MyLifeMyCareer.com

Anytime I tell people that I left my previous position after over two years with that company they always ask, "What went wrong?" I usually like to start by saying what went right before things started going in a direction that I did not agree with. We'll try to do this as best I can without violating the confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements I signed.

So, what went right?

Participated in a management rotational program - This is something I had really wanted to do after college to get a bigger picture of how a business actually works. I had read many books that attempted to illustrate the inner workings of a business, I went to all of my entrepreneurship and small business management classes, but I had never seen or been a part of all areas of a successful larger company (around 200 employees at the time of my start date, so small business by most standards but as big as I was willing to go at the time). I worked or shadowed in all areas of a software company: development, QA, marketing, sales (relationship management is the professional term...), services, training, support, and had exposure and access to senior managers. We even had a lunch series with the CEO and co-founder where we could pick his brain, and learn from his experience building this company over the past 20 years. This program was not as structured as I would have liked, but since it was being offered by a small company where there are not as many resources for given tasks we had to be flexible about when certain meetings could occur. Our team of six recent graduates completed two company-wide collaborative projects which were presented to senior management. The international opportunities research project involved building a competitor database, prospect database, and identifying features that would need to be added to our solutions to be seen as a feasible solution for international prospects. Our client life cycle project focused on the relationship of a specific client from the days when they were a prospect signing their first contract with us, seeing how their needs changed as they grew in size or experienced other business changes, and trying to foresee future needs based on their relationship with us. We even talked to the client with the permission and guidance of the relationship manager which was huge several months into the new job. The rotational program was invaluable in terms of providing a solid foundation for my future positions and career.

Developed and matured as a professional - It is really a night and day comparison from where I was at in 2006 coming out of college, and where I am today. I have always worked in client-facing jobs since my first job working on the tennis staff at a country club in high school, so connecting with co-workers and clients has never been an issue. However, working within a software company on the services team I had to really work on and improve the types of communication required for the different audiences. When dealing with the client or our consultants I had to really take a basic and practical approach for the more business-side projects team members as opposed to communicating technical details to our QA team when reporting issues or when working with the client's IT or tech rep during implementations. I improved dramatically after several projects were in the bag, and even had clients mention to managers of mine that they thought I was much older than 24 years old when talking over the phone or through email exchanges. I'll take that compliment as a sign of growing as a professional.

Collaborated on small to large scale project implementations - Some companies take the approach that you are dedicated to one project at a time, and they set the expectations with the clients that this will be the case. Our company had projects of all sizes, and we were assigned to around 20 projects at a time - 10 or more would be considered larger implementations that could last 6-12+ months. This worked out well for the most part, as you would be waiting for deliverables on several projects and could knock out tasks on other projects or take care of a smaller project in that time. There were of course waves where it felt like every project had deliverables due, and then it would pass after a few weeks and slow back down. I would work on these projects independently managing the timeline and deliverable schedule directly with the client if it was a smaller project, or work with a project manager, consultant, our support reps, and a larger client team if it was a larger and more complex implementation. Experiencing the butting of heads, schedule conflicts, delays on either end, scope creep, pressure from many directions, and everything else that you don't read about in text books or experience in case studies was huge. I am pretty sure my spine grew several more inches having to stand up to internal team members and to clients on certain issues all while maintaining a good relationship and moving forward as smoothly as possibly. With this experience I could work in many different types of positions, and it will serve me well when a management title is thrown my way.

Experienced an acquisition, IPO, internal restructuring, and integration - The company I worked for was acquired several months before my first interview while I was still in school. I remember reading in a Jack Welch book (among many other places) that 99% of mergers and acquisitions fail, so I remember asking the HR associate if she thought that the new parent company would mesh well and allow us to operate as we were. Would the great company culture change? The culture is what sold me initially on the company as it was rare to find that west coast type of company in the middle of the corn fields in Indiana. The HR associate said no way, and I trusted this response especially after visiting the offices twice for second and third round interviews and seeing it for myself. Four months after starting there the parent company went public on the London exchange, and now we were a public and global company of thousands of employees. From there on out the culture did begin to change as sacrifices were made to appease analysts and shareholders. After about a year, an internal restructuring started and neared completion by the time I left. During this time we were also integrated with another company that the parent company owned, and many meetings were held to slowing connect the two companies. Now, I had almost accepted a different position 8 months before I actually resigned, but am glad that I stuck around to experience all of the changes and to piece together what I thought was going right and what was going wrong. Through all the changes in two short years I gained valuable insight into all of the changes, impacts, and employees' opinions during the M&A, IPO, and integration. You cannot teach that.

So, that's what went right. Why did I leave? I think you can infer from some of the above statements that certain aspects of the company changed dramatically from when I had started. These changes combined with my personal recognition that I was working in an industry that I did not particularly care for in a position that was not the right fit caused me to resign. It was a good paying job, I had just been given a significant raise and bonus, it was somewhat secure, but I was not passionate about it. I could have stayed there, bought a house or condo, and settled down, but there were more and more days where I was not looking forward to showing up due to the mis-alignment and lack of interest in what I was doing and who I was serving. I do not want to get stuck in a rut of living for the weekend as so many people my age complain about but do nothing about.

I think it is also important to note that I did not just up and leave as some people do when they leave a position. I had and still have great respect for my team, my managers, and the entire services department, really. I worked with all of them to try and transition my project portfolio as smoothly as possible to minimize any impact internally or experienced by the client. I stayed past 5 PM on my last day after a 10:30 AM exit interview so that I could finish up transition process docs for some of the larger projects that were being passed to co-workers of mine. I even planned and gave my two week notice at a time when many of my projects were either close to wrapping up or barely started where the impact of a transition would be minimal. I look forward to staying in touch with many of my former co-workers, and definitely did not torch any bridges. I'm sure there were some hard feelings from certain people towards me when I left, but that's out of my control and part of business. I did everything I could to leave on the best terms possible, and have done this in every previous position. A strong finish is extremely important to me, and I would hope you do the same when in this situation in the future.

