The Year of Five W-2 Forms.
No... That's not the last year, 2006. In 2006 I will have only one W-2 to work with on my side of the tax form.
But, in years past, I have had MANY W-2s to deal with.
For example...
In 2000: I began the year working as a low-paying producer in TV news. I had to have a second job waiting tables at the Outback. Then I moved to NYC and got a job at a PR agency. So that makes 3 that year.
In 2001: I worked at my first PR agency for about a week into the new year. Then I moved to another PR agency. Then, after four months, I was offered a part-time gig at the Evil Empire and had to switch to a more flexible full time job. I went to a PR-service Internet company. Then I got laid off from that job after 9/11 and went to the Evil Empire full time. So that makes 4.
In 2002: Times were tough in NYC. Was grateful to have a job. Only worked at the Evil Empire. Only 1.
In 2003: Started off at the Evil Empire. Got engaged. Moved to Boston. Freelanced for a local newspaper. Worked as a customer service rep part-time for a few days. Worked at a temp agency for a few days. Got hired at an SEO firm. This is the big-winner year. There were 5.
In 2004: Freelanced (on the side) for the local news paper. Continued to work at the SEO firm. Only 1.
In 2005: Worked at the initial SEO firm. Got hired away by sister-company to do SEO. There were 2.
In 2006: Just worked at the sister-company building the SEO process. Only 1.
A lot of people (who are older than me) have wondered why I was so "job-jumpy" at the start of my career. It's not that I wanted to change jobs because I was unhappy. (In fact, the jobs that I have been unhappy at are the ones I stayed at the longest.) I changed jobs early in my career for various reasons:
I'm not the type of person who encourages others to just "sit tight" wherever they work. If you want things to happen in your career (and life in general), you have got to make that happen. Failures lead to successes. Always keep trying. Otherwise, what's the point of living?
But, in years past, I have had MANY W-2s to deal with.
For example...
In 2000: I began the year working as a low-paying producer in TV news. I had to have a second job waiting tables at the Outback. Then I moved to NYC and got a job at a PR agency. So that makes 3 that year.
In 2001: I worked at my first PR agency for about a week into the new year. Then I moved to another PR agency. Then, after four months, I was offered a part-time gig at the Evil Empire and had to switch to a more flexible full time job. I went to a PR-service Internet company. Then I got laid off from that job after 9/11 and went to the Evil Empire full time. So that makes 4.
In 2002: Times were tough in NYC. Was grateful to have a job. Only worked at the Evil Empire. Only 1.
In 2003: Started off at the Evil Empire. Got engaged. Moved to Boston. Freelanced for a local newspaper. Worked as a customer service rep part-time for a few days. Worked at a temp agency for a few days. Got hired at an SEO firm. This is the big-winner year. There were 5.
In 2004: Freelanced (on the side) for the local news paper. Continued to work at the SEO firm. Only 1.
In 2005: Worked at the initial SEO firm. Got hired away by sister-company to do SEO. There were 2.
In 2006: Just worked at the sister-company building the SEO process. Only 1.
A lot of people (who are older than me) have wondered why I was so "job-jumpy" at the start of my career. It's not that I wanted to change jobs because I was unhappy. (In fact, the jobs that I have been unhappy at are the ones I stayed at the longest.) I changed jobs early in my career for various reasons:
- Not getting paid enough. When you're the low person on the totem-pole; if someone offers you an opportunity to do advance, you're stupid not to consider it. More money and more responsibility is what you're looking for when you're young.
- Someone offers you your "dream job." When I was offered the chance to go to the Evil Empire, I was ecstatic. Even though it was only part-time, I wanted to do it. So I had to find a full time job that complimented it.
I'm not the type of person who encourages others to just "sit tight" wherever they work. If you want things to happen in your career (and life in general), you have got to make that happen. Failures lead to successes. Always keep trying. Otherwise, what's the point of living?
Comments