June the first.

[hannah]

I've been told to start thinking about the future. In the context of looking at job listings, I shouldn't simply consider the job itself, but also, where the job might lead me in a year, two years, five years. That it shouldn't be a job for a job's sake. I should think about where it might lead. That could be a way to support my writing, or it could be something that could lead me somewhere else.

That it mostly shouldn't be something I'll want to leave after a year to find something else. Because I've had the bad fortune to pinball around for a good long time, which people don't know how to deal with, so they tend to pass on that sort of thing.

It's not easy to think about the future in a context I've never tried to apply it, and it's not easy to think about the future in the context where I live most days.

Comments

[raine]

I hated doing that when I was in my twenties, and I still do - and I'm now 49. What I've learned is: it's easier to think about a job in terms of a) what do you need right now b) what will you settle for c) what do you want this job to give to you besides money and benefits? d) what won't you put up with in a manager or employer? Most people will put up with low pay for a short-term, but it's usually not a good call to make unless you're desperate or you really want the prestige of working for said firm.

I spent a lot of time in my twenties working as a temp, living week-to-week. It made me want to live for something longer than that timeframe, but I'm still thinking about life in terms of the next six months. I'm working on a longer point of view, but it's hard.

[yourlibrarian]

I had that issue myself for most of my time in the work force -- just a few years in each place but it was largely because I had to move or else the business shut down!

[rosefox]

It's pretty common in some industries where the best way to get a raise is to get a new job. I wouldn't sweat it unless you start getting actual rejections based on it, or pointed questions in interviews about it. Once I mentally redefined myself from "shiftless dilettante" to "well-rounded Renaissance person", I didn't have any difficulty getting work. And if you want to leave after a year... then leave after a year! Why not? If you want stability, then look for stability, but if it's not a high priority for you, you don't have to make it one.

That it shouldn't be a job for a job's sake.

A lot of people have jobs for a job's sake and aren't unhappy. It's a fine way to go about life if you're someone who's suited by it.

It sounds like whoever told you this thinks you should be someone you aren't.