One interview done yesterday and one more today. The interview yesterday was quite interesting - I think they asked pretty good questions overall. I liked the people I'd be working closely with. The management person was the monkey wrench, and he ended the interview with asking essentially why the hell I change jobs so much.
Look, I get that there are people who stay in the same job their whole career and that is fine but it should not be seen as the gold standard. As he said, I change jobs every two to three years, and objectively that seems perfectly fine for somebody who wants to continue to learn and grow. It's weird because where I am now, the turnover is super high, and we work with another agency who has replaced like 28 out of 30 people in the past year. It's SUPER high turnover in lots of places, and that I think is a problem. But somebody who stays a few years and does a good job and makes things better? Maybe that's a management nightmare for continuing to have to hire new people, but buck up. New people don't have to be a bad thing - they can bring new ideas and energy, and they're not so stuck. I am curious about anyone who in this current time wants to find a job and stay there their entire career. Why do you want that security and stability and why are you so afraid of the unknown? And this guy even said, "I'm really jealous of all the places you've been," and I said, "Yeah, I'm curious and I like to say yes, and I've had incredible experiences." I then shot myself in the foot by implying I wouldn't probably be there more than three years, but who knows? If it's a great place to work then why not? But also, I have high hopes to retire in six years so nobody will get me for 30 years. I'll likely be dead in 30 years.
They asked some content specific questions and I spun that shit right around on its head and challenged the fundamental assumptions of the questions and the company response. That's the kind of value I add. I think differently and am not invested in the status quo while also not out to reinvent wheels. Honestly, they need me. They are stuck in some very bad patterns that must be yanked into new realities, and i have the capacity to usher that along. I discreetly called out some things I read in the news and referenced other possibilities. But unfortunately, I think that like my previous job, that they give lip service to necessary change but don't really want it. They want credit but don't want to do the work or change systems that reward them.
And here's the other thing - I don't have to make myself sick pushing along reluctant people to do better in an overpriced town that I don't even really like. I don't have to beg them to hire me and I don't have to be sad if they don't. The pay is good and they're still doing hybrid remote work (I've been working in the office 100%, no remote work allowed at all) which can be nice because commuting there is a bitch (unlike where I am now, with my 7 minute commute with no traffic). But I don't need that job and I'm not sure I want it.
The interview today is for a job I'm more sure that I think I want. But honestly? I'm second guessing my plans to leave. Now that hurricane season is wrapping up and I'm no longer on high alert, I look around and remember I like it here. The only thing that the West Coast offers is being near my closest friends.
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