Forget that I ever existed

Tealblue

Brynsam said:

bartelbe said:

One of the most useful things I was told by an old supervisor, who happened to be good at her job, is never work for free. I now calibrate my passion and effort to the amount I am paid. Minimum pay means minimum effort and if you want passion and extra mile, I want extra per hour.

Thank goodness NHS staff were never given similar advice.

Completely agree. What a pity someone was ever given such daft 'advice' and even more of a pity that they actually thought the silly old trout was saying something useful. 

Brynsam

Tealblue said:

Brynsam said:

bartelbe said:

One of the most useful things I was told by an old supervisor, who happened to be good at her job, is never work for free. I now calibrate my passion and effort to the amount I am paid. Minimum pay means minimum effort and if you want passion and extra mile, I want extra per hour.

Thank goodness NHS staff were never given similar advice.

Completely agree. What a pity someone was ever given such daft 'advice' and even more of a pity that they actually thought the silly old trout was saying something useful. 

Reading this and taking heed would have done them a much bigger favour: https://collectingwisdom.com/life-is-about-finding-fulfilling-work-not-saving-up-enough-money-to-never-work-again/

Mickey666

Some daft things being said about computers in this thread. 
Computers are simply tools - they can be used for repetitive, mind-numbing jobs needing little or no skill, experience or intelligence or for highly creative and critical jobs requiring a high level of skill, intelligence and imagination.
A paintbrush can be used to paint a ceiling or create an exquisite work of art - does that make a paintbrush boring?

Mickey666

If your idea of a less boring job is having to get up to walk to the fax machine then I guess you've never had a creative job that requires thought, concentration, calculation, creativity, responsibility . . . the sort of thing that pulls you into a 'zone' and makes the hours fly by without even being noticed.  Besides, such things are only one phase of typical project work.  Once the design work is complete the resulting product or system has to be built, commissioned and handed over to the customer.  That will typically involve plenty of travelling to external meetings, much of it abroad in my case.  Nothing like a two-day trip to Boston USA (including helicopter shuttle flights direct from Logan airport to the manufacturing plant, of course - because time is precious) for a bit of trouble-shooting then arriving back in the London office to find tickets for Tokyo on your desk for Monday to help plan customer support during the commissioning phase.  And if you think Skype or Zoom replaces serious business meetings then I guess you've not been a frequent visitor to the business lounges at all major airports - besides there are no air miles for video conferencing so how else would you get free family trips to Disney and Universal Studios?
Perhaps you're just not aiming high enough

Brynsam

ushjr said:

Mickey666 said:

Some daft things being said about computers in this thread. 
Computers are simply tools - they can be used for repetitive, mind-numbing jobs needing little or no skill, experience or intelligence or for highly creative and critical jobs requiring a high level of skill, intelligence and imagination.
A paintbrush can be used to paint a ceiling or create an exquisite work of art - does that make a paintbrush boring?

At least when you paint the ceiling you get to move around.

Perhaps you could become a decorator?

Barny1979

Mickey666 said:

If your idea of a less boring job is having to get up to walk to the fax machine then I guess you've never had a creative job that requires thought, concentration, calculation, creativity, responsibility . . . the sort of thing that pulls you into a 'zone' and makes the hours fly by without even being noticed.  Besides, such things are only one phase of typical project work.  Once the design work is complete the resulting product or system has to be built, commissioned and handed over to the customer.  That will typically involve plenty of travelling to external meetings, much of it abroad in my case.  Nothing like a two-day trip to Boston USA (including helicopter shuttle flights direct from Logan airport to the manufacturing plant, of course - because time is precious) for a bit of trouble-shooting then arriving back in the London office to find tickets for Tokyo on your desk for Monday to help plan customer support during the commissioning phase.  And if you think Skype or Zoom replaces serious business meetings then I guess you've not been a frequent visitor to the business lounges at all major airports - besides there are no air miles for video conferencing so how else would you get free family trips to Disney and Universal Studios?
Perhaps you're just not aiming high enough

Not all office jobs are project-based.