So, what now? Well, I'm taking some time off to travel and visit friends that I haven't seen in awhile while searching for jobs and new cities that I may want to re-locate to (kind of hard to take a month off while working). Some people joke about the early retirement and being voluntarily unemployed in this horrible economy, but this is really the first month I have had off since I was 4 years old. I always played several sports each season growing up, then I got to the age where I could work on top of going to school and playing sports, and I only took off a few weeks before starting work right after college ended. It feels good to get back to neutral, rest up, and enjoy life. I went to Nicaragua at the end of July, and I just finished a 20 day road trip from San Francisco to New York City by plane, train, and automobile. I have only been away from work for less than a month, and already am researching opportunities and sending out resumes. I know which cities I enjoyed being in and visiting people, and I know what I want to do. Now, it is just a matter of will I be hired with my current portfolio and experience, or will graduate school be required?

I always thought that I would shut this blog down at the end of position #1 after college, but in the rare case that this information is actually valuable to someone I will keep it going. I will let you know how it turns out. In the meantime, enjoy yourselves.

* Disclaimer * This isn't a very beneficial post in terms of you learning anything valuable, so read ahead only if you have several minutes to possibly be entertained. I'm not all business all the time, so I'm just giving you the warning ahead of time in case you are and may consider this a waste of your time. I do care about you.

My younger brother and I attended Carb Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday (basically a big party and a concert featuring STP this year), and since it was raining we went over to my friend's house nearby the track. Everyone there was around my age or older, so my younger brother was the only college student attending. He's going to be a senior and he's 21 so not too much younger, though.

I was driving and he was not, so the amount of beer consumed by him was much greater compared to most of the other people there who were also driving. He was out of control and pretty entertaining, and realized everyone else was pretty sober and justified it by saying "Well, you're career people." When I dropped him off at his apartment he was telling his friends about the party and free keg and how all the career people weren't drinking much. I tried to justify it by saying that it's only 5 PM and the night is young. They didn't buy it, and I might as well have been wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase.

So, we who are out of college and employed are no longer young professionals. We are career people as viewed through the eyes of drunk college students (just one so far). And for the record, the career people matched his level of partying, possibly surpassing it, later that night when everyone hung up the keys for the day.

The President of the United States. Vet. Brain Surgeon. Nothing. Accountant. Investor. Programmer. Tech Researcher. Professor. Interaction Designer. Consultant.

Going back as far as I can remember those are the occupations I dreamed of one day being. Nothing - that one hit during high school when I either thought that the high school years were the pinnacle of life and didn't care what was next, or because I truly recognized that I was clueless to my own interests for the future. I just remember teachers saying that new types of jobs were being created, and that my position did not even exist yet. I one-upped the high school profs, and majored in something that didn't formally exist during my hs years - Informatics.

I'm now working in a role that is a cross between business analysis and systems implementation. It's not my life's calling or what I see myself being, but it is a role within a business which became part of a much bigger business. That's all I asked for after college - experience in the "professional" world. I'm 24 and realize I don't have it all figured out, I still don't know what I want to be, and I'm completely comfortable with the fact that I'm not comfortable or satisfied on some days. I like feeling hungry for change in my life. Not Obama-change - just "regular, personal growth and satisfaction" change.

How did I get to where I am today in my Business Analyst role? I didn't just wake up and decide that "Hey, I want to grow up and sit in a cubicle and be a Business Analyst". I took steps that led me in this direction like switching majors from Business Finance and Accounting in the ivory tower of the Kelley School of Business of IU to Informatics - a degree from a school that didn't even have a formal building until my Sophomore/Junior year when they renovated an old sorority house into the new School of Informatics. I switched because I enjoyed the course I took through the business school titled "The Computer in Business". It was basically an intensive Access and Excel overview and application course - one that I enjoyed and everyone else in it hated. I hated all of the accounting and finance courses, so I switched to a degree that was more tech-centric and still allowed me to take business courses that were interesting to me like Entrepreneurship, Small Business Management, and marketing.

Several career paths presented themselves to me during my last two years at IU as I became interested in interaction design, network security, and fields that were not technically defined such as sports informatics. I considered grad school to continue on in interaction design, but I wasn't completely sure that is what I wanted to do. I took the GRE the winter of my senior year just in case I decided it was what I wanted to do, and ended up continuing interviewing with various companies in early spring. I was basically in a long hallway of doors, not sure of which one to walk through, and wanting to keep them all unlocked forever. Something just felt right about one of the opportunities for a full-time position after graduation, and I took it. Was there a reason or tipping point? Not really. It was a combination of thinking I needed a break from academia and the small college town of Bloomington, my bank account being empty and my credit card bills piling up, and my desire to apply my business knowledge to a real situation. Were these thoughts correct and did I make the right decision?

Yes and no. I can answer that way, right? That's the only fair and accurate response. There are days I regret not going to grad school right away, but at the same time I can always go back. It's just a matter of leaving the standard way of life I've become accustomed to over the past few years, and reverting back to learning mode, strapped for cash mode, and increasing debt mode in the hopes of expanding my knowledge and adding a few more doors to that hallway of options. There are also days where I think how much more knowledge I have gained working for two years in an actual business facing non-scripted situations over and over again that I will be able to utilize in my future business plans, endeavors, or to make my learning during grad school (if I go that route) more beneficial and realistic knowing what can happen outside of the bubble of the classroom and textbooks.

The point of this post is that my desires and what I think I would enjoy or excel in change constantly. I've tried to illustrate that for you in case you think you have it all figured out, and have some concrete plan of how your life is going to play out. I could go on for hours about how my mindset, career plan, list of friends, activities I participate in - my life have changed just in the past two years since graduation day.

No one is going to tell you what you are going to be. You have no idea what you should really be. There is no perfect system in place to alert you of opportunities you might enjoy, places you should live because they align with your lifestyle, and so on. I don't think this will ever be possible to create a system that lets you know what you should do and you will be happy doing it for years to come. So much changes internally and externally in your life, and you can either recognize or ignore the fluctuating factors that control your overall satisfaction with what you are doing for a living.

If it scares the crap out of you that you are about to go to college and pick a degree that will ultimately control the first few steps after graduation that's normal. If you just graduated and have a job or don't have a job that's ok. I'd recommend getting a job to experience something and to of course pay the bills so that you can move out of your parents house, but I meant it's ok that you're unsure of what you want to be.

I'm 24, two years removed from college, and have no idea of what I want to be. I do know what I want to do next, though, and after that I'm sure I'll figure it out just like everything else has been figured out on the fly thus far.

The thoughts of this post were inspired by an article in Esquire titled 'You'd Make a Good President. Or Maybe A Good Fashion Photographer. Or a Good Shortstop. The Point Is, You Have No Idea'. It's on page 68 of the June 2008 issue, and currently not on their website. There is an excerpt on Brijit if you are into summaries.

