Mid-life Crisis

Been thinking about work lately. For the last 5 years I've been at the same job, which is a good job, but somewhat flaky in that it's still pretty much a startup company with no real leadership/direction, no real office space to speak of and no benefits. But on the plus side, I'm making decent(albeit sub-industry standard) scratch, stress is very low, work is often creative and fun, hours are extremely flexible and I have little to no supervision. Plus the office we rent space from is ultra casual and is a very hip and young environment.

But every now and then the rat race mentality kicks in and I feel I should be climbing to the next ladder rung.

So here's my my way of rationalizing it all: Ambition is overrated. Ambition is just a way of saying you need to feel better than others. Unless you have an ambition to do something worthwhile, like be an astronaut or joining Doctors without Borders, then moving forward in your career is just a futile exercise if you're content in your current job. Same s#it, different computer.

But I guess some people are defined my their jobs, and if their career is stalled, their life is. I'd like to think I'm not defined by my job. I see my job as the way to finance the things that do define me: travelling, going out with friends and family, persuing hobbies, and eventually establishing a home and family.

Take Dietrich...a guy I met at a party that worked with troubled youths at the YMCA. Not much room for ambitious career growth there, but I respect him significantly more than any hot shot advertising exec or partner at a bay street law firm...