Q: From one Scott to another, how about a career-related question for a change?
I’m a 49-year-old partnered gay man working as an Instructional Systems
Designer (designer of training materials) at an Army base outside of
Washington, DC. When I took this job in January, immediately after completing
graduate school, I was expecting to actually be designing training courses.
Instead, I’ve been shuffled into a niche that involves mostly copy-editing
older courses and testing hyperlinks on websites. This is a problem, not
only because it’s boring, but because I’m not getting the kinds of hands-on
experiences that I’ll need if I want to apply for a similar job in Denver
next year, where there are fewer such positions and the competition will be
tougher.
I need to stay in DC through next spring so my partner can finish
grad school nearby.
The job market here is good, and I could find a better
position, but I would lose a lot of perks, like being subjected to the
notorious one-hour-plus typical DC commute instead of my current fifteen
minutes, being relegated to a cube instead of having a private office, and
not being able to save money by eating cheap food in the mess hall.
Basically, I’m stuck in a comfort zone. I’m acutely aware that I’m not
getting any younger and that I need to move beyond “entry level” very soon.
So what do I do? Suck it up and find a better job and deal with all the
aggravations for a year?
Or just try to study up on all the latest
technologies and practice them on my own in my spare time, hoping that
Denver employers will believe me when I say that I know a skill?
Scott (no last name, please)
– Springfield, VA
SCOTT: OK Scott, I have to admit while I read about what you do for a living, I
nodded off a few times. But now I’m refreshed from my nap and ready to help.
It’s not good that you’re stuck your comfort zone, my friend, because you’re
bored out of your mind. But you have to love what you do, since you do it so
much of your time.
If we lived forever, then it wouldn’t matter, but life
goes by quickly and the older we get, the faster it goes.
It’s time to kick it in high gear and start getting dynamic with your
career.
You’ve got a year until the move — don’t use that time idly.
Instead, use it to your advantage. Get the better job now, which will stimulate your mind, and also look good on your resume.
Also, study the
latest technologies in your spare time. That way, when you get to Denver,
you’ll be sharp, with a better resume and ready to move beyond entry level.
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