Settling Down

When most people think of settling down, they think of doing so with a significant other. You know, finding a guy, getting married, having kids and the white picket fence. Okay, that’s not what all of us desire of settling down, but I still know plenty of people who envision their lives this way - including the white picket fence. 

Have you ever thought of settling down with a job though?

Many of us do feel that we’re married to our jobs because we spend an exorbitant amount of our daily lives at work. But, it’s rare to find someone who’s married to their job in the traditional sense - the “till death do us part” kind of way. Or, something like that.

I am only 33 years old. Well, I’ll be 34 in April, so I am approaching my mid-30s. But, by most accounts, I’m still young.

Today, someone who is about twice my age said something that’s caused me to pause, although only momentarily. This person knows how much I hate my job and has been a great friend. But, I realized the generational gap today by what she said.

She told me that I’m getting to the age when I need to find a job that I can settle down with. You know, be happy at so I can settle in for the next 30 years to ensure a safe retirement. 

I didn’t know how to respond to this.

Never in my wildest dreams (or should I say - worst nightmares) have I thought about finding one company to stick with through my 40s, 50s and 60s. Maybe it is because I was born in the 70s and most of the generation Xers and Yers have grown up with no concept of loyalty to one company. We’re loyal to ourselves, dammit.

In my opinion, gone are the days when your grandmother, mother and you all work for the same company. Sure, this still occurs in some U.S. cities and in some industries; but overall, I think it’s looked down upon by potential employers if you’ve stayed at one company for too long.

Companies like to see that you’ve grown in your career - you’ve learned what you could from one employer and then moved on to a new one to gain as much experience as you could. For me, I would not be where I’m at in my career - position or salary wise - had I stayed at one company for the past 15 years. 

In fact, in the past 15 years, I’ve had 6 employers - all in the same industry and for the same position. My title has grown, but my overall responsibilities have essentially remained the same. The first 2 employers were only about 6 months each, so technically, the bulk of the 15 years have been spent at 4 different employers. 

I tend to reach about the 3 year mark and then I’m itching to get out. To experience new things. Meet new people. Put the frustrations and disappointments I’ve uncovered in my time there behind me. Move on.

I don’t know... if I work for one company for the rest of my working days - it’s either going to be a job and company that I’m absolutely in love with or, more likely, it’s going to be working for myself with my own company.

Hell, I don’t even know if I’m going to live in the same city for the next 30 years. Maybe it’s because I grew up with a single mom and we moved around a lot when I was a kid. I had been to 5 different schools by the time I started 6th grade. Or, maybe it’s in my DNA to experience new people, new places and new things. 

I’m not convinced though. I don’t think it’s just me. I think that it’s just “the way it is” nowadays. 

I think we all know that there is a big world out there to explore and we’re no longer tied to our jobs and communities like in past generations. We have new ways of communicating with each other, so there are no longer the same obstacles when moving away from loved ones. The Internet has made it easier to work from anywhere, at anytime.

So, why the hell should I settle down with one company? Why shouldn’t I work at 6 more employers over the next 15 years? Why not grab my life by its tail strings and enjoy the ride? Steer my own ship - even if that means going in different directions too many times to count?

Life is too short to stay in one place. 

In the end, I believe that I’ll end up right where I belong. Why not have fun taking a few detours to get there?