I’ve been job hunting. I’ve been getting ready to make some kind of switch in employment because — despite the fact that in a couple decades (I’m a realist) I’d like to make a living writing, pontificating, or otherwise from creative pursuits — I still require a steady paycheck to support my family. My current boss knows this if only because the realities of contractual labour in a recession economy means he cannot guarantee me employment for longer than about six months. He has told me this to my face. Sad, but true. Unfortunate. And while regular readers know that I don’t talk about my current job, they may assume that I do enjoy it very much. But… yeah. Stability is fleeting. Thus, I’ve been job hunting.

While I endeavor to carefully manage the words I place in this blog, particularly to the point of not mixing ideology and work, maintaining something of balance between anonymity and the credibility of putting one’s name behind one’s words, we do live in the age of search engines and indexed information, and the chances are that someone — anyone — and specifically someone who is considering hiring me will come across this blog and — bing — up goes a red flag. I hope they do find it. I hope they respect it. I hope it does not exclude me from mutually beneficial opportunities. But, as I said: I’m a realist.

I deeply considered expunging my presence from the net whilst job searching, but I (after some careful thought) reconsidered: it is dishonest, and I don’t want to start any new endeavor on that footing. So instead… an explanation.

Greetings prospective employer. I hope you find this and it gives you a better glimpse into my personality. It should. In some ways it is meant to do just that. And I hope that if what I write — the questions I ask to my brilliant audience — do concern you that you will both (a) speak to me about it personally, express your concerns, and share your position, and (b) understand that while I am very professional with regards to my personal ideology and do not flaunt them anywhere but where perfectly appropriate, rationality and honesty are deeply ingrained traits that I wear proudly.

The fact is that I blog. And the fact is that blogging often gets bad press because some people use blogs as platforms for criticism (often liable) of the people they encounter. I don’t think I do that. I deliberately try not to do that. I write about (often sensitive) issues and put those thoughts online. I do this because I think — like many of us — we just want the world to be a better place for ourselves, our kids, and everyone. And if I ever start to wonder if my efforts are doing the opposite of that, that what I’m doing is degrading the dialog or eroding the ability for society to move forward in a fruitful and productive way, I will just as easily sign off and move along to other efforts. Friends and family understand that they are part of my life and that my particular life is one of observation and commentary. But they also understand — in the many years I have contributed to various blogs and publications — that I do not criticize, I do not slander, and I do not bring people down. I philosophize and I use my little corner of the web to seek clarity on ideas that are often mired in bias and confusion. (Or, at least that’s what I hope I do.)

I suppose prospective employer could look at this website in a variety of ways. They might be asking the questions that any good human resource professional should ask: is this guy gonna get us into trouble? Is this guy going to write something that’s going to come back to bite us? Is this guy a liability? And I respect that. I really do. I understand it. I’ve worked from the other side of it. I’ve seen the real implications of it. And I honestly, truly, and legitimately try to avoid being “that guy” with every sentence that taps across my keyboard. And my response to those questions would be this: I’ve put it out there. You can ask those questions, but I’ve hung my dirty laundry on the line. Take an hour and read some of the blog. Take a few minutes and dig a little deeper. This is me: I’m a known commodity. There are no incriminating photos, no angry rants, no slanderous jabs, and no surprises. And I’m confident that some time spent reading this blog will not only be an enjoyable experience for you, but a better barometer than any carefully coached reference I’ll pass along with my resume.