I was very fortunate (unfortunate) to learn harsh career lessons. I was trying to climb the corporate ladder. I was chasing the promises of upward mobility. Get married. Get a house. Have a kid. It took a couple of instances for me to learn the lesson that most of it is not really worth it. I kept getting blocked on the ladder (some of this was my own immaturity). Sometimes I got pushed off the ladder. Then it hit me - what do I hope to gain? My priorities were so out of whack. I adjusted. It can be done. But it was a process. FOMO. Keeping up with the Joneses. Those are beguiling for sure.
I attended a different campus of the School of Hard Knocks, but got the same lessons. In 40+ years I've had four distinct careers within technology across 20-ish employers (including Self), all of which makes me look at the emotion and hype surrounding the current wave of Federal layoffs with puzzled detachment. Forget about an email. I've had to prove my value to an employer face-to-face almost daily (especially to that Self guy.) As a percentage, the number of layoffs happening in the Federal government pales in comparison to the number of layoffs that happen in the private sector every year. Allowing one's self to believe they have a guaranteed job and benefits is another trap.
When I learned my lessons I adopted a mercenary sensibility. I get paid for outcomes. I do not get paid to keep a chair warm. It definitely helped with focus and prioritization. (And that Self guy can be a real jerk. LOL)
I was very fortunate (unfortunate) to learn harsh career lessons. I was trying to climb the corporate ladder. I was chasing the promises of upward mobility. Get married. Get a house. Have a kid. It took a couple of instances for me to learn the lesson that most of it is not really worth it. I kept getting blocked on the ladder (some of this was my own immaturity). Sometimes I got pushed off the ladder. Then it hit me - what do I hope to gain? My priorities were so out of whack. I adjusted. It can be done. But it was a process. FOMO. Keeping up with the Joneses. Those are beguiling for sure.
I attended a different campus of the School of Hard Knocks, but got the same lessons. In 40+ years I've had four distinct careers within technology across 20-ish employers (including Self), all of which makes me look at the emotion and hype surrounding the current wave of Federal layoffs with puzzled detachment. Forget about an email. I've had to prove my value to an employer face-to-face almost daily (especially to that Self guy.) As a percentage, the number of layoffs happening in the Federal government pales in comparison to the number of layoffs that happen in the private sector every year. Allowing one's self to believe they have a guaranteed job and benefits is another trap.
When I learned my lessons I adopted a mercenary sensibility. I get paid for outcomes. I do not get paid to keep a chair warm. It definitely helped with focus and prioritization. (And that Self guy can be a real jerk. LOL)