Chapter 8
The interview at Pinnacle Group was set up in the VIP lounge on the top floor.
Unlike CoreTech Dynamics, which had that tech-nerd vibe, everything here screamed elite.
The person interviewing me was David Lewis, the head of Pinnacle Innovation Lab.
He looked to be in his early thirties, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, with sharp, confident eyes.
Unlike James, who would dive straight into the technical stuff, David was more about the big picture.
He cared about strategy and vision more than the nuts and bolts.
"Ms. Evans, I've looked over your portfolio," David said, his hands folded neatly on the table.
"The optimizations you did at Voyager Solutions are technically impressive, but I want to know, what was your original motivation for doing them?
"Was it just to show off your skills, or was it to solve real business problems?"
That was a really good question.
It wasn't only testing my technical chops. It was testing whether I could think like a strategist and hold a real vision for the product.
"Mr. Lewis."
I gave him a small smile and took the question head on.
"Technology should always serve the business.
"Every optimization I've done is based on three principles.
"First, improving the user experience.
"Second, reducing operational costs.
"Third, ensuring there's enough technical capacity and redundancy to support future business growth."
I used the Skyline Platform as an example to elaborate on my perspective.
I told him why I chose to overhaul the whole system at the time.
Yeah, the old setup was shaky, but that wasn't the only reason.
I could already see the company was headed for heavy traffic and massive data sooner or later.
If we didn't get ahead of it, the whole thing would come down eventually.
David's eyes sparkled with interest at my answer.
He nodded again and again, clearly impressed.
"That's some real big-picture thinking. You've got serious foresight," David said.
That was his take on me.
"Most tech people just get lost in their own code, never looking up from their screens," he said.
"But someone like you, who can approach tech from a strategic perspective for the company, that's really rare."
The conversation quickly turned into a deep dive into the future of the industry.
We talked about cloud computing, large-scale AI models, and how the latest technologies could empower traditional industries.
It turned out we were totally on the same wavelength.
When the interview wrapped up, David stood up and reached out his hand.
"Julia, I'm really looking forward to working with you," he said.
"Our lab needs someone like you, someone who gets both the tech and the strategy, a real leader.
"As for the compensation, Mr. Mason should have already mentioned it to you.
"We're offering 20% more than what CoreTech Dynamics was giving you.
"Plus, you'll have a team of thirty tech people reporting directly to you, you'll be in full charge.
"This is just our initial offer. If you have any other ideas, we're open to discussing them anytime."
His sincerity was off the charts.
The deal was way better than I ever imagined.
After leaving Pinnacle Group, I got a call from Daniel.
He sounded like he was grinning from ear to ear.
"So, how did it go?" he asked.
"It was great," I replied honestly.
"I knew it."
He chuckled, clearly pleased.
"Guess what? Right when you were at Pinnacle Group, James from CoreTech Dynamics called me three times.
"He caught wind of it and was freaking out that Pinnacle might snatch you up.
"He just sent over his final offer. Five hundred thousand dollars a year, plus a 170 thousand dollar signing bonus.
"He said, as long as you say yes, you can sign the contract today."
Five hundred thousand a year.
One hundred seventy thousand dollars as a signing bonus.
A week earlier, I wouldn't have dared dream about numbers like that.
And now they were sitting in front of me, mine to pick from.
Daniel said, "Julia, it's your turn to make a choice.