I work in the suburbs. In fact, I live in one suburb and work in another - an 11 mile one-way drive that can take anywhere between 20 - 45 minutes depending on if I decide to leave during rush-hour or not. On the weekends, I have to drive at least 20 minutes to the closest young professional magnet of a bar strip, and 30 minutes to downtown. If I need to get food or something from a store I have to drive a wasteful 5 minutes at least. Bottom line, I cannot walk anywhere really.

With gas prices approaching $4/gallon with no end in site, I would argue that it costs about the same if not less to live and work in a major metropolitan area. If I lived and worked in Chicago or any east coast city I would consider getting rid of the car completely, or at least downgrading. I'm spending over $200 a month on gas alone, which could easily offset or equalize the higher cost of apartments or condos in cities.

We as a country really need to change our city planning and urban development planning. Here in the midwest everyone wants their own yard and property even if it means they can only afford to build a cheap box in one of the many unattractive vinyl villages that our future generations will hate us for building. I'm a big fan of the "live where you work" way of life, and love the idea of living in a condo or townhome close to restaurants, clubs, stores, etc. You also have a much greater sense of community, not to mention using less land and resources. The "green" movement is really centered on efficiency in automobiles right now, and changing the way we build and expand our cities is rarely discussed when the impact could be greater.

So, should you live in a big city or look to work for companies in big cities? That's up to you and depends a bit on your lifestyle, but just be aware that your entry-level salary will leave you with a tight budget as it is - especially if you live alone. You cut out some major costs by living within walking distance of where you work and socialize, or you could at least make an effort to minimize your driving distance to work and where you play on the weekends (and weekdays...especially when Cinco de Mayo falls on a Monday, what's up with that?).

I'm in a tough dilemma with the office being located on the far north side of the city in an uppity suburb, and everything else is going on in the city. It's either going to be a long drive to work or a long drive to hang out with friends.

In a discussion with a mentor of mine who is well into their 50's (small business owner) we came to the conclusion that the baby boomer business "gold rush" of the last 20-30 years has resulted in maybe too many publicly owned companies, large corporations, and ivory-tower offices where the next generation is coming in to be another cog in the wheel to keep the monster of a machine moving. And 99% of the corporate or big business work-force complains about the situation, but settles and still buys a vinyl-village home, adds a dog to the family, pops out some hell-raising kids, divorces a few years later (bad day at work results in bad day at home, multiply the effect over several years, and you have a reason for 50-60% national divorce rates), re-marries, retires, and looks back on a life of climbing the corporate ladder and not really leaving much of a mark.

Dating all the way back to the industrial revolution, as more and more businesses selling products to consumers grew the number of businesses selling products or services to other businesses grew. I personally think this shift from B2C to B2B oriented businesses is a major cause of the mundane aspect of most people's careers. Think about it: would you rather sell the car to an actual person or would you rather analyze the efficiency of the logistics used to transport a tire for the car that is being sold? For every B2C service or product sold there are truck loads of B2B services backing it up. And guess what? The number of B2B jobs outnumbers B2C jobs, and these jobs are getting more and more mundane, process-oriented, and outsourceable.

Just look at any job search that you submit on Monster, Jobster, or Careerbuilder. The results may go on for hundreds of pages if you are searching in a major metropolitan area, but they will be the most uninteresting positions unless you or new to the game or naive (college grads or corporate workhorse) or truly enjoy having an "8-5 5 days a week auto-drive position with the chance of moving up the ranks of middle management over a 40 year period" job. Logistics specialist, Sr. Analyst, Data Integrity Jr. Manager, etc. These all will result in hours of spreadsheet viewing, report writing, pointless meetings, and hours of boredom even if you are working. If you are a manger you are not running a business, you are improving processes. If you are an employee, you are acting out the role in that process. Exciting, right?

Add in all of the other wonderful aspects of the business world including pleasing the shareholders, acquiring businesses, being acquired, merged, outsourced, or eliminated and you are in for what may seem like a wild ride - but it really is only wild for the owners moving around the pieces on the chessboard to maximize their profits while you enjoy a 2-4% raise each year and continue serving your purpose.

So, what is the solution?

Well, we can't stop the pace of growth and operation in the "big business" world, but small business owners and entrepreneurs can take advantage of the situation. If you want to grow your personal or small business to be a lifestyle business for the rest of your career I salute you. That's an admirable move, and a dream of mine, as well. However, with the rate of business growth in the corporate and publicly-owned market, you have a good chance of being bought much sooner than in the past. Some business plans in the tech industry have exit strategies of less than 1-2 years. Bam, sell to some CEO of Boring Company, Inc who thinks that your company is a good fit for them whether you agree or not, take the cash, and do it again. Or retire.

Small businesses do not have much of chance competing with bigger businesses operating on volume and cost-cutting, so the best bet is to start the business with the goal of selling sooner rather than sticking around to fight for space in a market where the competitor has just outsourced what you do to someone who is paid just enough to feed themselves. Cost vs. Quality is unfortunately a mostly invalid argument these days if you want to stay in business. Very few succeed taking the side of quality as a long-term plan.

Small business is where the fire is still burning brightly in the owner's and employees' minds, and offers you the chance to have a more exciting and higher impact job. Not to mention, it's generally more lucrative at the cost of being riskier. From the beginning, I have recommended that college grads seek to work for smaller businesses or lesser known companies still with good reputations. Unfortunately, there is not a good resource that lists jobs in the more entrepreneurial sector. These are usually word-of-mouth or opportunities that result from networking. Well, most college students do not have many professional contacts, so professional networking and word-of-mouth opportunities are hard to come by. This is another flaw in the system as college grads are being funneled into the corporate world simply because opportunities with smaller businesses are not widely available.

This is pretty much where we both paused for awhile, continued eating, and shook our heads. I wanted to say, "What a mess", but was beaten to the punch by the old guy on the other side of the table who broke the silence by saying something to the effect of, "There is still hope in the business world, but it is far and few between in corporate America. There are still diamonds in the rough - large, publicly owned companies that still act like rebels similar to when they started, but they're hard to find and it could change in an instant. Many companies claim to be different, but many of them are really the same."

