Crossroads

Are you at a crossroads? With your career, job search, life in general? We work and work madly to get somewhere, but when you put your head up to see where that is, it's not quite where you thought. How did that happen?

I'm sitting at a crossroads myself. I've been shooting in several directions and waiting for something to tell me that I'm on the right path.

I worked many years in IT and went into management and consulting. I think I was good at what I did. I seemed to be respected by my peers, staff and clients. But as I moved around (that's called job-hopping), because I could in the tech area I was an expert in, I found it eventually eroded my corporate climbing ability.

Now not everyone is a climber, and I don't profess to ever want to be the big cheese anywhere. But it would be nice to have earned that nice corner office.

So I have no one to blame, not even myself really. I didn't feel that I wanted to climb in any company I was in. But I have found in the last few jobs I have had, I was coming in at a level lower than my experience should have allowed me. I'm not getting egotistical here. I looked at my peers or those a level or two above me and compared experience.

What did they have that I didn't? They stuck around and rolled with the punches. Good for them. Staying power never seemed to be my strong suit. Now, I was the most loyal employee you could ever ask for. But slight me in the least, ignore my efforts, hold back recognition and I was brushing off my resume. Yeah, yeah, job hopper.

I have on several occasions tried to make it work. Hang in, talk to the boss or even HR in one case, to try and make the place work for me. I gave it my all. But the cards weren't in it. So I moved on before things changed. Part of it is I can bore easily.

So, here I find myself at a crossroads again. I like the part-time gig I have going doing career coaching. I find it rewarding and the people have been great. I have even adjusted to being a contractor/consultant and not being an on the payroll employee.

So why do I find my mind thinking about going back on the employee list? Well part of it is that the part-time gig doesn't quite meet the old salary level expectations. I have been searching for other part-time gigs to fill in the gaps. This would be ideal, if they were out there. But hey, you know what the job market is like, right?

I now have one foot down the consultant road looking for more work and the other starting back on the search for a full-time opportunity. Of course, it never hurts to have options. But I wish I knew which path was the one I wanted for the long run. Not just the one that helps pay the mortgage.

There really are a lot of things to consider when job hunting. Staying focused is one that gets harder the longer you're out looking. But try to keep the parameters of what you want in check. Just because you could do the job, doesn't mean you would want to again.

Keep driving forward in whatever direction seems the best. Or a couple if that's an option. I've found that my varied interests can actually compliment each other. They might seem at first glance to have no overlap at all, but they can if worked properly.

And sometimes you just need to let one path roll along on its own for a little while which could give me a little time to explore another one. The roads may eventually meet up again. I might need to force them somewhat.

But that's what makes us unique. Good hunting!