27 years. That’s how long it’s taken me to realise I never want another of these roles. I’m finally old enough to know what I want.
Business Analyst. 6 months. Market rate.
Another description: ‘sit in a chair next to your colleagues, do exactly what the boss says, even if there is little tangible connection to the organisation’s real needs’.
No matter what questions you’re asked in the interview, or what they tell you, this isn’t a good role for creative folk, system thinkers, or change agents.
I’m sorry, but it’s not, at least not usually.
95% of the time, a project manager just needs to fill a box on the org chart. 95% of the time, the organisation has already decided exactly how the work will be done.
You can work as creatively as you wish, but only within the confines of an already established structure. Step too far outside, and the system will pull you back — fast.
Don’t believe me?
Try speaking up in meetings. Challenge assumptions. Offer alternative ideas. Best case, you’re tolerated as “the disrupter.” Worst case, you’re quietly edged out as a troublemaker.
The thing is, some people thrive in these roles. They like the stability, the clarity, the steady paycheck. There’s no shame in that.
Do what your manager says. Do your job well. Collect your paycheck. Leave work at work. The shareholders are in charge, after all.
But for me, and people wired like me, there was always a quiet suffocation.
I remember when it clicked. Month three of yet another contract. A room full of executives arguing over font sizes in a deck while deadlines burned in the background. I sat there thinking, “What am I doing here?”.
That was it. The moment I realised I was done, not just with that project, but with the whole game.
Now I answer to myself — shareholder, CEO, employee, janitor. It’s not the easiest path, but it’s the path that still excites me.