Job angst over here too!

[LadyShea]

Sorry about the vagueness, but details would make this 4 pages long.

Okay the last 5 years in a nutshell....I work for people that have great ideas but implement them half assed at best, couldn't manage their way out of a room with a single door, and display questionable ethics (for me, they aren't unusually unethical in the corporate world).

So, on Monday I was told I needed to fly out today to meet with some new "marketing partners". So far, any good partners were nickled and dimed to death, absorbed, put under, or merged and the shitty crooked asshole partners booked a lot of business quickly and shadily and then just disappeared and I was left cleaning up much of the mess. I figure we are probably bottom of the barrel scraping and I was going to meet some huckster telemarketers or some shit.

What I met were some sharp guys, who already have successful ventures in the target market, have a 250-seat call center (meaning I don't have to work with end users!!!) and know their demographic. One company flew their guys out on their company jet. When the CEO outlined the service/product offering, I realized that we already offer all of the features...except one. That one sounded too good to be true, and knowing my company I inwardly groaned "Oh yeah right, it will be in development for a year and then just fizzle". So color me shocked when I found out it was already implemented and live and I got to do the demo.

So, I found myself excited, I heard myself rattling off possible applications they hadn't thought of, I was thinking about marketing campaigns. But, my cynicism after 5 years of slogging through shit was also strong. Definite cognitive dissonance going on.

My question, do I jump in with both feet and see if I can help make soemthing happen, or do I resign myself to the probability thtat this will get fucked up as usual? I was once on fire, but I got burned out. It wasn't pretty and I don't want to find myself in that mental state again.

[reprise]

At the end of the day, the only person who can weigh up the risk/benefit equation is you. I have no regrets whatsoever about taking a chance on my career path. I'd do it for free even if I didn't get paid for it. BUT - and it's a pretty huge *but* - the down side is much harder to handle if it's *just a job*.

Ask them for more info. Any legit business will be falling over themselves to provide their credentials and will - to a certain extent - be interviewing YOU.

Be very, VERY, careful my lady. This might be totally legit, but if it is then they should be throwing audited statements at you. If they are unwiiling/unable to provide audited statements, RUN.

[livius drusus]

My question, do I jump in with both feet and see if I can help make soemthing happen, or do I resign myself to the probability thtat this will get fucked up as usual? I was once on fire, but I got burned out. It wasn't pretty and I don't want to find myself in that mental state again.

Can you do a little of both? I know that sounds weird, but can you give free reign to your enthusiasm even as you understand that it mind end up going nowhere?

As a girl, did you ever fingerknit? I don't mean this to sound like the totally moronic analogy it is, but it's the closest thing I can think of right now. I used to do that shit for hours, bought all kinds of different colored yarn, worked on my "craft" for years and the end product was always the same: that weirdo long ropey looking thing. I did it because it was fun to me, because I was excited about it. The process was invigorating and worthwhile in and of itself, entirely divorced from what came of it.

It seems to me that you could do something similar here: appreciate the challenge, the revival of your creativity and enthusiasm in what is usually a mind-numbing environment without investing too much of yourself in the outcome.

[LadyShea]

Reprise, thanks for your response. I am not really in any danger if this deal doesn't go through, I still get my paycheck. The part of it regarding their legitimacy doesn't really effect me except as it regards customer relations and my mental state. The project won't even cost my company anything, we have the technology already, the other two partner companies are taking the financial risks. It's just that for a while now I have been doing, as livius said, mind numbingly stagnant work. I can do my job, as it is now, in my sleep. I have had to mentally shift gears into not caring to protect myself from getting stressed.

livius, you're probably right. I just need to do what I can without getting my expectations too high. Hell, it won't hurt me to research some markets or write up some ideas. It'll give me something to do. And you know, I can walk anytime...I just miss contributing to something I am excited about and believe in.

[viscousmemories]

Well you know my philosophy: Plan for the worst, expect worse than you imagined. :D

[JoeP]

My advice reflects what I've experienced in the past 3 years or so. In other times it might be different.

If you're being asked to commit money to this or risk your job - or even your future employability - say no unless you can get a very good level of confidence about it. But if the risk is more your mental state (and I know how that can be...) I'd say go for a way of throwing enthusiasm into it without risking the backlash of regret (or whatever) if it goes wrong. Often when we aren't totally confident about something we hold back so we can say "I knew it would never work" later. But to me - now - it's more enjoyable to put what I can into something and get some satisfaction out of while working, even if there's none in the outcome.

I sound new-agey therapisty. But I do mean something, honest!

[LadyShea]

I understand you perfectly Joe, thanks :)