Like most twenty-somethings, I've been through several jobs. They've all lasted less than two years and they varied considerably from one to another.
The first one didn't pay much and didn't expect much. I used that opportunity to learn how do lots of practical IT things, things they just don't teach you in university. They ultimately didn't need me, my contract expired, and I moved on.
The second one was consulting. I was drop in the deep end, expected to deliver something of great value to a well-established, prestigious organisation. Management was distant, personal development was shunted in favour of billable hours. Those who were in the deep end with you became your confidants. I liked that the most. That, and when I'm feeling insecure, I can name drop the company I used to work for. But I won't.
The third one offered the best management. Having previously felt quite distant from management, a manager who was readily accessible, reasonable and a great listener made a huge difference. When work was dull or I didn't feel I was realising my potential, we worked together to make changes. It was mutually beneficial. Larger organisational factors (an impending merger) made me look elsewhere. It was a shame.
The last one offered a mix of very intelligent people and a hyper-ethical manager. A bit of cultural differences (the programmers there were simply too opinionated to get work done) and the stress of studying part time led to a decision not to extend my three month contact and study full time.
Study has its pros and cons too. In particular, the time slots devoted to schoolwork are highly varied. For six weeks, I was quite bored and considered work part-time. During the next six weeks, I worked harder than I would at a full time job. I like learning new things and I like my fellow students. Knock on wood, I still haven't had a dysfunctional syndicate at MBS while I had plenty at both Melbourne Uni and McGill.
The question for me is what to do next? I want to work in a company that is big enough for advancement and with the scale to attract both intelligent workers and interesting work. But without some of the more limiting corporate systems. I remember the first time I heard of managers spending their money at the end of a financial year so they wouldn't lose out money the following year. I was horrified at such inefficiency. Now, it's so commonplace, I don't blink. It's disturbing.
It is almost time to find that next job. I want this next one to last longer than 2 years. Longer than 10 would be better. It won't be easy. I need to avoid companies with all of the good from previous jobs (smart people, good management) and none of the bad (no commitment to staff, distant management, and so on). It won't be easy, but I've started the journey.
1 comments:
Having had a similar work history myself, I know how you feel.
I think it's important to move from job to job when you're younger because, while you're in your (particularly early) 20s, you don't necessarily have the knowledge and work experience to know exactly what your "dream job" might be like. In effect, your early 20s are your dream job discovery years.
That said, that there might not even be one single dream job out there for you. For example, some of my friends from university have too much ambition, hunger for knowledge, and varied interests to stick with one job for more than a couple of years. What happens is that, by the time they've been at a company for about 18 months or so, their learning has plateaued and, unless they can move up the corporate ladder reasonably quickly, they're ready to move on to their next challenge somewhere else (or start their own company). Actually, I'm a little like that myself -- but for me it's less about seeking challenges and more about avoiding boredom!
Further, sometimes it's not you that changes or wants/needs the change but the environment or industry you're in that changes around you. That would be the case for people in IT or those who have web-related jobs, for example. So, with the world around you moving very quickly, realistically, your dream job might only be good for about ten years before you have to radically change/upgrade to something else!
The career philosophy I follow, for example is: I get the best possible job I can at the time, I learn all I can from it, I do all I can while I'm working there, and then I move on. When (or if) I get a job that I love in a company that I love, I'll do my best to stay there (and, hopefully, advance through the company at a reasonable rate) but, till then, my plan is to keep moving on.
So, whatever it is that you decide to do at this point in your career, I wish you the best of luck. Importantly, make sure you have fun on your journey!
Post a Comment