I finished reading Who Moved My Cheese? today, and I highly recommend it. It's a seemingly obvious parable, but it clearly identifies the varying characteristics we all exhibit in reacting to change. Its real value may lie in sparking discussions: by telling a clear story that everyone can understand, it lays a groundwork for conversations about how individuals/organizations/families manage change--specifically, you and yours.

This sparked a discussion with my boss about my career path; not a great idea at the very late end of the day, when my blood sugar is crashing enough to affect my mood. I'm amazed how down I'll get, and how quickly I'm fixed by some sugar-laden drinks followed by as much meat as I can manage. I'm glad I've learned to balance and care for my blood sugar levels pretty well; I think I've suffered a lot with moodiness over the years, and much of it was evitable (yes, that's a word).

It was a helpful discussion, though, giving me an idea of what I might be able to do at this company, and some thought of whether it's worth sticking around that long. History has left it almost impossible for me to trust a company that much, and combines with the more widespread experience of my generation that we mostly accomplish career advancement (and salary increases) by changing companies. I could stay here indefinitely...eventually they'd make a Senior Developer position or something for me, I'll get responsibility for something or other, possibly involving directing someone else...someday maybe I end up in my boss's job, coordinating development among multiple people who can't talk to each other. Except I don't really want to be a manager, I want to be a highly-paid engineer working on difficult problems. I need to think long and hard about whether this job helps me learn anything I want to learn to bring to another field. I do need to acquire some seniority and experience somewhere, but maybe I could finish doing that someplace else.