Looks like I'm getting a job. After two years of a "job interview".

Technically, I already have a job - I'm self employed, working from home doing CAD design work for instruction books and telecomm companies. I've done ok over the past few years. I mean, we all have clothes and we haven't starved to death yet.

My biggest client, a company out of the Northwest, is offerring me a job. I've done work for them for two years now, and it's been a great relationship. By comparison, this company went through 5 other design guys in their first year of business, and have been through 6 engineers, 8 assistants and 6 secretaries over the past 3 years. Needless to say, their standards are a little high in regards to what they expect from an employee.

We all went through a "mini-vacation" during August. No work at all, the big telecomm companies each had some delay in the transition from 3rd to 4th quarters. To my surprise, my clients still sent me checks. It seems they wanted to send me "bonuses" they thought I had earned. Truth is, we make money off each other and work well together, and they admitted they didnt want me going elsewhere.

Wow, I didn't think I had it in me.

Honestly, its been alot of hard work. Alot of nights until 8 or 9 the next morning, sometimes literally working 4 or 5 days straight with 2-3 hours of sleep. My wife (iamheather) has been a huge help in making certain that working from home could be successful. She keeps the kids at bay, understands why I cant always make an important school meeting (even though Im sitting 10ft from here) and keeps me fed when Im too wrapped up in work to remember to eat. She's awesome.

So I'll know in a day or two what their offer is. In their words, they want me to do what I've been doing for the past two years, from home, just with stronger ties to them. The best part is the offer will include health insurance, which has been killing us for the past few years. I guess my rule of "always make the client money" has paid off. Either that, or I really do have a charming personality (highly unlikely ).

Wish us luck. I think we've earned something like this.