Brynsam

ushjr said:

Middlestitch said:

bartelbe said:

It is something I have noticed, it is no longer enough to simply turn up and do your jobs. You now have to be passionate, committed and enjoy you work. If you commit the sin of not going the extra and other such !!!!!!, you risk a reprogramming session with HR.

One of the most useful things I was told by an old supervisor, who happened to be good at her job, is never work for free. I now calibrate my passion and effort to the amount I am paid. Minimum pay means minimum effort and if you want passion and extra mile, I want extra per hour.

That could explain why you've only ever had jobs and never a career.

Is that a bad thing? A lot of unhappiness is cause by careers not being all they're cracked up to be.

Even more unhappiness is created by having a negative attitude and not being willing to make change happen if you don't like where you are. 

Mickey666

Barny1979 said:

Mickey666 said:

If your idea of a less boring job is having to get up to walk to the fax machine then I guess you've never had a creative job that requires thought, concentration, calculation, creativity, responsibility . . . the sort of thing that pulls you into a 'zone' and makes the hours fly by without even being noticed.  Besides, such things are only one phase of typical project work.  Once the design work is complete the resulting product or system has to be built, commissioned and handed over to the customer.  That will typically involve plenty of travelling to external meetings, much of it abroad in my case.  Nothing like a two-day trip to Boston USA (including helicopter shuttle flights direct from Logan airport to the manufacturing plant, of course - because time is precious) for a bit of trouble-shooting then arriving back in the London office to find tickets for Tokyo on your desk for Monday to help plan customer support during the commissioning phase.  And if you think Skype or Zoom replaces serious business meetings then I guess you've not been a frequent visitor to the business lounges at all major airports - besides there are no air miles for video conferencing so how else would you get free family trips to Disney and Universal Studios?
Perhaps you're just not aiming high enough

Not all office jobs are project-based.

Of course.  And not all project-based jobs are office based either.  What's your point?

Barny1979

Mickey666 said:

Barny1979 said:

Mickey666 said:

If your idea of a less boring job is having to get up to walk to the fax machine then I guess you've never had a creative job that requires thought, concentration, calculation, creativity, responsibility . . . the sort of thing that pulls you into a 'zone' and makes the hours fly by without even being noticed.  Besides, such things are only one phase of typical project work.  Once the design work is complete the resulting product or system has to be built, commissioned and handed over to the customer.  That will typically involve plenty of travelling to external meetings, much of it abroad in my case.  Nothing like a two-day trip to Boston USA (including helicopter shuttle flights direct from Logan airport to the manufacturing plant, of course - because time is precious) for a bit of trouble-shooting then arriving back in the London office to find tickets for Tokyo on your desk for Monday to help plan customer support during the commissioning phase.  And if you think Skype or Zoom replaces serious business meetings then I guess you've not been a frequent visitor to the business lounges at all major airports - besides there are no air miles for video conferencing so how else would you get free family trips to Disney and Universal Studios?
Perhaps you're just not aiming high enough

Not all office jobs are project-based.

Of course.  And not all project-based jobs are office based either.  What's your point?

My point was you''re trying to make project work glamorous and sexy, it really isn't, as are a lot of office jobs.

Mickey666

ushjr said:

Brynsam said:

ushjr said:

Middlestitch said:

bartelbe said:

It is something I have noticed, it is no longer enough to simply turn up and do your jobs. You now have to be passionate, committed and enjoy you work. If you commit the sin of not going the extra and other such !!!!!!, you risk a reprogramming session with HR.

One of the most useful things I was told by an old supervisor, who happened to be good at her job, is never work for free. I now calibrate my passion and effort to the amount I am paid. Minimum pay means minimum effort and if you want passion and extra mile, I want extra per hour.

That could explain why you've only ever had jobs and never a career.

Is that a bad thing? A lot of unhappiness is cause by careers not being all they're cracked up to be.

Even more unhappiness is created by having a negative attitude and not being willing to make change happen if you don't like where you are. 

If you're talking about me making no attempt to leave a job I hated for so long then yes that was a mistake. At the same time though none of the jobs I've applied to are very appealing. I realised years ago that I have zero interest in what I do but a lower paid but more interesting job isn't going to pay the mortgage.

WAS a mistake?  I'd suggest it's a continuing mistake.  Life is short.