When All That Glitters is Gone

Sometimes it’s obvious when you need to leave a job. Sometimes it’s less so.

photo by flickr user jar (away for a while)

For me, there are little hints:

• I’m no longer picturing myself in the proverbial corner office
• I’m less patient saying the same thing twice
• I catch myself sighing

Last time this happened to me, I remember asking myself “Why?” I couldn’t pinpoint what it was that was disillusioning me, and that made my dissatisfaction harder to swallow.

So I’m proposing a little exercise for my (or your) next new job (or a current one, for that matter). I’m going to write a list of things that excite me about the new position, titled What Glitters.

My current list might look something like this:

What Glitters

• Working with content I care about
• Can truly make a difference helping people learn
• Room for brainstorming/product development
• Can hand-select a team

Then, if/when I feel disillusioned, I can look at that list and see what’s missing. When all that glitters is gone, it’s time to move on.