What if I loved my job and stayed for 10 years?
It has been five years that I am already working for the same company. Five years - that is more than I ever imagined or thought that I could possibly work for one mission.
I’m writing from a city that I started to love - Paris, San Francisco, New York, anything that gives me diversity. I’m living by myself but close to (or with) amazing people who motivate me and push: a community of life hackers and explorers.
Over the last years, I developed a healthy relationship with work: I learned to be organized and overcome personal problems of functioning, and learned to spend dedicated time at work to make space for personal life. This includes, among others, holidays and breaks to gain diversity, as well as a good salary in order to live the rich metropolitan style of life.
My job matters. I feel connected to my mission and the people I work with. I care about what I do because it improves humanity through technology, and I am surrounded by thriving people who push me and themselves to a higher level. Improvement is encouraged, and honesty is the base value.
My job allows me to grow within my job category, and to touch on other sections in order to give me diversity. Also, the company is growing rapidly enough that their employees have to keep up and develop themselves, and part of the company structure helps to reinvest in their employees.
It has been five years and I don’t consider quitting the job, because I love my situation and I am comfortable with it. I am being challenged at work, while the mission remains as important as before. I am comfortable with my situation because I have the financial means, right people and an abundance of opportunities to live life to its fullest, to explore, experience and grow.
It feels great to have been there from the beginning, and to grow for one cause that really matters. The day that I’ll be bored, I’ll change. But for now, I can not be more grateful for an amazing team, a profound cause, and an environment that constantly makes me grow and learn.
Key Findings: What would make me stay?
Personal Situation:
- Being exposed to enough diversity (in terms of people, city, adventures)
- Having a good work vs. personal life
- Being comfortable with routines I like, while being pushed out of my comfort zone often enough
Financial Situation:
- Having a good salary that allows personal investment
Work Situation:
- Working for a cause that matters: improving society through technology
- Having co-workers who are better than you and push you to make you grow
- Having enough holidays to experience the diversity of the world outside of work
- Constantly learning and growing through right company structures and mentors
Comparison: My Work Goals as of January 14th
- Independence: Being self-sustainable and independent financially
- Purpose: Working on a tech project that directly has an impact on society
- Development: Learning new skills that I can use personally or professionally later on
- Development: Explore different professional areas and activities
- People: Being surrounded by people greater than me who share their knowledge and approaches in order to invest and empower people
- Contribution: Being able to make decisions that concern the overall strategy and develop own projects
- Balance: Be able to sustain and be supportive of my personal goals
- Recurrence: Not having to worry about times without financial income
- Personal Desire: I want to do this project because I’m excited about it
Those were not perceived as fundamentals in the above written text:
- Independence: Being location independent
- Independence: Being time independent