Monday, November 30, 2009
Breaking out
I read a quote somewhere once, “If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve already got.” That’s what keeps happening in my life, job-wise. I feel like I’m moving sideways from job to job, but rarely up. The duties are pretty much the same, and the only things that change are the scenery and the pay. Am I destined to be a grunt forever?
I look at those around me… the managers are now younger than me, and the coworkers at my level are like 10 years younger. All my attempts to bridge the gap between grunt and decision-maker and cross over into a role with more responsibility have never panned out. I used to believe that you make your own luck, but in all reality, there is a great deal of random dumb luck involved as well. You have to be in the right place at the right time. Or in the case of my current workplace, the right gender. I figured it was just a matter of time before I become dissatisfied with this job. The big boss is a hypocritical control freak and a closet sexist. I need to get out, but the jobs that I really want I don’t seem to be qualified enough for. So I may end up moving sideways again.
Is this what a midlife crisis is like? Isn’t it a little early? I’m not even 40 yet!
Instead of being a whiny whiner, I want to do something about it. Maybe get some kind of certification or degree or whatever bullshit these employers want. But they’re expensive! I don’t want to spend thousands of dollars only to find out that it does nothing for my career. Employers want experience. So how do I GET that experience? Dumb fucking luck. Or working for free. I don’t know. I’ve been pondering it for a year and I still have no answers.
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Categories: • Office Hijinks • Thinking aloud