Member-only story
Is your job making you stupid?
A regular pay-check does not mean regular challenges or mental growth
One of my ex-bosses told me something very interesting one day: “Never confuse experience with intelligence”.
I am not sure if he included himself in that or was referring to other C-suite executives. I was a relatively newbie in the corporate world, ready to absorb whatever knowledge and insights I would get from seniors.
When you are starting out, you are always in awe of hierarchy, business models and the way people who have been longer in business carry themselves. After more than a decade in corporate, I do not feel like my brain has been really challenged.
Sure, I have developed new skills and learnt a lot about how the corporate world works. But I could have done that in two years and move on to something new and more challenging.
Corporates and the intent for retention
In certain fields, you get promoted fast. You learn what you have to learn, apply it do a good job and move on to a new job.
It is quite common for someone in tech to move jobs after two years. In finance and other fields, you might be seen as a job hopper.
