Thoughts on the double bottom line
Before I begin, check out the entry for double bottom line on Wikipedia. In a nutshell, a double bottom line consists of two parallel means of measuring one’s performance. One is typically financial while the other is more for the greater good. Got it? All right.
For me personally, I have noticed a similar trend in my ever-evolving career. Reading about the concept mentioned above just brought my vague thoughts into much clearer focus. The simple fact is that I have a double bottom line and have had one for quite some time. This helps to explain why working at traditional for-profit companies has never really appealed to me in the way it does for most people. Sure I’ve worked for a couple of them, but something was missing from the equation.
In the physics of my career development, the double bottom line has played the role of gravity. It’s a constant force exerting influence over my professional decisions. From time to time I’ve strayed, but it has always pulled me back. This past spring was an excellent example of this. When we were looking to move away from the Seattle area, I considered a lot of different jobs. I applied for most of them even if they didn’t seem like they would be a good fit. Many of them were corporate jobs for Fortune 500 companies or regular consulting gigs for large corporations. Quite a few of the opportunities sounded really great on the surface and would have certainly been financially rewarding, but that was about it.
It’s hard to know if it was serendipity, fate, or just my own personal career “gravity” taking over, but I knew immediately that the job of Web developer at the Statesman newspaper was where I was supposed to be. It’s not a glamorous position by any means. The online team generally toils in obscurity until somebody needs something (or something breaks). And I could definitely make more money elsewhere with the skills I have. However, there is an element of public service to the job that makes it more than worthwhile. Bringing local news and information to people around the clock and providing opportunities for them to interact with each other as well as with our news staff is more than a job, it’s a calling.
Okay, I’ll stop there before this gets sappy. Suffice it to say that I enjoy my current job on many levels despite the challenges of being in what many consider to be a dying industry. The opportunity for innovation is virtually unlimited and the work that we are doing is definitely important.
So will I work here for thirty years and retire with a gold watch and a pension? I honestly can’t say for sure, but I really doubt it. This job is great experience and a unique challenge, but I believe that it is preparing me for something bigger. What that will be and when it will happen, I have no idea. I just hope that I’m ready and willing when the time comes. I’m sure I will be. It’s not like gravity is suddenly going to stop working…
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