That's what it boils down to really, and too many of us give up on our dreams in order to pursue a socially acceptable position, a position with a notable company, or basically the conservative option that guarantees a paycheck every two weeks. Sometimes we have to work in positions that aren't exactly aligned with our goals just to survive, so you may not be realizing your dream immediately. It's unlikely that your dream will be realized upon commencement day coming and going, and your first position may be the complete opposite direction of what you really wanted. Just do a search on Monster or CareerBuilder for entry level positions for college graduates and tell me with a straight face that 99% of the available positions sound exciting. Unlikely to happen. However, it's a start to gaining the tangible and intangible resources that you will need to achieve your dreams.

We are the "silver spoon" generation whether we like to acknowledge it or not. We're hungry for success - immediate success. Everything we do, create, or consume is instant, on-demand, downloadable, ready in minutes, and available everywhere. Adjusting to a new challenge that could last 45-50 years after completing nearly two decades of institutional learning is like a slap in the face. There will be no parade, just a graduation party hosted by your friends or family in which you will receive a few household items to get you started in your first place. Then you'll move, find an apartment, show up for the first day of work (hopefully not late, like my first day), and you'll dig into whatever position it is that you signed up for at that career fair months ago. You'll get over the shock, and the rough transition from student to full-time employee will yield new knowledge and experiences that will either make you settle in as a lifer for your company, or will encourage you to better yourself and the pursuit of that childhood dream. You have your whole life to find your true passion, but if you think back to when you were a kid it's usually easier to find.

Randy Pausch Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams (video)

College grads with the usual entry-level salary are more like 40k millionaires, but you get the point. If you don't get the point, check out the always classic definition from Urban dictionary:

A 30k millionaire is a person, usually a guy, who makes around 30k a year, usually from working at a window tinting shop, loan office, or an occupation that does not by any means require a college degree. With his pitiful a income, he spends it all on bottles of champagne at clubs, a boat,a nice car, and sometimes a 3-day trip to Vegas, only to be left with nothing in his account by overdraft fees and possibly a pending loan...(more)

I'm familiar with the term, have friends that definitely fit the bill, and actually came across it again when looking at, well, boats. I'm a huge fan of living at the lake in the summer, and enjoy boating. The cheapest wakeboarding boats are in the 35-40k range, so do the math. It would have to be a long term loan with a higher interest rate to realistically happen. Boats are a horrible financial investment, but I'm only young and able once. I have health insurance, dental, vision, short-term and long-term disability, life insurance, a Roth IRA, a 401K, and a stock portfolio. That's enough responsibility and deductions out of my paycheck to negate any comments of financial irresponsibility. Why not balance that out with a little irresponsibility by getting a boat loan before a mortgage?

I don't run game, buy drinks for random girls at the bar, or even go to bars very often. When I do go I never open up tabs, and only take cash. I like to be liquid and have a limit when I'm spending money on being social. I don't buy designer clothes, accessories, or the newest weekly special at Best Buy. I used to be a huge impulse buyer, but I've tamed that habit and do plenty of research before making even small purchases. You could say I am living more like a 45 year old married guy with 3 kids - but I'm not. I'm saving up for things that I truly enjoy, and would get a lot of use out of.

I like to play the card that another year will have passed, I'm almost 25, and if I don't do it now I never will. That's what blood-sucking lenders want to hear, my parents are scared to hear, and I like to hear these words come out of my own thoughts every now and then to help push me over the edge. The only thing holding me back at this point is - will I have the ability to change my job or career if I have a change of heart or will this boat loan lock me into my current position? That's where the responsible side of my decision-making comes into play, and I go back to sitting on my hands thinking about what a horrible decision this would be.

I enjoy having the freedom and ability to change jobs at any point to stay happy should something turn sour in my current situation. I have no mortgage, just an apartment lease that I could easily break. I can take my car loan with my other belongings - mostly easy to assemble furniture which is easy to move. I could take the boat with me, but the financial burden of the loan may be the kicker. I don't want to settle into a work position because of a finance issue, and be unhappy for years to come.

30k millionaires don't think like this.

Hopefully you all enjoyed a nice couple of weeks off from the studying, cramming, and attempts to maintain or boost the ol' GPA. Including the weekends and holidays I had 11 straight days off where I was completely disconnected from work and nowhere near the office or cubicle. Unfortunately, I had five straight days of holiday parties and family get-togethers followed by a nine hour drive to Memphis, TN for a wedding. After driving back the day before New Year's Eve I didn't even feel like going out and partying, but I made a brief appearance at a house party before hanging out in a much more relaxing and low-key apartment shin-dig involving two other people.

Before I knew it, I was back at work sorting through emails and voicemails from while I was out and coming up with a plan of attack to take care of project work in a timely fashion. Even though the time off wasn't the most relaxing, just being away from the office environment, client calls, and project deadlines for an extended period of time was enough to allow me to return and be more productive. After three days of 8 straight hours of work per day I'm ready for another vacation - which is where the weekend comes into play.

I'm sure as students you will start to feel the weight of coursework assignments and stress building up as the first few "orientation" and sessions basically covering the syllabus are overcome by actual lectures and assignments. As a freshman, I thought that the three week break between semesters was almost too long and couldn't wait to get back to the grind. Once back in an auditorium listening to a lecture for a course that I was required to take commenced I started wishing I was back at home messing around.

One of my flaws is not being able to fully relax, and always thinking about work or what is coming next. In college, as breaks would drag on I would look forward to the coming semester. Once it arrived, I would look forward to being done with the semester. This is a vicious cycle, and one that I've been trying to break by really taking the time to relax or take part in something that I enjoy from reading or writing to going out to the local bars with friends.

There will be times this semester as with any previous semester where you will turn down social opportunities due to coursework that you will feel needs to be completed in order for you to feel like you can relax and have a drink with your friends. Looking back, I know that I did this way more than I should have realizing that the assignments or studying never took as much effort or time that I predicted they would. I'm not saying, "Screw School, Have Fun", I'm saying "Work hard - especially in courses that matter to you and could benefit your career the most, but play harder". This will allow you to manage the stress and worries that come along with the whole going to college thing.

In the words of comedian, Lewis Black, from the movie, Accepted - "You only have four short years here. And then you're f*****". When you're in college, this is pretty much the battle cry. When you're out of college, you see that life is still very fun if you take the time to enjoy it and take adequate time off from work in order to re-charge and maintain the work/life balance. My goal this year is to use more of my vacation days, and hopefully increasing productivity and contributions while at work as a result.

