This blog is going to catalog my professional life. Here’s where I’m at.
I took a severance from my last job in May. I decided to take some time to jumpstart a project I’ve been dreaming about: an analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Consumer Price Index (CPI). This index is the best-known and understood index of inflation in the U.S. Inflation is topical, and I find that there’s a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding out there about what it is and how it’s measured.
I’m going to make further posts shortly that will catalog what I’ve done so far on CPI. I’ll also make entries related to my job hunt as I begin that more earnestly.
Why did I decide to leave my last role? I’ve learned that all relationships, business or otherwise, are co-created. I’ve also learned that the only way to grow is to focus on what I can control. It’s tempting to either blame myself and feel defeated and unworthy, or to blame others, when a crossroads like leaving an employer is reached.
Instead of doing either of those, I’ve tried to be mindful of two things:
What do I want from a prospective employer? This will help me evaluate jobs before I take the plunge, and hopefully lead to a better relationship with my next employer. In short, I want an employer that will respect my expertise and has problems that need my skills. I don’t want to maintain ETLs; I want to design and build them. I don’t want to fix broken dashboards, I want to create north-star metrics. I don’t want to work at a giant organization, I want to work with a small group of passionate people. This is incomplete but you get the idea.
What can I learn from my own mistakes? This is the most important point. I know for sure that I could have handled collaboration with stakeholders in a more productive way. To be frank, I think I became a little too arrogant about my skills and role, and failed to be a good business partner. People talk a lot about impostor syndrome, but a talented professional can fall off their horse on the other side too; it can be really tempting to see non-technical people as adversaries who don’t understand, when the truth is, they’re likely experts within their own domain and should be treated as such. As I go on in my career, I’m glad I had a chance to self-reflect and temper my arrogance into healthy self-esteem and pride.
I’ll leave with the translation of this post’s title (and my site’s tagline): “Fortune favors the bold.” It’s always been among my favorite sayings, and it’s older than England for a reason. It’s my personal core value. I hope it serves as an introduction to my general attitude as a person.