It's just after 3:30 on a Friday. I'm sitting in my work cube enjoying a little Diet Dr. Pepper and stewing on my current situation. I've been adapting to my new role as best as I can in the interest of self-preservation. I've also looked outside of the company for alternative options to redirect my career. One of the places I've applied is Google. I thought to myself earlier today "if given the option, would you rather win the lottery or work at Google?" I chose the latter.

It's a bit crazy, right? "Why not take the money and not work anymore? Get out of the rat race." Tempting as that may be, I'm more interested in making a difference. Let's face it - I'd be bored in a relatively short amount of time and who knows what that would bring. Instead, in a position with Google, a company I have admired and whose products are a daily part of my life, I could find myself in a position of impact.

It's always been a dream of mine to work somewhere that fosters innovation outside of just that which would generate more revenue for shareholder's delight. Google does have plenty of money, no doubt, but it's the premise of how Google operates that inspires me to work for them. On their site, they have a list of ten things they "know to be true":

1. Focus on the user and all else will follow
2. It's best to do one thing really, really well
3. Fast is better than slow
4. Democracy on the web works
5. You don't need to be at your desk to need an answer
6. You can make money without doing evil
7. There's always information out there
8. The need for information crosses all borders
9. You can be serious without a suit
10. Great just isn't good enough

Of that list, items 2, 6, and 10 really strike a chord with me. Here's why:

• #2 - It's such a cliche but so accurate: jack of all trades, master of none. That's my perception of my current employer. In a recent employee engagement survey, I alluded to Apple's near-death to resurrection story over the last decade as a cautionary tale to our current business model. We are trying to be so many things to so many people that we aren't particularly excellent at the most fundamental elements of our business. It shows in the perception customers and non-customers alike have of our business. I want to work for a company who, while they may have a number of irons in the fire, they remain vigilantly focused on their core business and know when to scale back.
• #6 - It's no secret that who I work for has a perception problem here as well. Recent government rulings have brought out the worst in who we are as a company: resistant to change that the public wants and, frankly, deserves. It's no surprise that Google and other key tech companies were on the opposite side of this particular issue. My own values conflict at times with the way my employer publicly carries itself where Google's way of doing business seems far more palpable. 
• #10 - This one hurts a bit but is inspiring nonetheless. In both my previous and current role, I have felt hampered by the sheer enormity of the people I have to interact with to get things done. What makes it more frustrating is a general lack of interest in out-of-the-box thinking or, heaven forbid, adapting to rapid change. This is incredibly demotivating and results in the general malaise I have to accomplish anything in my current capacity. I would much sooner hit the Restart button with a company rooted in change, adaptability and responsiveness.

Is this meant to be some kind of plea / butt-kissing to get the job I've applied for? No, I would only want to be hired on the merits of my experience and my ability to do the job better than other applicants. But, if I was hired, this may be considered confirmation that who I am, what I believe and what I can achieve with the right employer would greatly benefit everyone, including the end user who, after all, is the whole reason any of us have jobs in the first place. And for the record, I'm not applying for a job...I want a career.

It's time that I make a change. Yesterday, I found out the nature of my new position. In short, they put the wrong person in the wrong role. I have a peer who is far better at what I'm about to be responsible for managing yet I am fairly sure there was a political reason for the assignment. This role is not what I am built for. I want to be able to take something apart, see how it works, put it back together and get people fired up about it.

I am not an author, at least not for a career path. What I need to do next, though, and where that will be is the question of the hour. I can't just up and leave my company - I have too many obligations to do that. But I can't be hindered in finding that next step because I have stability. How do I pull this off?