These days it also seems that many people are disenchanted with their jobs. They work for the paycheck with little loyalty or concern for their company's business, and I think that's fair. When I hear about companies that are not very loyal or concerned with their employees, asking for more work every year without more compensation, with less people and the threat of layoffs hanging over the employee's head, I think employees have to start treating themselves as self-employed. They should consider their employment as a "contract" with their employer, one that is temporary.

However I don't know that this is how the majority of people feel. It seems that I regularly meet people that like their jobs, and feel their employers treat them fairly. I feel that way, and think my employer does an excellent job of partnering with employees, rather than exploiting them. People are treated fairly, trusted, and in return, they do a professional job, to the best of their abilities.

In the last few months, I've attended quite a few events and spoken with hundred of people. While the people that often attend events are a self-selective group, but most of the people I've had conversations with like their jobs. For the most part they think their jobs are fairly secure. That's comforting, especially at a time when much of the news in the world relating to the economy and job outlooks is bleak.

If you don't have a good job, it's up to you to look to make a change. It can be a slow, drawn out process, but it doesn't get done through delay. Make a plan, build up your skills, improve your brand, and set a goal to make a change to find a better job across the next year or two. Life's too short to live with a crappy job for a long time, no matter how much they pay you.

Steve Jones

The Voice of the DBA Podcasts

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