I sit for roughly 7-7 1/2 hours a day, and am moving around for meetings, to ask questions, or to go to the restrooms or break room for less than 30 minutes a day usually. I come home and do some exercise on the Indo Board, crack a few sit-ups, and possibly some other light workout exercises. Now that it is cold I rarely make it out to run. All of this is not enough compared to my college days with all of the walking to class through campus, regular jogging, and trips to the gym to play intense pick-up games of basketball.

Aside from the lack of working out enough, another concern of mine is my vision. I'm 24 and I can noticeably tell that I am becoming near-sighted very quickly. This is no doubt a result of staring at a computer all day. When I do look up it takes a few seconds for my vision to clear and focus on something just 10 feet away. I have read that you are supposed to do 30 minutes of eye exercises each night to reverse the damage done from forgetting to blink and straining the eyes in the cubicle all day. My eyes are always dry now, and I should be buying stock in Visine with as many drops of the comforting formula that I use each day. I've made it an initiative to do 2-3 minutes of eye exercises each hour at work: focusing on different intersections of the ceiling tiles at different distances and positions, looking to the four corners and blinking heavily, and leaning back and closing my eyes to take some of the weight off of the guys. I feel a little better, but the florescent lights are killer. Maybe I should get that vision training video game for the DS.

The one thing that I am doing right in the world of health is eating healthier than I ever have. I rarely eat fast food, I rarely eat out since I am not traveling for business, I don't remember the last time that I bought chips or anything else that comes in a bag, and I am eating way more white meat than red meat. Making a large pot of pasta, meat, and vegetables is simple, lasts a few days, and doesn't taste that bad.

It's important to exercise at a time when the LB's can pile on, cholesterol can shoot way up even at a young age, and you can become very lazy after coming home from a grueling eight hours at the office. Break the bad habits early on after graduation, and you will set yourself up for a longer run at life.

Yes, this post was largely inspired but the enormous quantities of food that I consumed over thanksgiving on top of the average of 19 hours of sleep each day.

It's tough to do when you know that project work needs to be completed, but chances are you will end up only prolonging your cold or other contagious virus by showing up at work. Since everyone is contained in tight quarters with no windows open (standard in most office buildings), colds and viruses spread quickly in offices. I can't stand when other people are coughing and sniffing all day, so to not be a hypocrite I stay home when I have a cold or am not feeling well.

Today was one of those days, and I feel much better after resting most of the day and taking medicine. Even though I feel guilty taking a sick day, it's much better for the company since I would probably not be as productive, and other workers are at risk for getting sick causing a much larger loss of production. More importantly, I give my body the rest it needs.

That's all I have today, as staring at a computer screen is not helping my headache.

Relocating for your new job or internship can be a strain on your personal life, and can also cost a ton of money. One of the benefits that most companies that are known for recruiting college graduates offer is relocation assistance. Be sure to look at the amount offered, and what types of expenses are acceptable to claim as part of your relocation. For most, they will cover the transportation and gas only. The better relocation assistance plans cover your gas, transportation, hotel for you and your family if needed, food while traveling, and the security deposit at your new apartment or rental property. I'm honestly not sure what they cover, if anything, if you have bought a new house.

Coming out of college, you may have some low bank account balances, credit card debt, and looming student loans which you usually won't have to start paying for several months. My student loan payments started a little over six months after graduation which was plenty of time to settle in, and recoup some of the losses incurred in college. Not having to pay anything to move to your new location is huge.

If you are moving to a completely new city where you know very few people, hopefully you start working with other recent graduates because it is hard to meet new people outside of work unless you are a member of a church, local club, or have a pub/sports bar that you go to all of the time. You may or may not have sociable neighbors who are your age, but that all depends on where you live. It's hard to know which apartment complex would have a high density of young professionals, but the easiest way to find one is to look for bars or "hot" nightlife districts. There are always tons of young people that choose to live near these areas in any city. Keep in mind, though, that by living in these areas you have a greater chance of dealing with the pumping bass of your neighbor's stereo just like in the dorm, and that is the last thing you want to hear on a week night trying to get enough sleep to make it through an entire work day.

Relocation is surely a big deciding factor for most people, and it is important to find out the details of how much of your relocation expense balance will be covered. If everything is fully covered and you can cope with moving to a new city, the relocation factor may not be an issue at all letting you focus on the quality of the company. You want to live in a city where you will be happy, and in an area of the city that matches your lifestyle. After the dust settles and the new job smell wears off you are going to experience some dissatisfaction, but that feeling can be exaggerated if you are not content with your living situation, either. Both where you live and where you work will play a big role into your impression and personal review of your first job a couple of months into your new position.

One of the other factors that makes the transition from college student to young professional difficult is the fact that there are no more extended breaks that clearly separate stages like with most of your academic career.

Think about it. In college you just have to make it through fifteen weeks of the semester before getting a month off. If things get tough during that time with course work, finances, or your personal life you can still count down the days until the end of the semester.

Looking back all the way to your grade school days every kid counted down the days until summer starting with the first day of the 180 day school year. In between that 180 day school year we would break it down even further counting down the days until fall break, thanksgiving, winter break, and spring break which would help us psychologically cope with being contained in a classroom against our will.

After college graduation you may take a few months off if you have a job lined up, and then you start working. Then you keep working, working, and working and start to realize that aside from the paid time off days that you take advantage of there is no more big deadline or break until your retirement which is roughly 45 years off in the future. After having multiple mini-breaks each of your 16+ academic years including a large three month summer break, you are put in a situation where you only get to look forward to a vacation or two a year on top of days off here and there.

When things get rough at work with periods where projects get extremely hectic, it's tough to keep going and stick with it when you can't say to yourself, Oh well, it will all be over in a few weeks and then I will have three months of nothing. I've actually heard people of different ages say that they expect to burn out in a few months or a few years because it's near impossible for someone to remain efficient and productive for the periods of time that some are working. You're expected to remain competitive in your performance at the office, so people feel pressured to work these crazy hours week after week even though they are also being told to take advantage of the time off (Catch-22, double-edged sword, whatever). You learn to ride out the waves of good and bad times at the office, but the system could use some work.

The competitive line is thin in most industries, and with the dizzying pace of business brought on by the information age a half century ago most managers cannot afford to give their employees extended time off to recharge and get back to neutral. Wouldn't it be great if you had the last two weeks of December off, and two weeks off in the summer on top of your alloted paid time off days? If there was a corporate word or slogan to encompass this idea it would be called burnout prevention planning.

