A Refreshing Change of Pace

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A Refreshing Change of Pace

Deciding to make a career change as an experienced professional can be a difficult decision. It’s not an easy thing to give up the comfort and stability of the role you have grown accustomed to for the past several years, for a new and uncertain challenge. No matter how diligent you are at asking probing questions during an interview, or pouring over the “About Us” section of a company website, there’s no guarantee that a new role is going to be a perfect fit. But as many personal development experts will tell you, the only way to continue growing is by taking some calculated risks and getting out of your comfort zone.

This was the choice I was faced with as I considered moving on from a very comfortable, very stable engineering position at a large government organization. Although I had had success and gained countless hours of experience in that role, there were still several aspects of my career that I felt might be better served as part of a smaller, more employee-focused organization. This was what inevitably brought me to Avanceon.
 
One of the main factors I was looking for in a new company was the type of culture that focused not only on making customers happy, but on making employees happy as well. Employees want to feel valued. Most employees want to feel like work they are doing is meaningful and having an impact. This can be challenging for people who work in large organizations. It is all too common to feel more like a cog in a giant wheel, than a truly valued individual. Having to push ideas through multiple layers of org chart hierarchies and bloated processes can take its toll on employee morale.
 
There was another career factor that I had honestly almost forgotten about: it is possible to have fun at work. I realize that this might seem like a foreign concept in today’s workplace, because sadly, it has become more the exception than the rule. Being able to have fun, laugh, and not take themselves too seriously are great ways companies can keep people engaged. For instance, rolling out of bed in the morning and commuting to the office is a whole lot easier with the knowledge that your company is having a cookout and cornhole tournament in the afternoon.
 
So far in my short time at Avanceon, I have learned that you do not have to move to Silicon Valley to find a company with great culture, great perks, and that values their employees. When I have an idea, I know that I can confidently strike up a conversation with a business manager or vice president with the knowledge that I will be carefully listened to. I also know that while the people of Avanceon work very hard for our customers, they play hard too. I am happy to say that I made the right decision in taking that somewhat risky leap and landing at Avanceon.
 

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