By process of elimination...

Sometimes, when trying to find out what you want to do (with your afternoon, next weekend, or in life in general), it helps to start out with what you don't want... Some would say that life itself is just one big process of elimination... With that in mind, I thought it prudent to explore the places I've been that I'll hopefully not be returning to any time soon...

I currently work in the same job that I had while finishing up my undergrad degree at UW. This, by itself, should be a warning about what is to follow. It started as a great opportunity to work part-time around my schedule of classes, apply some of the basic skills I had, and make a bit of money in the process... I was able to use some of what I already knew (computers, numbers, and common sense) and apply it pretty directly to the task at hand - namely data entry, Excel spreadsheets, organizing, filing, and paying invoices. In short, I was (and still am) an accountant with a bit of finance work at a University-based non-profit.

However, what was then an excellent opportunity to work through school has since stagnated. The job is still one I should be grateful to have - $50k, gov't job benefits, the whole nice tidy package. Great, if I want to turn into my father - a career man at Boeing. Only problem is, I'm 2 years in on that nice, safe little path and I'm already pulling my hair out. Why? Maybe it's easy to see... The work is tragically mundane. There is a place in the world, and in every company, for accountants, but the work is not challenging, nor is it interesting (to me). And, while it occasionally satisfies the strange OCD corner of my brain, the rest of me is left with nothing to chew on, strive for, or be rewarded by it. My greatest hopes for this position are as follows: 1) the ability to work abroad in Africa or India on short stints (to help structure field office finances). Well, actually, that's about it.

Which is actually the problem, really... I don't love the work by itself. Growth prospects are slim. I don't feel like there is much more I can learn from the place. What's more, the long term I've spent there has turned me off of office-work in general. I'm tired of being a cog in a giant machine. I'm really looking for new challenges, new projects, and a completely different set of responsibilities. That smells like small company, start-up, or my very own venture, but maybe I'm missing some possibilities? Regardless, searching the classifieds just doesn't seem like it will cut it... But who knows? Gotta start somewhere...

A fresh start...

So I got a brainstorm and I decided to act on it. For once.

I've been struggling for a while with where I want to go in life, what I want to do, and just exactly what my priorities are. Despite encouragement from all sides to move forward, get on with it, stick your bloody neck out, I've been stagnant. Colorful descriptions of me currently include "risk-averse" and "square" and "accountant" (and, sadly, that is even my current occupation). None of this would matter if I was happy with my career (2 years old in my job from college-days), had a direction in life (aimless) and satisfied with the experiences I was getting (few). Unfortunately, though, I'm not, I don't, and I'm not. This calls for some action! Except...

I'm risk-averse... A little square... And still a bloody accountant. I need some serious branching out to get me out of the rut I'm in, but I'm not the sort to drop everything, abandon prudence, and put everything out there. At least not without a little cause... Appearances to the contrary, I'm not afraid to try something new - I just want to try something new that I'm excited about. This requires finding said thing(s) and that has been the slow road thus far...

All of which brings me to this little experiment. I'm calling it the Accountability Project. For now, it'll be the Accountability Project for Andrew Spencer Roberts of Seattle, Washington as, well, I'm the only one here. The idea is this - start with a commitment to post every day. The subject will be progress on goals, new ideas, brainstorms, and new directions to take. Then, find some poor saps to keep an eye on you. These Moderators, let's call them, will keep track of this little blog, offering feedback as they choose, but most of all keeping me, well, accountable! If I don't post... If I don't demonstrate progress, at very least in thought processes if not action, the whips come out, the shame sets in, and I'm burdened by the guilt that I've failed semi-publicly.

So this is the first post. Call it an introduction. Just a few days from the new year, this might look like a feeble resolution, but let's hope it lasts longer than the average... Now? To recruit moderators...