I like my job. I like the people I work with. I like the projects I'm assigned. I like the convenience of working from home indefinitely. What I don't like is that I was brought on with the promise of rapid advancement and, nearly three years later, I'm in the same position any barely enough... Continue Reading →
If You Give a Kid a Day Job…
For years, I've been contemplating a career switch. While I currently enjoy my work in quality assurance, I can't help but long for something more than documentation, compliance, and perpetual wrist-slapping. I think I would enjoy something more tangible, with an end product or a happy customer. I remember many years ago hearing the suggestion... Continue Reading →
How Do You Identify Your Strengths and Weaknesses?
I am fast-approaching the three-month mark in my new job. Can you believe it? I sure can't! Anyways, I signed on at a lower salary with an agreement to a "90-day growth incentive program," which essentially means I will be eligible for a higher salary if I sufficiently add value within my first three months... Continue Reading →
Saying “No” When “No” Is The Only Logical Answer
My biggest fear is to disappoint people--to get a B, to give up halfway through the race, and to not fill the mold someone else has laid out for me. Frankly, it's a recipe for disaster. And yet, it is such a difficult habit to break. I'm a people-pleaser by nature, so saying "no" does... Continue Reading →
Terrible & Ecstatic Limbo
So, I haven't quit my job...yet. And, I haven't been let go...yet. But, I suspect one of those two scenarios will play out within the next week, so stay tuned! I likely won't be hanging around here much, as I'm preparing for a "meet the team" final interview on Friday. It's an amazing company that... Continue Reading →
4 Subtle Signs It’s Time To Quit Your Job
I think we've all had our share of bad days at work. Maybe you commute took hours due to an accident on the freeway, your manager yelled at you because the internet was down, or a colleague refused to pull their weight...again. Perhaps these events led to alone time in your office, contemplating how great... Continue Reading →
Family and Cheap Foreign Labor Only
One of my colleagues is actively searching for a new job and I feel as I'm being nudged out of my position, as well. The owner of the company has an abundance of early-twenty-something children and relatives who are quickly filling the small office. Otherwise unemployable, these entitled dimwits have found their place. In exchange for... Continue Reading →
Hobbies, Jobs, Career and Vocation
I have been continuing the What is Creative Living? online course hosted by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love and several other books. The second portion of the course involved some videos on the difference between hobbies, jobs, career, and vocation. The second assignment was to sort through my daily activities and distinguish between hobbies,... Continue Reading →
Interviews, Infections and In-laws, Oh My!
I believe wholeheartedly that every experience offers a life lesson, and the universe never doles out more than we can handle. That being said, I'm pretty sure there is currently an angry flock of lessons trailing along behind me like Canadian geese, hissing and nipping at my ankles. Lesson #1: Slow Down, Sweetheart This weekend,... Continue Reading →
Rapture Among Strangers
Recently, I've been feeling misaligned, like a well-built car that begins drifting three degrees to the left. My engine light is off, the Bluetooth is running smoothly, and a recently detailing highlights every perfection. Yet, there is a subtle rumbling every morning when I start my day. Something feels off. I have been noticing a... Continue Reading →