I think I’m getting pretty good at leaving jobs. Not that I’m a serial job hopper. I don’t start a job, decide it’s boring, then throw in the towel at the first opportunity (although there have been times when I wished I had!) And, let’s face it, in these tough times good jobs are hard to come by so it isn’t very wise to just chuck it all in just because you don’t like the commute, or the office, or your colleagues, or think you could run things better than your boss. Having said that, I’ve definitely left jobs in the past because of poor management. No, I’m not a flaky employee. I’m a career contractor (for that, read ‘crazy person who’s decided that having control over her work-life balance is more important than getting a regular income’!) As a career contractor, I take on long or short-term contracts of work for an organisation that needs my skills and expertise for a period of time. I’ve been working this way for almost 9 years and, quite frankly, it has transformed my working life. I’ve worked for start-ups, national and international charities, community groups, global corporations, federal, state and local government departments and volunteer organisations. I’ve worked in many industries and sectors, countries and locations. I’ve worked with some amazing people (and some total nut cases), made lifelong friends, done some really interesting work (and some really dull stuff) and managed to earn a reasonable living. But, with each new contract comes the eventual reality that I will leave. I’m used to it now and usually view the ending of a contract as a new opportunity. After all, one door closes and another door opens. Sadly, many organisations don’t view the endings quite as positively as I do.
A View From a Bridge 