5 Reasons Why The Grass May Not Be Greener

Posted on May 16, 2010 by Terry

Every day I hear someone daydream about changing jobs or companies. It’s incredibly easy to dream. I’ve made three major career changes and changed companies five times. Here are the top 5 lessons I learnt.

Money isn’t everything (but it can help). If you accept a job that earns you ten or twenty thousand dollars more a year, but adds another hour or two of a lonely and miserable commute, are you really ahead? Has your quality of life improved? Those dreadful and polluted hours sucking on someone’s tailpipe are never regained. You can’t call on the traffic fairy and magically have time turned back. Those hours are lost forever. Being stuck in traffic is the biggest stressors in people’s lives. Is your time more important than money?

Be prepared to have a boss that you may loathe. Sure it may be great fun to have your dream job, but when your new boss goes on to bigger and better things, you may be stuck with the company clown as your glorious leader. Now your wonderful new job is a horrific nightmare as each hour your new boss finds fresh ways to torture you. Not so much of a dream anymore huh?

Ready to give up the perks that come with company seniority? I lost three wonderful weeks of vacation time changing companies once. Are you willing to lose your vacation time? Not only will you work more but you have to cover for your co-workers that have more seniority.

Are you able to ignore company politics? Every company has clicks, favoritism and certain unappealing dynamics which may make you wound up over time. I’ve heard whispered plans and dreadful lies spread about me because certain people wanted their friend to be hired. Are you ready to ignore all that and focus on the job itself? Or will you transform into the office tittle-tattle and gleefully buy your boss a Starbucks latte each morning?

You decided to start your own business. Do you think that being an entrepreneur is all about giving yourself a fancy title and working from home in your shorts while the money pours in? It isn’t. Starting a business takes guts, hard work and persistence.

There you have it.

Make sure your commute doesn’t kill you over time.
Avoid working for the company clown.
Think hard about your seniority perks.
Get ready to ignore office politics.
Figure out if you have the courage to become a successful entrepreneur.

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