Maybe it’s because we have kids now, or maybe I’m just getting old, but more and more I feel the urge to share the stories of my life with the hopes of passing on helpful lessons of wisdom. For me, that typically means lessons that I learned the hard way.
The biggest professional mistake I ever made (and almost made a second time) was making a job change. You must be thinking…Brad, you run a website with a job board…don’t you like it when people job hop? Good for business, right? Well maybe, but it may not be good for you (or your employer).
In the mid 90’s I had a great job in health insurance sales. I had been with this company for a couple of years, had made more money than ever before, had just won one of those salesie tropical trips, was happy, liked the people I worked for…I could go on. But for some inexplicable reason, I quit that job. Big, fat mistake. Sure, the new job was supposed to be a little more money and promised a bit of adventure I suppose. Unfortunately, I ended up in a situation where I didn’t respect my boss, I made less money, I was unhappy…I could go on. It took me a number of years to recover professionally and personally from that mistake.
Am I saying that you should never switch jobs? Of course not, the fear of and unwillingness to change can lead to career suffocation and is equally devastating. What I am saying that you should take a careful inventory of why you are considering making a change. You should also carefully examine the things you like about your job. What role is emotion playing in my consideration? What can I do to make this better? Do I need to grow up? What opportunities do I have to grow professionally and personally right where I am?
It’s entirely possible after a time of genuine honesty and maturity with yourself, that you draw the conclusion that you do need a change. In that case, you need to make that change. Just don’t fall prey to the Careerbuilder marketing campaign that leaves me at least, feeling like I should always be looking for the next thing, that there is always something better, that I have been somehow cheated and oppressed by your employer, etc. That kind of attitude is more closely related than we may all realize to our country’s recent big, fat financial woes.
All I’m saying is we should value all of the blessings in our life. Today, especially, employment is a blessing. So, handle with care.