Bottom line, when you start working you will put a lot of pressure on yourself to perform at a high level, but sustaining that level of output with no "real" end in sight is impossible. Work at a steady pace and set realistic deadlines to give yourself the opportunity to be quasi-content, and to not get frustrated and quit, switch companies, and start the process over again.

Life isn't cheap after college. Here's what monthly expenses you can look forward to, and keep in mind you could spend more or less depending on your lifestyle:

Rent/Mortgage - If you have a roommate, you can probably get a two bedroom apartment for $800-1000, and cut your costs almost in half. Good luck finding a modest one bedroom apartment for under $600 a month. If you are smart enough to build up some equity, and can afford to buy a house you could end up paying over $1000 a month easily, so look to get roommates so that you can own and still afford it. Keep in mind that interest rates are dropping right now, and you don't have to put a down payment down. The only thing to consider is how sure are you that your job will be enjoyable and you will be there for at least a few years to let the house/property gain value. My advice: rent.

Renters/Homeowner Insurance/Utilities: Renter's insurance is so minimal I will not even take the time to discuss it. Homeowner's insurance is so much more on top of property taxes and all the little costs you don't think about: lawnmowing, fixing stuff that breaks, and more expensive utilities. My advice again, rent for at least a year so that you have the flexibility to move easily if the job doesn't work out or if you find out that there is a hot spot in the city where other young people live. Utilities will vary based on how big of place you have, so get a roommate if you have a large multi-bedroom place.

Vehicle - If you live in a large metropolitan area get a place close to your downtown office, and if your city has good public transportation you won't even need a car. For the majority of you, you will need your own vehicle. The cheapest option is to keep the car that you currently own. If it is your parents car, offer to buy it off of them so that you can get that pink slip and claim your very first asset out of college. It's a much cheaper option than buying a used or new car. I would recommend not just driving around a car that your parents still own. You want to be independent? Get the title, and remove yourself from your parents' expense column. If you are going to buy or lease a new car, do it within 3 months of graduation as many car companies have price cuts for graduates (Ford comes to mind). If you work for a large corporation there is a good chance that you will receive discounts with various manufacturers, so look into that. The cheapest route is to keep driving the car you already own, and the most expensive route is to finance a new car with monthly payments over $300-500 depending on the brand/model you go with.

Auto Insurance - This all depends on the company and your driving/criminal record. I have a clean record, but I'm driving a 2007 vehicle. Usually you can pay quarterly or bi-annually, but you can expect to pay a couple grand a year (I'm paying just under 2k) if you're driving a newer vehicle with full coverage and large medical/liabilities coverage on injuries you sustain or cause. One way to ruin yourself financially is to not pay for enough coverage, and then you are involved in a serious wreck a year or two after college that you end up having to pay out of pocket to cover for many years.

Health/Life/Dental/Vision Insurance - Some companies actually cover all of your insurance expenses, but most you will have to pay for out of each paycheck at a discounted price. There are usually different companies to choose from, but again, you're young and have a risky lifestyle so go with more coverage rather than less in case of a catastrophic injury that would put you in a hospital for awhile. I still haven't even used mine, but I plan on getting established with a local physician just in case. You can't afford not to have good insurance, so that you are more likely to be treated in more hospitals. I chose the top of the line plans, and I think I am paying less than $100 a month for everything.

Retirement/Savings - You should not pass up the 401K option that most companies provide. Most will match your contributions up to 4-6% of your entire paycheck amount. That's free money, so you might as well max out whatever percentage that they match. I donate 4%, my company donates 4%, and it's not a big deal if you just have it deducted out of your paycheck. I would also recommend getting a Roth IRA which is another type of long term savings account. There are different types of IRA accounts, but talk to any financial adviser or accountant and they will probably recommend the Roth because of some withdrawl and tax advantages. Investing now rather than later is very important simply because of the time value growth of money which is another way of say exponential growth. Go to any 401k calculator and play around. Saving $2000 a year is a great starting goal, and will result in a very large sum of money (nest egg) when you are 65 and ready to retire. I think the key is having it automatically deducted, so that I don't end up spending it on something that I didn't really need.

Fuel: Get an apartment or place close to work. Stop and go traffic in the morning and evening commute is horrible on gas mileage. You could spend $100 a month on gas or $300-$400 a month depending on what type of vehicle you drive and how far from work you live. Do you still think you look cool in that Tahoe or H2? I have a friend who had a suburban, and was spending $160 a week on gas last summer.

Food/Beverage: I grocery shop once every ten days or so, and spend around $70-80 each time. This usually includes cleaning supplies and toiletries which occasionally need replenished. I wish that was all I spent on food, but you will be going out to lunch quite a bit at work especially in the beginning with all of the cool networking events. I look forward to free lunches. If you are a bar lover on the weekends, buying a six-pack and pre-gaming helps to lower the night's expenses and is still acceptable after college. Stay away from buying rounds if you can, but some nights it just happens depending on the group you are with. Those are the nights where your friends at Visa or Mastercard help out.

Cell Phone, Internet, Television: $150 for an average cell phone plan, premium tv/dvr service, and hi-speed internet.

Those are the biggies. The rest of your money you end up spending or saving. Your choice.

This is a discussion I have had with my friends and other people around my age who have only been working for a year or two. Living in a large metropolitan area or nearby suburb like most Gen Y'ers in the work force, what do you think would be a comfortable salary?

That depends:

Do you live alone or have roomates?
Do you upgrade your vehicle from the rusty POS you had been driving since high school (YES!)?
Do you visit the bars frequently on the weekends?
Do you subscribe to premium television, internet, and communication services?
Do you have money taken out of your paycheck for insurance and retirement accounts?

On average I was shooting for $45,000 out of college after putting together a mess of different scenarios in a spreadsheet. I figured that this would be comfortable living in any medium-sized city, and closer to $50,000 would be nice in a city like Chicago, NY, Boston, LA, Seattle, or similar cities with higher costs of living.

I won't tell you what I make or if I am comfortable or not, but I know that no matter how much I am making until a few years down the road there will always be the potential to be very uncomfortable without a budget. Tomorrow, I'll shed some light on some actual expense figures if you are trying to plan for life after college, so you can see where you can spend more or less to accomplish your spending/savings goals whatever they may be.

