Hate Your Job? Maybe It's Time to Consider a New One!

Over the past few months I have been hinting on this blog that I am not overly happy with my position at work. Since the new partner has taken over my group I have noticed that things have begun to get more rigid and office politics are playing an ever increasing role in who gets promoted. Formerly, your advancement in The Firm has been tied directly to how well you did your job. Fortunately I do my job very well. Unfortunately (for them) I don't play politics.

As such over the past few weeks I have started quietly looking for a new job and gathering my thoughts about what I would like to do going forward.

To get to a place where I could act I needed to ask myself a few crucial questions. Use these as a guide to help get the dialogue started. Talk to your friends, spouse, significant other, etc. to get as many points of view as possible.

1. Do I like what I am doing?
   I like what I am doing because I am good at it. Auditing isn't a "sexy career by any means, but it is stable, well-paying, and relatively recession-proof.
2. Do I like doing my my job or my preferred job in the city I am currently living in?
   Currently I do not like living in the DC Metro. I have been here 1.5 years and haven't really found many people that I connect with and enjoy the same things I enjoy. I would like to move.
3. What kinds of professional designations will help me attain better standing with prospective employers?
   In my case, the CISA - Certified Information Systems Auditor. For you it will likely be different - Real Estate License, etc.
4. If I want to move to a new city, will I be able to afford living there with my expected earnings?
   I will be able to live comfortably in my new city given my earning potential (more on where I will be living at a later time). Take into consideration that you may not be able to support yourself in Manhattan on a wage for an entry level marketing assistant.
5. If I want to move to a new city, will it support my other interests and goals?
   I think that it will. I am very interested in Freemasonry, Real Estate, Social Entrepreneurship and bike riding. I think that my new city will provide me opportunities to get exposure to all those things. Unfortunately, DC isn't the most entrepreneurial of towns!

So here are just a few of the questions I have asked myself over the past few months as I have searched for a new job and a new city. Surely there are other good questions to ask. However this is meant to be a jumping off point to start the discussion of your next steps.