Another semester behind me!! Yippee! I haven't had much to blog the past two months. Once my Saturday class was behind me, I only had the one class left. And to be honest, that class and I never engaged each other. Every single class felt like the first day of class to me. Whatever the disconnect was, I am happy to say it's behind me. :)
So, you might ask, what is in front of me? Just a single lone class looms before me. One measly class is all that stands in my way of graduation! That class happens to be a Saturday class. The topic is an Org Behavior (my favorite), but I can honestly say that I am not even sure of the exact title of topic. It was of keen interest to me, but the kicker was its four Saturday appeal. Technically, I will be done with all my graduate school responsibilities in February, but I will not technically and officially graduate until May.
I have been referencing these months forever now. I have always aimed to have December and January be the months where I finally figure out what I should do with myself career wise. For three years now, I have safely said, I'll deal with a career path when I finish school. Well, the finish line is right around the corner baby and it's time to kick it into gear. While I am insanely happy at my current company, I do feel the drive to take the next step into a more challenging role. Unfortunately, I do not think that that role exists at my current company, nor do I think there could be justification around creating the need for it. Therefore, as scary as it might be, I do think that it will be time for me to fly the coop and seek other pastures.
What am I looking for? First and foremost - a pay increase. A rather sizable one actually. I don't necessarily think that suddenly having an MBA suddenly justifies you for one, but rather, I think my experience has earned me one. Second most important is that I am looking for a company that has a culture fit to my personality. I think this is so key, and a critical factor to happiness and success at company, but yet, so many applicants don't factor that into their decisions. Sometimes my current job can be mundane, but I work with fabulous people, have great perks, am passionate about our work and feel that my personality fits well with the culture of the company. I once worked at a hedge fund, and let me tell you - wasn't my cup of tea. At all. Thirdly, I am looking for a role in which I am challenged. I like the administrative functions of my job, but I think I am ready for more challenging pieces of them. I would like to run an office, manage a team, track budgets and finance, have input to strategy and problem solving, build repoire with peers, senior management and people who I manage. I want to have problems to solve, and business issues that keep me thinking.
I know the roles are out there. I know I am qualified for them. I just have to not be so scared of moving out of mom's house, if you will. But it's so comfy there... and she makes dinner every night.... and I never have to clean... it's like living in a hotel. What if I go somewhere else and realize I am now staying at Super 8 when before I was staying at W?
Scary stuff.
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