7-10

Some people in my office recently asked me how old I was. They said it was because they were trying to figure out who was the youngest, but I have a sneaking suspicion that someone had bet on my age. When I admitted to being 30, there was surprise all around, so I am not sure who won the bet. And yes, they thought I was younger, which in the work place is not such a great thing.

Anyway, that, coupled with conversations with Ashley about her job search, got me to thinking that unless you are Tommy Reiser, boy-wonder, this is an awkward stage in our careers. If you look at job announcements, they are all advertising for “entry,” “5-7 years of experience” or “more than 10.” Where’s the 7-10? What is wrong with us? Is the theory that once we’ve been working 5 years, we should have figured out where we our dream employer where we will stay for the next 5 years? Seriously, does no one value 8 years of experience? What about 9? What makes someone with 6 or 11 years better than someone with 8?

I feel like people don’t value the experience we have – or they don’t want to pay for it or something. It is sort of baffling and very annoying, and causes you to make a lot of lateral moves while you wait to have 10 years of experience. I guess it is different in the consulting world where there is a set schedule for promotions, but everywhere else we are screwed for 3 years...