The Times, They Are A-Changin'

Here I am, not even two weeks into 2007 and I can already see that this is going to be a year of many changes. My family is getting a new member in August. Heather will soon stop working full-time outside of our home. I will finish grad school after this semester (only three months until I’m finished, but who’s counting). And now, there’s one more possible change: my career.

Let me preface this by saying I don’t hate being an engineer. I’ve been such for almost six years now and have learned a lot. But, as I realized a few years back, my personality would be a better fit for something else. That’s why I started pursuing an MBA in 2004. And here I am, 13 classes completed and 95 days until my last class meeting (ok, obviously I *am* counting). When I started the program, I didn’t really know where I wanted to go next. Program management? Project management? People management? Something else?

Just before Christmas, I was given a phone interview with a completely different area within my company. I’ll save the details of the position for later in case something comes of it, but it looks promising. I received a phone call last week and was informed that they want to meet with me face-to-face. I haven’t had a formal interview in six years, but I’ll be doing just that from 2:00-4:00pm today.

An older and wiser man once told me not to start a new job simply to get out of your current position. Rather, he said to take a new job when it’s a better opportunity. This subtle difference in attitude has really impacted me. As I said before, I definitely don’t hate what I’m doing now. In fact, I’m rather enjoying most of my current projects at work! If I’m not made an offer, at least I can still be happy in my current position. I’m thankful that I can approach this interview with peace.