Talking with a colleague about when it is the right time to leave a job got me thinking about why I’ve left jobs in the past.
My first gig out of the military was on the staff of a federal commission with an expiration date. Leaving there was a matter of public statute.
I then went to work for a national health care trade association and left from there to go to another health care related association when my supervisor asked me to follow her. I eventually left there when her ego surpassed her humanity and I had enough of it. I can handle arrogance if the person is the biggest, baddest mo-fo in whatever they are doing. She was good. She wasn’t THAT good – not even close.
I left the next trade association after 7 years because there no upward mobility, despite my supervisor going to bat for me multiple times and really trying to help a brother out.
I moved on from a multi-state emergency medicine practice when layoffs started (being prepped for sale). From there, I went to work for a software company run by a narcissistic cokehead asshole with an ego bigger than the used Ferrari he loved to show off. That was a colossal mistake. Stupid. Dumb. Ignorant. WTF. Mistake.
Next, I worked briefly for a contractor run by another narcissistic asshat who loved to scream at people and expected results that would defy the laws of physics, while frequently contradicting herself within minutes of issuing yet another batshit edict.
Enough of working for wingnut narcissists.
After that, I returned to working in HR in the home improvement industry first for the orange and then for the blue. I loved the work, but clashed with upper management over their failures to support the HR teams in the stores.
I learned a lot at all of the trade associations. I was especially proud of my work at the emergency medicine practice and gained a good deal of new experience and skills. The software company was a frakking nightmare from hell. Stabby. Stabby. Stabby.
The next company was brief enough that I emerged in one piece. The retail HR gigs were both great (aside from cowardly and/or incompetent upper management). I learned a great deal working for both companies and loved working with the employees, many of whom I got the privilege of hiring or promoting.
Anyway, that was just on my mind.