They say that life will teach you, if you let it. I say Life will teach you whether you “let” it or not – whether you “pass”, “fail” or doom yourself to remedial classes is up to you.

Can I tell you that in the school of life, I am sitting front row center, taking notes, trying to get the extra credit, hands up asking questions.

So, I’ve been contracting for 1.5 months now. Took on a 6-month possible temp-to-perm position that I *thought* had not only a great blend of the things I like to do, things I’m very good at, and still yields lots of opportunity.

So how come I’m bored? B-O-R-E-D. Perhaps in my desire to find something “familiar”, I’ve walked into something much too familiar and instead of it becoming a “comfort zone”, it’s actually a “rut”. Perhaps in my desire to find something “familiar”, I forgot that as vital as this kind of function is to an organization, it always – without fail – gets treated like a step-child. Not the best situation for a person who, despite knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that the layoff of 2007 was in her best interest, still finds her career-ego a bit bruised. (What? Are you surprised by that statement? Say what you will about me – I am honest, especially with and about myself. It’s one thing to tell a lie, it’s a whole ‘nother set of circumstances to try to LIVE that lie. But um, I digress.)

What’s bringing all this to the surface now? Well, first, I’m bored and being bored for me means I become disengaged which never works out in anyone’s favor. Secondly, there is much too much a need for my skillsets in the organization for me to be bored or have a string of do-nothing days. Third, I’m still getting calls/emails from other consulting companies wanting to place me in other jobs. As a matter of fact, I got one such call yesterday and it is tempting – more so than any other teasers I’ve gotten in a long time. So, I’m reviewing my contract. Then I’m sitting down with my manager for a “where-are-we-heading” conversation. Cause honestly? With all that I’ve seen here (and I have seen A LOT in 1.5 months), there is no reason that ANYONE is sitting stalled. If you don’t know how best to put my skills to use, let me show you. If we can’t get some things on and popping in the next couple of weeks, I need to be on to the next episode.

So, what to do? What to do? Do I tough it out? Do I sit down with the client and have a “look-a-heah” conversation (again??)? Do I sit down with the consulting company and have a little tete-a-tete? Murky waters. Both cases. See, I work for the consulting company who ultimately works for the client. Who’s working for me? Don’t get me wrong – I like this consulting company and the recruiters, account managers. But ultimately, their job is to meet the client’s needs, to fill a seat and one warm capable body is just as good as the next. So….who’s working FOR me? ME. Little ol’ me.

How do I work through that? Who do I have the conversation with? A friend of mine told me I should be very careful about initiating conversations – whether it’s with the client or with my consulting firm. Why? The issue isn’t “initiating” the conversations – the issue is being clear as to what the conversation is about. Making sure I’m having the RIGHT conversation in the RIGHT way with the RIGHT person(s). There’s a good deal of history and personal rapport between the consulting company and the client which adds to the “who’s-working-for-me” conundrum. How do I work around that?

Simple. I have one conversation with the client (that’s where I’m going to start – to go to the consulting company without first trying to work it out seems childish, tattle-tale-ish, too me). During that conversation, I clearly state my concerns, reiterate how I can help them become more effective, more efficient, and press gently for license to do my thing which includes the nod to proceed with multiple assignments. Not once during this conversation will I say anything to the client that I would be bothered to have someone else repeat. Say it in such a way that it can’t be misconstrued. And at the end of the conversation, document what was said, what was agreed upon and then roll up my sleeves and do what I do. No emotions. No extra skin in the game. Just the facts. And at the end of that, if this turns out to be NOT the place for me, I know there are other opportunities to be had (as evidenced by the calls/emails I’ve received this week alone). AND my resume has already been updated. Ha!

So, game on. And guess what? Whether I go or stay – I still win. Why? Because being here has really given me a chance to work on some “softskill” things that could only come to the surface in just such an environment. And any situation that gives me a chance to learn more about myself, to sharpen my own personal saw is worth more than just a paycheck and benefits to me. Believe that.