What does it take?

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What does it take?

Been busy the past few days trying to gain some ground on the project I'm currently working on; and balancing delivering a new 'application framework' versus actually delivering this single site...which is not easy! I've also been thinking about what I really want to do - and how I'm going to go about getting there. Problem is, I need inspiration; you know, something to really fire me up and get me interested in coding again because lately...
Ah well, the decision about where I want to be is a tricky one - old dilemma safe 'good enough' job versus risky 'job of my dreams' - in addition, the Microsoft bird has pretty much flown (can you tell how annoyed I am about that yet , talk about kicking yourself!). So this whole thing leaves me pretty much out on a limb and wondering where to go next...if anywhere!
So here's the question - are you doing the job of your dreams, if so what is it and what does it take to get there?

Print | posted @ Monday, October 25, 2004 2:06 PM

Comments on this entry:

# re: What does it take?

by Darrell at 10/25/2004 5:17 PM

No, I'm not doing the job of my dreams but I am doing something I love, for now anyway.

My MO (modus operan-something) is to work at a job until I'm no longer challenged, then go looking for something better. As long as the new job is a stretch compared to the old one, then I'm all for it! Lather-rinse-repeat. :)

# re: What does it take?

by Benjamin Mitchell at 10/25/2004 9:29 PM

I'm a big fan of the concept of Flow. It states that you have 'flow experiences' (losing track of time, being totally engrossed in an activity etc) when your skills meet the demands of the task that you're working on. What I find so exciting about this model is that it is dynamic - if your skills increase and the task stays the same, you'll be bored. If the task demands increase and your skills don't then you'll be anxious. There's a great book on this topic called 'between boredom and anxiety'.

So rather than thinking of a dream job as a single job in a single organisation, the challenge becomes finding an environment where you can be constantly challenged while allowing you to increase your skills. Personally I hope to one day find an organisation that is set up to assist with this, but in the meantime I try and manage this myself by running my own company and working as a consultant.

# so what now??

by andyBlog at 10/26/2004 2:33 PM

so what now??

# re: What does it take?

by Jon Galloway at 10/27/2004 7:28 AM

Without knowing what the hell I'm talking about, I wouldn't rule out a Microsoft job in your future. From your earlier post, you interviewed for a PM job for ASP.NET 5 years ago. Since then, you've clearly mastered ASP.NET and have a lot of good ideas on how it can improve. As an ASP.NET user, I'd be attempting cartwheels if I heard you were joining the ASP.NET team.

Times change - how many of the people you interviewed with are still in the ASP.NET group or even still at Microsoft 5 years later? And if you're human (and I suspect you may be), you're likely a very different person than you were 5 years ago, too. I doubt Microsoft has a one interview in your life policy (that would be very stupid in my opinion).

Now if only you spoke Microsoft/American... Hint: start by prefixing each sentence with "So...".

# re: What does it take?

by Scott Galloway at 10/27/2004 8:22 AM

Thanks for that Jon...ever considered motivational speaking :-)