a job versus a career...

So one of the mba classes I'm taking this semester is taking is called Improving Self-Efficacy and deals partly with how to be a more effective leader. Part of that includes working on your career - on improving your role in your organization. The professor pointed out that statistics show most people change jobs an average of every two years - and that if you aren't moving up in your organization, you should take your talents elsewhere where you can move up.

I'm not going anywhere where I work. That's not to say I haven't moved - night helpdesk to day helpdesk to desktop support. But I'm unlikely to go anywhere else anytime soon. I have an ongoing joke with my manager every time he buys something new, like his boat or his new BMW 650, that if he keeps spending money he's never going to retire and I'll never get his job. But there is no guarentee that I'll get his job when he does retire, or even that his position will exist and not be restructured.

But I think I'm OK with that. Sure, it would be nice to move up, and get the warm fuzzy feeling of accomplishment, the chance to have a positive effect on people, and some more money. But there is something nice about having limited responsibility, and while I'm not rich, I make enough to pay my mortgage and my truck payment and still buy food.

And there are a lot of good things about my job. I get to play with cool toys - I have a P4 and a G5 on my desk at work, both with 20" flat panel monitors (the closest I'll probably ever get to having twenties), a work owned macbook, and a blackberry. I get to spend my time solving problems, tinkering with computers, and occasionally rolling around in a golf cart. I have a kick-ass retirement plan and work with some cool people.

There is another reason I'm not big on changing jobs or careers -I suck at interviews. I interviewed a bunch around and after graduating college, but none of them worked out. I ended up working for my college, where I had worked as a student. I did have a phone interview, but it was the fact that I'd worked there as an undergrad that got me the job. The fact is, I'm not a big fan of myself, and thus have a hard time with interviews. I'm not really sure why anyone would hire me, so it's pretty hard for me to convince someone I should.

I often complain about the crushing lonliness of being single. But I guess it's a good thing in that I don't have anyone to answer to, anyone to support, so as long as I make enough to support myself I'm content. That isn't to say I don't sometimes think it would be cool to have a sports car or a bigger house with a garage or a bathroom with that fancy italian marble like they show on the HGTV. And I'm tight with a buck - I try to save money whenever I can, and I'm always looking for extra income via eBay and other means. But I guess I'm not money-hungry enough to jump ship anytime soon.