This post elegantly articulated something that I’ve wrangled with in my mind about when it’s time to move on:

“Do you have 25 years of experience, or have you experienced the same year 25 times?”

Twice in my life I’ve realized that I was simply experiencing the same year multiple times.

The first time was my last year of college. I suddenly came to see that I’d learned all that I could as a student, and that it was time to move forward in life.

Overnight my priorities changed. I began retiring from the student orgs I had so fiercely worked 20 hours a week for. As I withdrew from those activities I began to plan out my first career moves. I became hungry for something else: building a career.

The second time was a very similar feeling in which I again saw that I had learned all that I could from my job. I was simply experiencing the same year again, and it was time to move on. I became hungry for something else. This time was different though in that the hunger had to be balanced with the need for a steady income. Finally the move came, and while it wasn’t on a timetable of my choosing, it was providential.

So here I am now at MU. And I’m hungry — but this time, not for career change. This time it’s a hunger for honing my craft.

One of the reasons I think working for the EDU world can be such a great experience is the amount of free reign a competent person can be given. I’ve spent the first three years building the relationships necessary to bring our sites up to a generic level of adequacy, which is a much bigger goal than it sounds.

And that being complete, I’m hungry to start developing engaging multi-media content. I’m continuing to grow, take chances, and go for it. And that’s exciting.