I feel I should talk more about the day job. Admittedly, my emotions occasionally get the best of me. I know that is the path to the Dark Side, so I try to maintain better grasps on my emotions, but it is difficult. I’m only human after all. Mostly human.
Much drama has revolved around the day job recently, and I want to highlight the fact that when I consider the situation rationally–although rationale isn’t nearly as fun–I have to admit that it is a great IT job.
I work for an organization making a really strong push towards innovation. If you like technology and want a steady job where you are always encouraged to learn and work with the new, then have I got a job for you.
I’ve realized that when I write or talk about discontent with my job, what I’m really discontented with is myself. It makes me feel better to blame the job instead of accept blame myself. It’s always better when it’s someone else’s fault, but this is on me.
At 47, my mind doesn’t so easily wrap around new technology as it did when it was 37. After recent trips to Madrid and San Francisco (and I was only able to visit San Francisco because my boss took me to a conference), I yearn more to be one of those traveling, work-from-anywhere, entrepreneur types.
I work with great people who have become good friends. I look forward to the time I spend with each of them every day.
My discontent with work is more because of changes in me, not changes in the company. The company is actually more like what I want to do. They’re trying to spruce up the office to encourage innovation and collaboration. That’s just the thing I want to do. I just want to do it in Paris this week. And Amsterdam a few days next week. And I want to do it from the 151st floor of a building rather than the 1st.
I’ve complained that I want to work from home, but I don’t want to work from home. I want to work at wherever I want to work from on any given day. Today, I want to work in Nashville. Or Nice.
I don’t really even want more vacation. I just want to be able to sign in and work in a coffee shop in Salida, CO. while the girls are out exploring, then join them for some hiking after I knock out a couple projects.
So I invite you to tell me to shut up when I’m complaining. The job is great. I need work.
Even if you hate your job, school, or whatever, you can probably find something good in it.
Please leave a comment on something you’d like to change, but also tell us–and yourself–something good about it.