So Not the Right Place.....

The moment came after the first person left.  Ugh.  I still had to meet a few more people.  I so wanted to leave.

This was not the right place for me at this point in my life/career.

The interview started with the usual dance.  We were both assessing each other.  He was trying to assess whether I would fit in with his team and with the company culture, whether I had the right experience or had the ability to adapt and learn, and whether I was ready for the challenge ahead of me.  I had no doubt that I would be able to do this job, but I wanted to see if there was any work/life balance, and whether I would be a good fit with him and his team.  Everyone was really nice and thankfully, very candid about their work life.  One was open about how he typically worked around 12-16 hours per day in addition to some hours during the weekend.  He did say that he was able to balance work and life and that if anything came up, he'd make it up later.  I was thinking, hmmmm, if he worked 12-15 hours a day, when would he be able to make it up, but I didn't bring up the contradiction then.   I don't know if my face said it all, but I already knew that I didn't want to work there.   It was a great company.   They made great products and I would be working with some of the smartest and brightest in the field.  But, it was not me.  At least at this point in my life or career. 

I went into this interview not really knowing what I really wanted to find in my next job.  I wasn't sure I wanted to find work right away and thought that maybe, if I did get laid off, I should just take a break and explore options; however, this was an opportunity, and I should at least explore it.   But, I was doing myself a great disservice by not listening to my inner voice.  

My inner voice was telling me I should just see what happens and in any case, I should explore options and do what I wanted to do.  What did I want?