I started a new job recently. This is my eighth job since finishing college in 1990. And if I count my computer-related jobs from when I was still in school, that tally goes to eleven. That's probably a reasonable number given my age and the churn that is typical of the computer industry.
Sometimes I feel self-conscious about all these job changes. At many points throughout my roundabout career, I wish I had found that 'forever company', that one place that I could stay for life, that could provide me a measure of security and stability on top of engaging work. Perhaps these are the real unicorns.
One 'forever company' candidate would have been Endeca, a place I stayed at for almost eight years. However, when it was acquired by Oracle, I was among the many that had become redundant. Some managers reached out and asked me to consider finding a role at the acquiring company. I often think about what my life would have looked like if I had.
Someone once remarked to me: "You're doing something right if companies keep hiring you." Possibly! But every job change reminds me that I'm on the edge of capitalism's brutal knife. I have to constantly prove myself and provide value because any workplace can cut me without warning or penalty. Thankfully this works both ways! I can work elsewhere if the situation warrants it.
My hope is that this is the last job change until I retire. We'll see if this comes to pass. I can't predict the future, but I can work hard. My enthusiasm and capacity for my kind of work has not diminished after all these years. I'm counting on it because I have another decade of work before I reach the finish line.
