
I made a job change recently, which seems to have garnered a bit of judgment from the outside. I went from working for a company at the top of the
Fortune 100 list to a local news startup organization. Sure, lots of people leave cushy jobs to join startups, but in this economy where newspapers are already in a downward spiral? Yes, it's a big risk, but so is complacency in your career (now I'm the judgmental one...).
Staying at Google would have been an easy choice. What's not to love about lava lamps and free lunch? Actually, I could give you a list, but I know better than to burn bridges with
the man. At some point I had to ask myself what value I was creating for the organization and whether or not it was mutually beneficial. The truth is that, while I was good at my job, it was a waste of my talents. I learned to do one thing really well, but the only thing I created was ad revenue. The one exception was my assignment in India, which gave me a chance to identify inefficiencies and exercise my problem solving abilities.
Had I stuck around longer I could have been "promoted" to the exact same role only with 'manager' in the title and a little extra cash in my pocket. What I needed was a new India, so to speak, minus the constant heartburn and indigestion. I'm only in week three at AnnArbor.com, so the jury is still out, but based on what I know this organization has the potential to set a new precedent for local news and advertising. And guess whose job it is to make sure that happens...
Any job change comes with new challenges, a chance to develop new skills, and an entirely new network. I would argue that these are the very reasons why people should move around every so often. It's good for them and good for employers. The days of the corporate lifer are over - one of many reasons why
The Office is so ridiculously funny. Nobody wants to be the next
Michael Scott or
Dwight Shrute, but dressing up a workspace in kindergarten colors and exercise balls doesn't make one immune. It doesn't matter where you work, you have to act as your own agent because it's no one's job to look out for you (not even your manager - they have their own careers to worry about).
Speaking of jobs and careers, it's important to point out that the two words are not synonymous. A job is what you do to pay the bills, but your career is your total output. I look at everything I do as career development; working, studying, volunteering, blogging,
tweeting,
yelping, yoga-ing, etc. I would even extend my definition of career to encompass the choices we make about marriage and family. Finding the right teammate - or choosing to go it alone - is essential to personal success and fulfillment, as is the decision of whether or not to have children. Being a spouse, parent, or even a premature
Old Maid (which I happen to be an expert on) requires a certain amount of creativity, resourcefulness, and problem solving skills.
Looking at my job as only one single aspect of my career helped make the transition a lot easier. What I had expected to be a life-altering earth-shattering event turned out to be a mild disruption in my daily routine. This is not to belittle the role my job plays in my life and overall happiness, but rather a way to keep it in perspective as only one piece of a much bigger puzzle - where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
I know my decision will continue to raise eyebrows, but it's obvious to me that I made the right one. Along with the risk comes greater responsibility, opportunity, and creative license, not to mention a fancy 'manager' title and a little extra cash in my pocket.