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There are definitely weeks where I want to set my head on fire.
But most weeks are good. I don't know that it gets much better than this.
Ask me next week and I may feel differently :)
I’m a software engineer in a non profit research organisation. I can play with the latest and greatest technology all the time. I assist researchers, I break their dreams, I make experiments happen. I also worked on the industry a few times but it was quickly boring and I couldn’t care less about the profits for the wealth of the shareholders.
Can I ask what kind/fields of research you support? I left my big tech job some months ago to try start something of my own (in an attempt to find more joy in my day-to-day, hence the post), but if things don't work out for me what you describe sounds pretty appealing as well.
I'm good at what I do, care about our customers, get treated well and get paid in the top 1%. There are definitely weeks where I want to set my head on fire. But most weeks are good. I don't know that it gets much better than this. Ask me next week and I may feel differently :)
I'm good at what I do, care about our customers, get treated well and get paid in the top 1%. There are definitely weeks where I want to set my head on fire. But most weeks are good. I don't know that it gets much better than this. Ask me next week and I may feel differently :)
That's still not "loving the job", though. Sounds more like you're tolerating it fairly well, and are convinced that it's better than the available alternatives.
I guess what I'm saying is I'm content with my reality and all the ebbs and flows between loving and hating work. It's not as binary as people make it out to be in conversation.
Loved my job for the past 40 years. Taught myself programming, always keeping an eye on preparing for jobs that most other programmers would find difficult but that I also liked. Started with games, went to embedded, then compilers, then PM, then started a good business, now retired but working on static site generator. Proposed my strategy to my wife before we got married. I only took jobs that I would enjoy, and di…
I like you approach to life. Over a 30 year period l loved my first job, didn't love my second job, and now love my third job. I got into self-protection in my second job. A mindset of, I am doing the best I can here, if it's not good enough sack me. It seemed like a clever mindset at the time, but doesn't now. It probably translated as I was unhappy and didn't feel valued. I am still unpacking this though.
Or maybe you just have a robust self-image? If it's that, I think it's a strong adaptation.
> I am still unpacking this though.
I went through years of therapy & many therapists. Got almost nothing out of it. Much of my childhood still lives with me for some reason. So... same here! One thing I love about programming is that it has far fewer of the kind of gray areas that I couldn't navigate as a kid. Can't tell you how much I love that when a program runs right, I can usually be assured it will continue to run right. It's totally awesome to have a job where you can be provably correct a lot of the time.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I like you approach to life. Over a 30 year period l loved my first job, didn't love my second job, and now love my third job. I got into self-protection in my second job. A mindset of, I am doing the best I can here, if it's not good enough sack me. It seemed like a clever mindset at the time, but doesn't now. It probably translated as I was unhappy and didn't feel valued. I am still unpacking this though.
> A mindset of, I am doing the best I can here, if it's not good enough sack me. Or maybe you just have a robust self-image? If it's that, I think it's a strong adaptation. > I am still unpacking this though. I went through years of therapy & many therapists. Got almost nothing out of it. Much of my childhood still lives with me for some reason. So... same here! One thing I love about programming is that it has far f…
Thank you. I think there was truth in my point of view. I always wished I could express it in a less aggressive manner.
I also had a difficult childhood. I'm in my 50s and still working it out. I have had a great life and have the most wonderful wife and two adult children.
I have found family, friends and work is not a bad order of priorities.
But with the good comes the bad. I have fought to keep my position for many years. Aside from dealing with at least five or six bosses over the course of my employment, letting power go to their head and trying to get me fired, every single of them failing to do so, in part because it's a bit hard to justify firing someone whose good at their job with projects equaling over half a million dollars a year, but at least I have had the privilege of observing all but one or two of them being let go, getting fired, or leaving the company themselves.
I have also faced pay cuts, lack of merit increases, and bonuses probably to appease our CEOs, which have been plentiful... as they can't seem to keep them. Not saying I don't get paid well for what I do, but it is well below the average for someone in my industry. However, I've utilized my remote position to acquire other jobs while continuing to work my primary job.
So why do I stay despite all I've been through? I love my company and what I do even though I've survived massive layoffs through the years, non-pandemic and pandemic. There is something about working for a media corporation that I love in spite of all the abuses or lack of incentive. I do what I do because it brings out the very creative side of me.
Seek FI. Then you can “love your life”, and if that involves continuing to put your efforts into what you did before, great. You’re now a willing participant. The secret to loving your job is not needing it.
Are you happy with $65k a year for 9 months of work? That's with a Masters Degree, 20+ IT certs, and 20+ years of experience.