It's 8:15 AM.  You are sitting at your desk sipping on a fresh cup of coffee (or favorite caffeinated beverage).  You fire up your RSS reader and begin to scan through the posts from some of your favorite blogs.  Suddenly, you notice a particular post that covers some technology that you are very passionate about.  As you begin reading, you become completely absorbed with the material.  You get excited about the prospect of applying the technology or solution to address some problem.  Then, it hits you...

There is no way in hell you are ever going to be able to use this technology at your current position.

Disgusted from the realization, you close your RSS reader and begin some mundane task that causes you to start having thoughts about strangling yourself with the cord to your keyboard due to an acute case of boredom.

Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation?  The chances are that you have.  At some point your career, you will likely find yourself questioning why you are still at your current job. 

It is imporant to self-evaluate on a regular basis to verify your current position is the right fit for your long-term career objectives.  Every now and then, it's good to take a step back and ask yourself:

• Do I consistently feel challenged?
• Am I passionate about the type of work that I do?
• Have I recently learned anything new?
• If so, will I get to apply this newly acquired knowledge?
• Does this position support the achievment of my long-term career goals?

If you find that you really don't like your honest answers to the questions, it may be time to consider making a move to a new position.  Never allow yourself to become complacent with a stale job.  It is your responsibility to keep up with the pace of evolving technology and to ensure your career is on track to where you want it to go.  There is certainly nobody that will do it for you. 

The point is to avoid waking up one morning with the realization that your technical skills wasted away leaving you with the sense of feeling trapped and ultimately becoming a bitter, disgruntled employee with nobody to blame but yourself.

Is your career on track?