As of today, I am no longer a Singlebrooker. 

I am voluntarily walking away from the best job I have had to spend time not programming and not in front of a computer screen. It will be an adventure, but before I leave, I feel compelled to say a few things about my time at Singlebrook and the wonderful people who work there.

Years ago, I was a frustrated web developer working at a relatively large company in Ithaca. I was a burgeoning Rails developer stuck in a PHP world, banging against the limits of bureaucracy and technology. My job wasn't fun. It was challenging in all the wrong ways. Yet I had resigned myself to sticking it out for the usual suspects: security, salary, and benefits. For my own sanity, I pursued a few potential Rails jobs in New York City, Washington DC, Phoenix, anywhere, but it was difficult to convince people to take me as a remote employee. I was convinced that there would never be a good option in Ithaca, NY.

"Just look in Ithaca," my wife encouraged me, "you'll never know what you'll find." So periodically I would browse the Ithaca tech listings, never expecting to see anything remotely matching my desired skills and compensation.

Then, one day, I found a job listing in Ithaca that contained the magic words: Ruby on Rails. Three weeks later I was a Singlebrook employee.

My new job made me happy. There were cool projects with cool problems to solve. The people I worked with were simultaneously open to new ideas and experimentation, yet demanded good arguments for why new systems were worthwhile. I grew as a programmer almost every day.

Singlebrook prides itself for being a certified B-corporation. Believe me, they truly practice the values they preach. They took data on employee happiness. They treated me like a person. They push to find projects and ideas that make the world a better place.  They have a strong moral compass that influences their choice in clients and projects. They put trust in me that was returned with real devotion.

What I'm trying to say is that Singlebrook is a great company, from any perspective. So:

If you are reading this and are a potential client, work with them, you will not regret it.

If you are reading this and are a current client, you've made the right choice and you already know what I'm talking about.

If you are reading this and are a frustrated web developer working in or around Ithaca, NY, you should seriously consider working for Singlebrook.

If you are reading this and work at Singlebrook, thank you every one of you for the past two years. You've challenged and enlivened my days. It's been a pleasure and a privilege to be colleagues and friends.