Total: 40
Half Points: 20 Threshold: 2
Sunny Bounder — M3-A Interceptor	27
Autoblasters	3
Ship Total: 30
Half Points: 15 Threshold: 2
Nom Lumb — JumpMaster 5000	38
Autoblasters	3
Dengar	6
Contraband Cybernetics	2
Ship Total: 49
Half Points: 25 Threshold: 5
G4R-GOR V/M — M3-A Interceptor	28
Autoblasters	3
Ship Total: 31
Half Points: 16 Threshold: 2

 

So, a theme there I suppose…  Using my M-3’s and Autoblasters while I can…  Fun, but certainly not OP…

 

Legion, a bit more painting, second Vet Squad base coated and a bit more done on the rest…  Mostly just waiting I suppose…