Getting to the Next Level

Oh boy. The next level. We had a guest speaker at one of my classes that really got me thinking about getting to the next level. This guy is pretty young – he worked for huge companies in corporate America, did some consulting, rode the dotcom wave when it was good, is now back in school getting his PhD, and has already been offered a lecturing gig at one of the big universities in the Northeast. That's his career path and it seems to be working out very nicely for him. He's done things that I wish I could do - work with companies both big and small and then pass on the knowledge to young minds. It was really enlightening seeing and listening to a very accomplished, talented, well-spoken black man. Yes, he was a brother. I was in complete awe. Not just me, I could tell that the entire class wanted to soak up this man's knowledge. It’s just not something you see often. When the prof emailed us his credentials to let us know more about who was coming, I was expecting an older white gentleman. You know, the typical 'guest speaker'. So when I got to class yesterday and saw him, it took a minute to register that this was our guest speaker. But that’s really not the point of my whole shpill i.e. that is really not why I am writing this.

The guy made me think about my next step career-wise. He made a comment, an assumption that everyone in class was there to fulfill some sort of goal that couldn’t be described as altruistic. He also said we were probably not there for enlightenment alone. And I thought, hmm… not quite sir, I really am here because I want a deeper level of learning, something better than my undergraduate education; I want to learn the implications of things and not just memorize the definitions like we did in undergrad. My Masters degree will be something that I can be proud of – some personal accomplishment, nothing else.

Even though my reasons for getting another degree started off more or less for different reasons, this guy has made me wonder if I should perhaps be a little more ambitious career-wise. Here’s my current philosophy: I love my job, I love the company I work for, if I can’t work for myself, I will continue to work for this company. That’s been my mantra for the past six or so years. Even when work gets unbelievably boring or I don’t seem to be making much of an impact, my mantra keeps me going. It’s a great company to work for- both for personal and professional reasons. The professional reasons are somewhat boring but on the personal side, where else can I get thirty days of vacation? Yes, that’s thirty days in America! I think that is one of the things that has kept me here. I love the number of days I can take off and do my own thing. However, if I am to take control of my career and get to the next level, I cannot be complacent. I cannot continue to come up with excuses for being complacent. I need to build up my resume. Diversify. Broaden my horizon. Get up outta here one day. I have been complacent for the past six years and I could keep going like this for the next thirty years as long as I keep moving up the ladder. However, is that enough for me to one day look back and say, wow, I had such an accomplished career? In today's world, sticking with the same company for a lifetime is unheard of. I need to think about my next step. Seriously.