Yep, that pretty much sums it up
Permalink | April 5, 2008 by John in Career
5 Reasons Why You Didn’t Quit Your Job:
- You Are Afraid of Financial Consequences
- You Are Afraid of Social Consequences
- It Secures a Comfortable Lifestyle
- You Are Used to Having a Passive Attitude
- You See No Better Alternative
Am I a Lifer? Should I be?
Permalink | March 18, 2008 by John in Career, Of a Personal Nature
My dad worked for the phone company (in its various incarnations) for over 30 years. With his pension/retirement and social security he has a fairly comfortable lifestyle (while certainly not opulent or luxurious) in his retirement, even living in California. The world is a very different place than it was when he started with Ma Bell. It was normal for people to work for the same company for the majority of their adult life and retire with the proverbial (or not-so-proverbial) gold watch.
Due to the change in the country over the past 20-30 years, and especially working in the IT industry, I never thought it possible that I could fall into that category. But having passed my 10 year anniversary at Northrop Grumman, I’m beginning to wonder. I’ve seen a lot of ups and downs in that time, and yet I manage to stay alive here.
I started my own web design side business a couple years ago because I was bored at my day job and wanted a creative outlet. I considered different ways my career vs. my business could go. One plan was to grow my business large enough to back my Northrop Grumman hours eventually back to half-time so I could keep my benefits, I figured eventually I might be able to leave the day job and do my business full time. While that’s entirely possible, it doesn’t feel likely. Add to that I recently met two Northrop Grumman retirees who non-stop sing the praises of their retirement and pension. If I stay here for the duration I’ll have 34 years at age 65.
I guess what I’m trying to articulate that my side business is what gives me job satisfaction and let’s me exercise my creativity, while the day job …is just a job. Good benefits. Flexible hours. A modicum of job security. Decent pay. But still, just a job. Long gone are the days when my day job defined me (I’m not sure what does define me, but that’s another post).
So as long as it doesn’t suck, should I stay here indefinitely? Am I just being complacent? I’m no longer feeling the need to go set the world on fire. Have I sold out?
Future Career Planning Update, Part II (or, “Long Live SSDD”)
Permalink | October 30, 2007 by John in Career, Of a Personal Nature, SSDD, Web Design
(Update and disclaimer: I’ve spoken to my boss about this situation, so it’s not a secret. I wouldn’t have posted anything about it if it was a secret.)
Now that I’ve calmed down from my previous diatribe on the topic, and I’ve read all the Nerds On Site documentation and contracts, I’m 90% sure I’m not going to do it. They exercise a lot more (read: nigh-total) control over how the so-called independent contractors operate. And you’re screwed if you leave them. You might be able to take some of your customers with you (or not, but I didn’t see any specific non-compete language), but you lose all the benefits of building their brand up in your community. You even lose the cell number you use while conducting business under their banner. In part they justify this by paying for part of your cell service. (more…)
I wonder if I could telecommute?
Permalink | October 24, 2007 by John in Career, Graphic Design
Graphic Designer - Int MM Emph — Central Intelligence Agency
Important Notice: Friends, family, individuals, or organizations may be interested to learn that you are an applicant for or an employee of the CIA. Their interest, however, may not be benign or in your best interest. You cannot control whom they would tell. We therefore ask you to exercise discretion and good judgment in disclosing your interest in a position with the Agency. You will receive further guidance on this topic as you proceed through your CIA employment processing.
Future Career Planning (was: “I am being torn apart”)
Permalink | by John in Career, Of a Personal Nature, SSDD, Web Design
(Okay, that’s enough fiddling with this post. I’ve been futzing around with it for a few days now. You’d think I was writing a graduate thesis or something; for a blog it’s about that long… —JB)
I think finally, my mid-life crisis is upon me. To this point I’ve more or less “failed upwards,” or more accurately for the past few years, “failed without falling,” or “failed laterally.” I got here only having a vague idea of what kind of work I wanted to do, and with a much larger idea of the type of work I didn’t want to do (which is basically, simply, “Anything that could be called ‘real work’”).
But this year I’ve been asking myself, over and over again, “What should I do next?”
(more…)