What Is Important?

I started an internship last week at a fairly huge company based here in Seattle. This break from my all-too-short grad program has set my mind aflutter about what the rest of my life is going to look like. I decided to go back to school in part because I spent my 20s in a panoply of strange jobs, not one of which was related to any other. I began school as a 29-year old and will exit as a 31-year old, and during those two years, I would like to develop some clue as to what I want to do with my career.

Here are the questions I think people ask themselves about most jobs:

• Do I like the people I’m working with?
• Do I care about the mission of my organization?
• Do I enjoy my actual day-to-day work?
• Am I making enough money?
• Do I lead a balanced life (between work and everything else)?

All of these are important to me, and I have yet to find a job where I answer “yes” to all five questions. If any reader has found that job, tell us about it in the comments.

It’s quite strange working at a place this large. Since my undergrad internships, I have never worked at a place with more than 25 people. Now I’m surrounded by thousands of people I don’t know and who don’t seem to know each other (judging from the silence in the elevator) and I find the whole thing a little demoralizing.

Okay, that’s enough megalomania for one posting. willminus should be back with his own obstreperous ramblings this evening. Enjoy!