Wednesday, March 14, 2012

On working

After years of working in the non-profit world, I wanted to get a taste of working in a business. I sent out many resumes and got interviews in some of the top companies around the country. In the end, I accepted a position working for a company literally a 5 minute walk away from my house that produces products that I'm actually interested in.

Going from a Director position to an Associate Director was not a big deal for me because I figured I'd be getting experience in a field otherwise unfamiliar to me.

The pros of such a situation are that I am close to home, close to the gym, I don't have much responsibility, it's a flexible schedule (somewhat), and I can leave at 4pm everyday. In addition, I enjoy the people I work with in my immediate surroundings.

The cons are that I don't have as much responsibility as I'm used to, my work is not as challenging as I was expecting and in short, I feel like my skills are not being utilized maximally. I don't have much of a say in the decision-making process because after all, I'm not a senior level anything there and I'm the new person. In addition, the management style is very different than what I'd expect in a successful business (hmmm, maybe that's where I go wrong: what defines 'successful'?!) There's hardly any teamwork or interaction with each other and hardly any inter-departmental collaboration which is hard for me because I thrive on those elements in a workplace!

I suppose I'm getting the true taste of what it's like to work in a company because given these cons (which really do carry a lot of weight for me), I really don't mind that much. I am not 'married' to the cause, as I was used to in the non-profit world, I'm not out there carrying the world on my own shoulders. I simply do my work and go home at the end of the day.

Being able to leave at a reasonable hour without stressing out about the success of a campaign, or worrying about a donor or saving people's lives is actual quite enjoyable. I have been going to the gym, doing things after work, enjoying Jerusalem's nightlife (yes, there is one!) and enjoying my LIFE. Wait, there's a life outside the office! Revolutionary!

So maybe I should just accept that this is way it's going to be for a while; doing my job, leaving at 4, not being stressed. It's not really my nature to be complacent, I am truly activating my patience given the situation... and maybe it's paving the way to something else really amazing.

I hope that amazing comes knocking on my door some point down the road. Preferably one that will make me millions.

*sigh*

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