I got an email from Microsoft today indicating that they wouldn’t be extending me a job offer.

The Good: While the job looked like it would have for the most part provided a reasonable work/life balance, they do experience periods of “crunch” — a fairly common phenomena in the gaming industry where everyone works extraordinarily long hours, sometimes up to 100 a week, to meet a deadline. This aspect of the job gave me serious qualms, and in retrospect, it appears that I’ve been awfully fortunate to have pretty much avoided it during my time at Origin.

Microsoft also indicated that I interviewed well, and that they’d potentially be interested in me for other positions, though I don’t think they have many in Austin. In spite of being one of the more grueling interviews I’ve been through, they were also some of the best at keeping things friendly and comfortable and treating one as an individual, rather than a faceless supplicant — somewhat of a surprise at a company with that many people.

The Difficult: I have been fortunate/blessed during my career as a programmer to have almost never been through an interview that didn’t result in a job. To have now gone through two fairly extensive interview processes and been passed on for both of them during the past weeks is a humbling and difficult experience, even knowing that’s far more normative than what I’ve experienced in the past. I’ve located a few more positions that I think might be a good fit, but not very many that I’m actually excited about yet.

Fortunately, I’ve a good ways to go before my severance is exhausted, but I’m feeling more and more ready to be working again. While the leisure time is great, it would be easier to relax knowing that there’s a plan for its conclusion.