Wells Fargo Dealer Services

Jan 9, 2012

Why I Left a Nice, Cushy Job at a Big Bank for a Startup

Jeff Whelpley , , , , , , , , , , Career 2 Comments

Big Bank

Imagine that you were lucky enough to find a job at a large, powerful organization that:

  • Has great pay and benefits
  • Has a great boss who actively helps you get better and wants you to succeed
  • Is extremely stable
  • Is challenging and rewarding
  • Would allow you to do many of the things you love to do including building and leading an awesome team of smart developers

Gene Hackman in HoosiersNow imagine that you decided to leave that job after investing 6 years of hard work even though the greatest opportunities for success were yet to come. And, the reason why you are leaving this high-profile job at a big organization is to work at a 3-person, 2-year-old startup that is still working toward profitability. Why in the world would anyone in the right mind do that? It’s sort of like if Gene Hackman’s character in Hoosiers decided to quit the team right before the state championship so that he could coach a local middle school. How does that make any sense?

Well, it turns out quite a bit. Let me explain.

Continue reading “Why I Left a Nice, Cushy Job at a Big Bank for a Startup” »

Dec 29, 2011

Open Letter to Everyone I Worked with at Wells Fargo Dealer Services

Jeff Whelpley , Career 1 Comment

“There’s always a way – if you’re committed.” – Tony Robbins
“I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan
“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other” – Abraham Lincoln

To my IT partners, business partners and external vendors from Wells Fargo Dealer Services:

It is very difficult for me to express the wide range of emotions I have on my last day on site at Wells Fargo Dealer Services. As I thought about the names of team members, IT partners, business partners and external vendors I have worked with over the past 7 years, each name brought up different memories of tough challenges, frustrating setbacks and exhilarating successes that we all shared together. Through it all…mergers, late-night deployments, sev issues, Halloweens, audits, security policy reviews, Christmas Parties, scrums, OPICs, all hands on deck, emergency fire drills,  lunches, code reviews, strategy sessions, Leadership Conferences, project meetings, 8:30s, post-8:30s, 1pms, war rooms, interviews, goal planning sessions…I have been amazed by the relentless drive to succeed, resiliency from setbacks and determination to overcome obstacles so that we can achieve our goals.  It is something that is built into the fabric of our culture and it will ensure even bigger and better success in the future. I can’t thank each and every one of you enough for everything you have given me including your friendship.

Looking Forward

I still plan on maintaining relationships with my Wells Fargo team members and I look forward to hearing about all the future success that I know they will achieve. I plan on blogging and using other social media outlets quite regularly moving forward (unlike the past couple months that have been somewhat of a black hole), so feel free to follow me here if you are interested. I think I will always feel some sense of responsibility for helping my team members and business partners from Dealer Services achieve their goals and I hope that this blog can serve in some small way to continue the collaboration that we have established over the course of the past 7 years. Thank you all once again.

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