What I’ve Learned About My Work & My Life - Part 2

 

I have worked everything from entry level positions to upper management both in the medical and accounting field.  I’ve been with my present employer for almost eight years now and when I decided to go to work for this particular company it was with the sole purpose in mind to cover our expenses, provide us with health insurance and get me to the finish line.  Retirement.  I was all about “What can this company do for me?”

 

This was a big shift to my previous mindset where I went into interviews and new jobs thinking I needed to convince them of all the wonderful things I could do for them and then prove it beyond all reasonable doubt.  Not this time.  I went in with the knowledge of what the job was and told them how my experience and expertise would meet their expectations and then I asked them a lot of questions.  Pay?  Raises? Bonuses?  Benefits?  Available vacation time?  Paid holidays?  Educational opportunities?  401k?  Matching?  I think I had more questions for them than they had for me, quite honestly.  Then I hit them with a big one.  What is the long range goal for this company?  Then I finished with “Tell me about your Mission Statement”.

 

Since I began here I’ve worked in four different departments until I found the right fit for me.  I’ve lobbied for pay raises and I’ve taken advantage of every opportunity provided to me to increase my wealth.  I went into this job with the idea that it is all about me.  Personal gain.  Because quite honestly, if it isn’t about personal gain then why am I here?  This isn’t my company and it never will be.  Working, thinking and acting as if I’m an owner would be ridiculous.  A sheer waste of my time, talent and effort. 

 

From the onset, despite my resume, I made it clear that I did not want to supervise people or manage anything.  I’m not here to establish my career or climb the corporate ladder.  I’ve already done that and I definitely do not feel the need to do it again.  I don’t want the nonsense or added stress along with the longer hours and added responsibility.  And if you’ve ever worked a salary pay position you know you end up working for free far more often than you’d like.  No thank you very much.

 

What I do offer to my employer is a good days work for a good days pay and that’s it.  I show up, I get my work done, I’m pleasant and respectful.  I do what is expected up to a point.  I keep my responsibility and my workload commensurate with my pay grade and job description.  If you want more, you have to pay me more.  I don’t take my work home with me and I don’t bring my personal life to work.  I clock in and do my job and then I clock out.  I go home and that is where my life truly is. 

 

There are lots of jobs out there.  Fact is, if I wasn’t working here, I’d be working somewhere else.  The bottom line, I just work here.  It currently meets my needs.  This not the end all be all of my existence.  This is just a job.