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How often in your career are you happy?

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    How often in your career are you happy?

    I've been ruminating recently. It's been about six years since I've had a job I actually enjoyed. Been in three different roles in that time.

    Six very well paid years with lots of interesting times but never anything I've actually wanted to do. Work has been a mixture of stress, bungling, fools, crap offices, kafkaesque nonsense and compromise. I don't want to do that 40 hours a week. It is unpleasant.

    I've had some great jobs which I've loved in the past.... but it's been a while now.

    When I think about it I'm not that bothered about money. I won't knock it back if it's on offer but I don't think I've spent more than 2 grand in a month excluding holidays, big one offs and investments. I just don't have expensive tastes. I've had eight course degustation menus with matching wines and it's nice but I'm just as happy with pizza and chips. Business class is nice but economy isn't an issue. Most things being sold are obvious examples of businesses buying commodities and selling brands.

    I'm taking some time off at the moment and considering what I want to do. Might take three months off, might take a year.

    I want to get a job that I'll enjoy turning up to every day but I'm starting to think that is rare in IT.

    How often does work make you happy?

    #2
    I had a similar moment when 8 years back I decided that my current career was not where I wanted to be, the work was local, easy & OK paid, so I went to Uni got a degree & a trainee position & now I am fully qualified & happy with what I am doing, there are great prospects for the future so If do I get bored again I can specialise.

    Admittedly the hours I now work are longer but I enjoy my work (most of the time) & it’s a good wage for a permie.

    So if you can afford to, go find yourself something you are happy doing
    Growing old is mandatory
    Growing up is optional

    Comment


      #3
      Well a lot of it will be your attitude.

      Sorry but that's my experience.
      Big corps are disorganised and make what appear to be stupid decisions.
      Little companies do a lot of knee jerking.

      either way its stress if you get excited about it.

      Don't, manoeuvre yourself onto a project you can control - something you fancy doing and do it well.

      Document and laugh at the foolishness of others, you can't do anything about it but if you document then they can't blame you.

      then just enjoy what the money allows you to do.

      Anything else (start a business, join a startup etc) has a lot of risk attached, do able, but you need to understand it has.

      Respect to HJ, I'm just treading water at present she set off across the channel!
      Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.

      Comment


        #4
        Usually once a month when invoicing
        Originally posted by Stevie Wonder Boy
        I can't see any way to do it can you please advise?

        I want my account deleted and all of my information removed, I want to invoke my right to be forgotten.

        Comment


          #5
          I'd say I've by and large been happy in work since I went independent at the end of 2007. At times I've been very stressed due to money or deadline issues, but the work itself I've loved 90% of, especially not having to commute for about 4 years.
          Originally posted by MaryPoppins
          I'd still not breastfeed a nazi
          Originally posted by vetran
          Urine is quite nourishing

          Comment


            #6
            I am usually happy on the first and last days of a contract. Need to find 2 day contracts.

            Comment


              #7
              There is going to be one person at every gig you go to, every job you do. Every bird you meet, every holiday you go on. It's the same bloke, every time
              It's all down to him




              (\__/)
              (>'.'<)
              ("")("") Born to Drink. Forced to Work

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by vetran View Post
                Don't, manoeuvre yourself onto a project you can control - something you fancy doing and do it well.
                Definitely WHS

                I love getting in on a project from day 0 but more often than not I get brought in only once the permies have done their bit to FUBAR the project.
                Whats annoying is that most ballsed up projects I work on are screwed up due to bad architecture design. Usually the permie developers know this but don't have the balls to kick designs back up the food chain to be reworked.
                In a lot of places there can also be a lack of will to achieve technical excellence. It is literally given zero value and then they wonder why their systems keep screwing up and their customers lose faith.

                Having led a couple of dev teams over the years on project reworks it is an absolute joy to see the overall level of enthusiam and confidence increase over the weeks as they realise that there is a better way of doing things. People become motivated purely by the fact that they want to build something good and be a part of that.
                Coffee's for closers

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by Old Greg View Post
                  I am usually happy on the first and last days of a contract. Need to find 2 day contracts.
                  or a 1 day contract, but that could be too much happiness
                  Coffee's for closers

                  Comment


                    #10
                    I am usually happy on the first and last days of a contract.
                    Agree with that!

                    Although I would say for me its probably the first few days are the happiest and the last few days.

                    The first few days are good new job new faces, new drive to work then by day 3 the novalty wears off and you realise what your stuck with for the next X amoutn of weeks/months. Then the last few days your happy as you know you can see your escape for that next change.
                    Last edited by curtis; 11 April 2012, 10:22. Reason: .

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