I actually did not go out searching for a cubicle simulator, but just sort of stumbled on it. Living in Indianapolis, near Ball State University 40 minutes north in Muncie, Indiana it's not uncommon to see commercials on tv for their programs that they offer. Their entrepreneurship master's program looked interesting, so I checked out the website for the Miller College of Business at BSU. I'm not sure that I would ever go to school for an advanced degree in entrepreneurship as I could buy the same books and gain similar resources through the local SBA. Anyways, as I was reading about the program, courses, and honors, I was drawn to the Experience the Non-Entrepreneurial Life at MiseryCubed.com banner.

It's a sad but true representation of the cube farms that the majority of entry-level employees and even mid-level employees work in. It's also humorous because it is a bit overdone even though I a big opponent of non-open, creativity killing, gray walled workspaces.

Managing a restaurant is the classic business example that was used in many of the textbooks and courses that I took. It's a simple yet complex business that illustrates many principles perfectly.

Kitchen Nightmares, featuring Gorden Ramsey, is just another reality television show brought to us by the fine people at FOX. At first glance, yes, it does have it's moments which were built up for entertainment purposes, but this show has good value for those out there running a business or looking to start a business. Every single episode so far has involved a manager that has lost the fire and control of the business.

Ramsey comes in, shows them that they are putting out a piss poor performance that won't win any awards, and re-ignites most of them to love their business and want it to be successful. It's basic consulting - managing employees better, doing market research, improving your product, delivering high quality products and service day in and day out, and doing what you love.

I don't know how many times it has been said to these managers, "If you don't love it, quit or sell it and move on". That's great advice for any entrepreneur or business owner, but also applicable to you in your area of study or first job. Life is too short not to be happy doing something you love.

As businesses come up with more and more ways to cut costs in the human resources category, like outsourcing, contractors, part-time instead of full-time, etc., we will begin to see our length of employment with one company decrease dramatically. Telecommuting is still a concept that most companies stray away from, but the cost reduction realized from eliminating a permanent physical office can be quite large. The disconnect between employees and employer is aided by working remotely, so the monetary cost savings may not be as justified as some make it out to be.

A trend that is likely to grow is eliminating the number of full-time employees, and bringing on contractors and part-time employees to quickly train and complete a project before moving on. What's the point of keeping a full-time employee who specializes in a certain type of development or other type of skill when they are only needed for several months out of the year?

There is even a job searching site that is specifically aimed at part-time, freelance, and contractor type positions. Sologig.com could find you a temporary position which may last several months or several years at which point you could find your next position and company. Think about it: we lease cars rather than buy because we love getting something new every couple of years, we rent an apartment or condo rather than purchasing a home because we are always on the move and don't want to be tied down, and we change the channels much more than we actually watch or listen to one thing at a time.

We weren't meant to be tied down to one position, but usually a financial commitment, personal relationship, or some other burden keeps us in one place because of the job security and bi-weekly paycheck. I personally don't feel tied down currently, and like to think that I willingly show up to the office everyday (although, I would be lying some of the time). Starting over and getting re-trained on some new concept, process, or product is not my favorite thing to do, so seeing my hard work in the beginning which can take what seems like forever to learn finally come to fruition is a rewarding experience.

Face it - whatever side you are on, your opinion and view can change the very next day. Our generation is known for job-hopping, but maybe we had it right all along as old-timers and silver haired managers join the wildest game of musical chairs where the music never stops: the current and future job market made possible by the growth and availability of information through new mediums and tools which we created.

MyLifeMyCareer.com is officially one years old, and probably a little older since I am a few days late on the announcement. It's hard to believe that I have been out of college for a year and half now, and even harder to believe that I've worked for more than an entire year with no summer or winter vacation like back in my academic days. Time flies whether you're having fun or not, so do your best to put yourself in a position where you can manage working 5 days a week for 52 weeks out of the year (minus 2 - 3 weeks of vacation time.)

If you build it -- and it's cool -- they will come. The business model to support it will come later. - (Wired Geekipedia - Free)

The new business plan is in, and it sounds surprisingly easy: make something neat, let people use it or have it, and you may make a significant amount of coin some day in the future. For a generation that doesn't know how to plan for the future (only time will tell, old-timers), this sounds a lot like investing. Spend a ton of your hard-earned savings on a piece of stock that may be worth something worthwhile down the road, or it may be worthless. You could also spend a lot of your own money and personal time developing a concept into a product or application which could be worthless or worthwhile sometime after the development.

It's important to note that many of these ideas start as just being cool ideas in the eyes of the creator. The intention to launch a business around the idea doesn't come until much later. This is about as pure as it gets in the terms of successful entrepreneurship.

Let's face it, this is the basis of any good business that the owner truly enjoys. You have the person who was always cooking up delicious baked goods, always distributed for free at cookouts and outings, and finally the right person helped them see that they could turn this passion and talent into a successful business.

Too many entrepreneurs start businesses or plan for a business with one thing on their mind - money. I'm sure many of the online applications have been started that way as well, but just as many and many more successful ventures started out of a hobby or enthusiasm for solving problems without realizing that problems were being solved.

Many new businesses fail within the first few years because they were started with an average to solid business plan, but no passion. Much less is at risk if you are doing what you love.

I was checking out what was on tv today, and caught an hour long program on PBS titled, Buffet & Gates Go Back to College. Warren Buffet and Bill Gates are extremely successful individuals, and both of them in the same room would probably be worth 60 minutes of my time. They were at a Q & A session on the campus of the University of Nebraska, and only students were allowed to ask the questions. I decided to take notes after the first 5 minutes blew my mind. These are very informal as I was just scribbling down thoughts as I was watching, so you have been given fair warning.

Worry about your inner scorecard rather than your outer scorecard.

Create an environment where you can think independently. It's very important who you look up to as well as surround yourself with.

There's a simple trick to making the ethical or right decision: if a newspaper article was written about it and made publicly available would you still make the same choice or take the same action?

Don't take a job for the money. Don't work for an organization that you are not excited about and believe in. You may not be with the same company in ten years, but you are always learning and building your skill set. If you're waking up excited to work you are at the right place.

The biggest mistakes are the ones that don't show up - ideas that are not pursued or opportunities that are missed.

Public speaking is a very important skill. Invest in yourself as you are your greatest asset.

Stand out, and stand out without trying just by being you. Some people just have "human skills" and some do not. The great leaders and success stories do not just go through the motions.

You will change the world. It may not be in a dramatic or hugely noticeable way, but it will be equally impressive because you are affecting somebody's life whether you know it or not.

