Work, work, work, all day long

After that last disaster of a blog, I'm hopefully back on track for you, my loyal readers.

Try and follow my logic here. Recently, I was thinking about a conversation that I had with Aaron regarding what qualifies as an expert. There is one theory out there that qualifies one as an expert, if they dedicate 10,000 hours to their craft. Simply put, that would be 2 hours of practice/work a day for over 13 years. Many of us cannot stake claim to this, especially at our age. I of course, immediately thought of myself as a hockey expert because of being involved in the sport or study of it for over 18 years. Do I sincerely believe I've studied the sport for over 10,000 hours? Hopefully not.

Then my mind wandered a bit more, thinking perhaps I am an interview expert. It would still take several years to even consider this, but in my 12 years, since being able to work legally, I've had 12 jobs. Now mind you, 3-4 were summer jobs, but still that's quite a few. In the past 2-3 years, I'd be safe in saying I've been on about 20 interviews alone. So perhaps, this is my calling, teaching those how to properly interview, and spinning a negative into a positive.

After this mindless thought process, it hit me. I've changed jobs often b/c I'm never willing to settle and get bored easily if I'm not challenged. One has to believe this is the biggest generational gap between our parents and the current crop.

When I go into an interview with a company, I ask myself one question. Can I see myself working here for at least 2-3 years? Hopefully the answer is yes, otherwise, even if offered the stars and the moon, I'd turn it down. (This recent one is the exception to the rule).

Maybe there are a minority of people who actually enjoy both their job and company. They see themselves sticking with it for the long haul. I say, More power to ya, it'll help when you're building up those 10 weeks of vacation. However, I tend to believe more often than not, we view our jobs like relationships. After those first 2-3 years the fun and "newness" is starting to wear, and you're forced to looking long term. By year 4-5, you're either a "lifer" or if things haven't improved you're bailing ship. Sure, there would be reasons why you'd stay, even if you're dissatisfied. Perhaps the "economy" is bad and you don't have any other options. Maybe this company gives you really "good" money and benefits, and you can't turn it down.

It's funny because unlike my personal life, I jump from job to job with reckless abandonment. It's definitely a terrible approach, but I'm looking more long-term. Whatever job will get me closer to the ultimate goal of working with a "Secret" agency, I'll take it.

Our parents believed in loyalty to their employers. Even if the job became mundane and the pay was not so great, they stuck with it, for the kids. It's a huge sacrifice they made, and I'd like to thank them everyday for it.

I guess I still haven't fully matured yet, because I'm unwilling to make that sacrifice and settle for anything less than everything. Will that ultimately come back to haunt me? Maybe, maybe not. But it's been a helluva ride so far.