The higher you go, the tighter it gets, and with one slip of the foot, falling backward onto the lower levels is an easy thing to do. But up there, as the competition and the air thins, the pyramid is shaped more by a lack of opportunity than one’s ability or desire. The base is broad and competitive, and eventually it only makes sense to go upward. Like many disciplines in the tech industry, the longevity of your career is shaped somewhat like a pyramid. I hadn’t realized that fighting my way into leadership against things like corporate challenges, gravity, internal competition, and THE ODDS, was the same as working myself into a corner. I will admit that I was both foolish, and wholly disappointed in what I had first found. They’d write about me in the annals of InDeed and GlassDoor. I cracked open a craft beer, sat down at my MacBook, and went hunting for the opportunity of a lifetime, somewhat arrogant that I’d be able to find a great gig in record time. I did what any veteran of UX and Design would do. It became clear that in this later, follow-through stage of my career, finding an organization with strong culture and integral values that aligned to my own was going to be vital. And my experiences, and the perceptions of them, were telling. I had thrived in large enterprise, corporate environments, in spite of the dysfunction, constant regime changes, and a collective struggle to find a clear path forward into maturity. I had grown up in the agency life, cutting my teeth on all sorts of industry work. But the answer was different this time around. And I had asked myself then what was important to me. Become the clay.įor me, I had a framework for this experience. And trust me, this is the most critical time to do a good bit of introspection and discover, quickly, what exactly it is that you want especially for yourself. It’s time to start shaping the next stage of your life. It’s time to answer all the questions squirming around inside those dark chambers of your mind that you often try to ignore or silence - the who and what am I?, and what will become of me? types. It’s time to change What Now? and What Next? into actions. Oh, the gauntlet is real! But eventually, as the fog of - let’s face it - self pity begins to clear, there comes the time when you stand up, knock the dust off your business casual gingham button down, and look long to the horizon for opportunities, and threats. Feelings of inadequacy and fear can turn to excitement, resentment to acceptance to denial and back again. What Now? or What Next? becomes a part of your daily mindset, and you wrestle with the myriad emotions of having your legs swept from under you, usually while still performing your duties and trying to keep yourself or your team together. It’s a big change, and big changes can oftentimes not only feel like a big challenge, but they quickly become one. Whether you see it coming or not, the feelings associated with such a revelation are usually the same. “Your position is being eliminated, relocated, or just plain old un-you-cated.” Their impact is sudden and meaningful in ways you cannot yet fully comprehend.
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