for W3c validation

This Friday is my last day at Zillow. I’ve spent the last 4 years with a fantastic team innovating in the real estate and mortgage industries. It’s been an incredible experience and I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished. So many people go through life hating their jobs, and I can genuinely say I loved (the vast majority of) my job. I’m extremely thankful for that, and frankly, wouldn’t have stayed 4 years if I didn’t enjoy my job. Of course, you’re probably wondering what is prompting me to move on. This was certainly a decision I wrestled with long and hard and did not make lightly. There were of course numerous factors that went into my decision, some personal and some professional. At the end of the day, I just needed a change for the sake of change. I’ve traveled extensively both internationally and domestically but have never really “lived” anywhere outside of Seattle. That’s going to change.

Over the past 4 years, I’ve worked with so many fantastic people, both internally and externally, and have built some incredible relationships that extend well beyond business. I’ve learned volumes from colleagues David Gibbons, Spencer Rascoff, Diane Tuman, Liam Lavery, and Amy Bohutinsky (among many others). Update: Michael Dougherty and Jeff Somers, both no longer with Zillow, should also be included in that list. Yet with a primarily externally facing job, I’ve learned just as much from those outside the friendly confines of Zillow; individuals such as Mike Price (who by the way needs to get on WordPress), Kris Berg, Jay Thompson, Ines Hegedus-Garcia, Jeff Turner, Eric Stegemann, and Jim Marks. And honestly, please don’t take it wrongly if I didn’t mention you here; if I had to name everyone, the list would go on and on (and on and on) and I’d never finish this post.

What’s next? For the answer to that, all I will say is that traveling internationally is part of my 2010 plans (no surprise there). I will be staying on in a consulting role for Zillow.com. Outside of that I’ve been discussing various opportunities with a number of parties, but will wait until I flesh out those ideas to completion before sharing details.

Thank you to everyone, both at Zillow and externally, for all the wonderful memories and opportunities presented to me over the past 4 years. Everyone has been great to work with, but I have to extend an extra thanks to David for all the guidance he’s given me over the past several years. Thank you to Rich and Lloyd for starting Zillow with the vision to bring transparency to the real estate and mortgage industries. Without them, obviously none of this would have been possible. I’m still confident in the direction the company is headed and it goes without saying that I wish Zillow and all my colleagues there the best of luck going forward, and will do whatever I can to help them succeed.

There is so much more I could say, but I’ve purposely tried to keep this post short in fear of this becoming a novel. I’ll continue to keep people updated with my whereabouts and career plans here and on Twitter. If you have any questions or comments you don’t feel comfortable sharing in the comments, feel free to e-mail me (meyers dot drew at gmail).

It’s been a wild ride; now onto the next chapter in my life…