lets-retire said:
Jay--You forgot one more. The timing just isn't right. I would have left my current position a year ago, but my house is in the middle of a remodel and I can't get anything near what it's worth.
I don't think timing has much to do with it, except when it comes to the availability of other employment opportunities. Put differently, the timing wasn't right for me to move on from my old law firm during the 2002-2004 time period, simply because there weren't any comparable legal jobs available, clients were scaling back their legal budgets, etc... Rather than go out on my own, I felt it was a better idea to keep my head down, my nose to the grindstone, and my ears to the ground until the economy improved. The economy improved in 2005, and I jumped twice last year, each time with better compensation, benefits and working environment.
Many 20-somethings get into a financial bind (credit cards, car loans, and other irresponsible debt) whereby they're unable to explore other employment alternatives. They NEED their paychecks, and therefore live in perpetual fear of their bosses and being unemployed. Such fear stifles creativity and initiative, and paralyzes their ability to cope with exploitative employment situations.
As far as working hard, many people I have worked with will only work as hard as the boss.
I don't agree with this. Whenever I started a job by working as hard as my boss, he never rewarded me for the extra effort. Rather, he became accustomed to my being available (and sacrificing my personal life), and would get very upset when I wasn't available when HE needed something. An employee must always keep in mind that if the boss owns the company, all of the money goes to him first, and only if he decides to share any of it will the money trickle down (after Uncle Sam and the state government take their share). Owner-bosses have little incentive to share with their employees, and many feel that they shouldn't have to share since their employees didn't take any of the risk to get the business off the ground. Such selfishness doesn't engender loyalty on the part of employees, who absent some type of tangible incentive, will be out the door at 5:00 p.m.
I refuse to wear any medals I have earned that others have been given for doing the job for a year without getting into trouble.
Such medals often mean something to the higher-ups, regardless of what you think of them. You don't have to wear them proudly (since you know they don't mean squat -- i.e. you showed up to work every day), but you should emphasize them if you're looking to move up in a particular organization. Likewise, if you decide to move on, they make decent enough accomplishments that can be spun in such a way as to distinguish you from other candidates.