Taking things for granted

I have been in IT, a geek, for over 15 years. In that time I have seen a lot. Working on green screens, dumb terminals for AS400s or Main Frames, the PC, Client server technology, wireless, the web explosion, the .com boom and bust, and finally the settling. In some ways my career has mirrored IT over the last 15 years as well. My first true IT job was in an office of no more than 30 PCs. Offices didn't have more than that in the 80's.

As my career began to take shape, the .com boom started. My timing was great. I was able to triple my salary inside of 5 years. I also had 7 different employers in a span of 10 years. Talk about chasing the money. In that time, I not only chased the money for myself but I did that for my family. It was nice seeing the raises and bonuses come in. But then I almost got used to switching jobs. It became too easy to leave and find another job. Then the bust happened. I survived the initial bust (it caught up to me last year) and actually kept the money as well as a job.

Finally, after meeting the turbulence head on I have found that I need stability. I relish the fact of telling someone that I have been at the same job for 5, 10, or 20 years. I need that. My family needs that too.