Take in a diverse atmosphere and spend time with different types of people from all backgrounds who may not be successful individuals. Some have lucky tickets in life and some do not. Be thankful for what you have and be sure to give back and work to solve important issues and problems facing the less fortunate.

Knowledge is more widespread globally, now. Be aware of the positive and negative intentions of those who possess this new knowledge.

Teach your children to act responsibly and to be humble. Teach them the dangers of buying into the "material culture" that is infesting our country.

Taxes are not fair. The richest individuals are taxed less than someone making an average or below average salary. Secretaries may pay more in payroll and income taxes than Warren Buffet. He could've avoided paying taxes his entire life by borrowing against his stock and allowing his estate to pay it off when he passes away.

Divert the consumption of wealth towards charitable activities rather than towards yourself.

Maintain a great work life balance. If you love your work and love your family more you will be very well off. The biggest goal for success in life is raising a great family.

You have lived a successful life if when you are older the same people who loved you before your success still love you.

...aka the "Real World" or "Life After College" or "Living Independently" or whatever else comes to your mind. I think Ryan Healy's article featured on the Brazen Careerist provides a different perspective on life after college that goes along with what has already been said by friends of mine. I'm a drone, someone just going through the motions, doing what is expected by the rest of society. Or am I working for someone else, gaining skills that I wouldn't have just starting a business fresh out of college, and learning about business through my actual work, interactions, and contributions to an actual business.

If you are an entrepreneur who started a business right out college and want to tell me I'm a drone then that's cool. You're learning about business at a more extreme level by assuming all of the risk, but you are also gaining the experience of a business in its infant stage before any type of growth even kicks in. I've chosen to learn about growth and the functions of a small company trying to become a mid-sized company which is an experience that you will not have.

Mainly I hear the comments that I am a "quarter spinning endlessly to the bottom of the plastic donation funnel" from those who are unemployed or have part-time jobs that I had when I was in high school. The problem with that statement is that my first job will not be my last job. I don't intend to stay in the "corporate" world for more than a few years before starting my own businesses. I consider these next few years to be the mother of all internships, the post-graduate capstone project, the non-textbook based business case, or the foundation for the rest of my career.

After college plan to gain professional experience either working for someone else or doing it on your own. Do not go back to working low paying jobs that don't do your diploma any justice, or even worse, living off your parents' paychecks. That truly is one way down the bottomless pit.

Update: 7:54PM 4.23.2007

Ryan Healy and Ryan Paugh have a great blog at EmployeeEvolution.com. I would highly recommend checking it out, subscribing to it, or even reading it regularly after peeling yourself away from your friends' wild facebook pictures from the weekend.

What jobs will be popular? Well the people at collegeboard venture to guess the top 10 positions that will be booming now and until then. A lot of medical positions, secondary ed teachers, and then of course many computer related jobs. What does this mean for you the college student? Do what you want really, but if you want to be sure to have a job, at least for a few years, then major in science, education, or any of the multitude of computing degrees. We all look at these statistics and salary predictions, and I guarantee that it weighs on your career and degree decisions. Be sure to pick something that you enjoy doing everyday, though, not just something that is predicted as being a good career route. You will be working at least 5 days a week after you graduate which takes up a good chunk of the ol' life and available time, so be sure you're into whatever it is you are doing. There's your feel good message for the week, enjoy that.

I've always said that your campus career center's resume submission/posting website will produce actual results and more than any other job posting sites combined. I won't say that this new evidence proves this point, simply because this isn't a scientific matter. It certainly does support it though. I had another job interview offer today. I graduated six months ago. I already have been working for four months. I haven't touched that resume since early spring when I stopped using the career resources on my campus after I had accepted a job offer. That's the fourth interview offer since I graduated, so if you are worried about finding that first job after you graduate there will still be openings. Use the career resources and website on your campus much more than any other job posting site out there. It's simple as that, but it's hard to understand because of the heavy advertising by the larger sites that may blind you. I'm not saying to use just the campus career resources. You need to put your resume everywhere you can, but now you know which one will yield the best results. Nice.

I don't know how many people say, "Oh, if I don't find a job I'll just go to grad school." This is a poor decision although it may work out in the end for some. Grad school is tons more work than undergrad, costs lots more unless you can get a graduate assistant position or other funding, and will not be very enjoyable if you enrolled simply because you gave up on the job search. Oh, and you still will have to search for a job in another year, and another degree still doesn't guarantee that you will easily find a job. Most companies will pay for you to go back to school while working part-time. It's a little benefit you will see as "continuing education" when you are applying for jobs. Especially for those considering an MBA, I have heard from everyone who is older than me that the experience working full-time and gaining real business experience makes it a much more rewarding experience. Eveyone who goes straignt to MBA programs after undergrad studies are dedicated, no doubt, but they lack any real experience other than a possible internship. It would be beneficial to have something to back up what you reading in textbooks. Bottom line, giving up on the job process and going to grad school simply because you did not get a job is weak sauce. Go to grad school if you really want to and had no intention of working right after college. Otherwise, keep using the campus career resources, even after graduation, and you will eventually find a job.

I don't know anyone that likes cubicles. The worst invention ever has to be the flimsy, carpeted walls that don't block out any sound, leave you open to distractions, decreases productivity dramatically, and decreases the chances of you thinking creatively. Most companies cannot understand the value in wide open spaces with room to think and open up. To save space, and to keep teams close there seems to be no other solution other than the dreaded 3 wall cubicle. That's the nature of the beast. I would think it would be safe to say that most of you will be starting out in a cube, much like myself and many people I know. Just throw the headphones on and crank up your iPod to attempt to focus. Don't rule a company out just because you will have to work out of a cube because that's how most entry-level jobs start, unless you work for a "cool" company. I hope one day that more companies realize the benefit of providing places to move around, places to relax and think about the next big idea, and even places to wind down to ease stress and frustration that comes with problem solving. Bean bags, people. Large couches to lay out on. Foosball tables. But mostly bean bags. It sounds ridiculous but look at some of the most innovative companies and their "radical" offices. There seems to be some correlation there, but agree to disagree if you would like. I enjoy the work and company that I am with, so I could work in any type of desk setting/wannabe office. I can't imagine sitting in the cube if I was working for a company I disliked, so the lesson here is to look for the intangibles that will make your job enjoyable: culture, atmosphere, attitude, values, and the people you will be collaborating with.