I have worked at my job for the past 8 years. I had the misfortune of starting to get really frustrated about this around the fourth year that unfortunately also was the 2007. Yes, that was the year that the Great Recession started. I was in a rock and a hard place. There were many reasons why I was frustrated: lack of respect in the work place, a keen awareness that I was underpaid, we were actually growing substantially, but weren’t being compensated accordingly. Boredom was setting in. The atmosphere at my office was affected by inter-office politics/ and personal conflicts that made it more and more difficult to for me to enjoy my job and my work. One year, became two, two years became, three, then three years became four. Then a funny thing happened, attitudes changed at work, we continued to grow, my position has a degree of flexibility that I’m unwilling to give up right now. I go hiking during the afternoon or go to yoga. And, finally, finally I received a substantial raise. I learned through this experience a couple of things: keep asking for what you think you deserve and what you have rightfully earned. I kept asking for a change to my pay grade which would equal a change to my pay. I finally got that. Don’t have all of your eggs in one basket!! This was my biggest mistake. Because of this experience I have begun working on some business endeavors to grow my income and to allow me other opportunities to grow in a professional way. Part of the reason I was so frustrated at work is that there was an unwillingness to allow me to do participate in certain professional development opportunities. I had to identify other places to develop these skill sets. No matter how much you love the organization that you work with, it’s important to develop personal and professional relationships and roles outside of your current place of work. It’s called networking, and it’s a great way to develop yourself professionally. You may feel a bit time challenged, but in the event of a layoff, or job loss you may be able to transition a bit more quickly due to these relationships/skill sets that you’ve developed outside of work. So, I am on year 8 and I have decided that I can continue for 4 more years. Then, we shall see. FYI, I am working on other business endeavors!
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